Trade records and reconciliation
Interactive Brokers Trading Journal
Use an IBKR report to preserve the facts behind each journal entry: the instrument, executions, costs and remaining position. This guide explains which Flex settings to check and how to reconcile a sample. Start with the report required by your destination journal.
Prepare a Trade Confirmation Flex report
- 1
Choose the report your destination accepts
Read the destination journal’s IBKR instructions first. An Activity Statement, Activity Flex Query and Trade Confirmation Flex Query are different report choices. Do not substitute one simply because each can contain trade information.
- 2
Open Flex Queries in Client Portal
Go to Performance & Reports → Flex Queries. Select the intended account. For a new Trade Confirmation template, use the plus control and name the query so you can identify its purpose later.
- 3
Set the detail level and fields
Choose the required section and level of detail, then select and order its fields. Match the destination’s request for executions, orders or closed lots. Exporting several levels without separating them can count the same activity twice.
- 4
Save format and date settings with the file
Set the report period, output format, date/time formats and separator. IBKR documents CSV, XML and text choices for this workflow. Review canceled-trade and audit-trail options deliberately, then save and run a small report.
A saved query makes the export reproducible
Keep the query name, account scope, period, detail level and format with your exported file. The official Client Portal guide describes the template controls; it does not specify the schema accepted by every third-party journal.
Start with a short period whose activity you can verify. If an entry predates that period, include the opening inventory or the earlier fills required by your chosen matching method. Keep the original export unchanged.
Preserve the fields that explain a fill
The field names below come from IBKR’s Trade Confirmation reference. Available output depends on the query configuration. They are reference fields, not a Pineify upload specification.
| Field group | Examples from the reference | Why retain it |
|---|---|---|
| Account and contract | ClientAccountID, AccountAlias, Conid, Symbol, AssetClass | Do not combine different accounts or contracts just because the symbol matches. |
| Execution identity | TradeID, OrderID, ExecID | An order identifier is not necessarily a unique fill. |
| Time | Date/Time, TradeDate, SettleDate, ReportDate | Execution, settlement and report dates serve different purposes. |
| Position | Buy/Sell, Quantity, Price, Multiplier | Confirm direction and units before calculating exposure or results. |
| Currency and costs | CurrencyPrimary, Commission, CommissionCurrency, Tax | Check currency and sign; avoid deducting an already included cost twice. |
| Derivatives | UnderlyingSymbol, Strike, Expiry, Put/Call | Keep the exact contract identity when reviewing options. |
| Corrections and detail | OriginalTradeID, OriginalTradeDate, LevelofDetail | Inspect corrections and avoid mixing summarized orders with fills. |
Reconcile costs without adding the components twice
IBKR’s Commission Details section lists a total and component charges and is available in daily statements. Use the report’s definitions to determine whether the components are already included in the total. Keep taxes and other cash flows separate until their treatment is clear.
Fictional normalization example: a transaction has gross proceeds of 250, a total commission cost of 1.20, and component costs of 0.70, 0.30 and 0.20. With all amounts in one currency and no other charges, net proceeds are 248.80. Subtracting both the total and its components would incorrectly produce 247.60.
These are positive-cost example values, not assumed IBKR signs. Net sale proceeds are not trading profit without the matched entry cost. If a commission is in another currency, reconcile it separately or document the conversion rate, date and source before combining it.
Check positions and corrections before calculating performance
Match the export to the source report by account and instrument. Compare execution counts, buy/sell quantities and the position remaining at the end of the period. Then compare commissions and reconciled results within each currency.
Keep canceled or corrected records traceable. Use the report’s identifiers and correction relationships; do not deduplicate by symbol and date alone. Treat assignments, expirations, transfers, dividends and corporate actions under their own documented rules rather than assuming every record is an ordinary buy or sell.
A EUR result and a USD result cannot be added merely by choosing USD as the display label. A converted closed-trade total also need not equal account return, which can reflect cash flows, open holdings and other activity. This guide does not implement currency conversion or corporate-action accounting.
Check the available history before planning a migration
IBKR’s current Flex Queries guide states a window covering the four previous calendar years and the current year to date. Do not assume that a saved query can regenerate every execution since the account opened.
Check the actual report options for the account and requested period, retain existing archives, and ask IBKR about older records when needed. A previous account, migration or changed report layout may require separate reconciliation.
Use IBKR’s own performance reports as another reference
IBKR already provides PortfolioAnalyst reports, including portfolio performance, allocation and detailed analysis. Its report settings include the analysis period, performance measure and base currency.
Use those settings when investigating differences with a journal. Compare the same accounts, dates, currency basis and treatment of cash flows. A journal’s closed-trade win rate answers a different question from portfolio return.
Frequently asked questions
Can I upload an IBKR Flex report directly to Pineify?
Not currently. Pineify Trading Journal supports manual entry and marks Import History as Coming Soon. This page prepares you to inspect an export; it does not provide an IBKR parser or broker sync.
Should I export executions, orders or closed lots?
Use the level required by the destination journal and your review task. IBKR’s reference distinguishes these levels. They are not interchangeable, and combining them without separating their meaning can double-count activity.
Does choosing a journal currency convert my IBKR results?
A display currency alone does not convert amounts. Keep instrument and commission currencies explicit and document any FX calculation. This guide does not provide automatic multi-currency accounting.
Can I export every trade since opening my account?
Do not assume so. IBKR’s Flex guide states the four previous calendar years plus the current year to date. Verify the available period for the report and account, and retain older archives separately.
Do I need another tool to see portfolio performance?
IBKR has PortfolioAnalyst performance reports. A separate journal may help document decisions and trade-level reviews, but that does not mean IBKR lacks performance analysis. Compare the metrics and workflow you actually need.
Continue with a reconciled sample
For a manual review, use the Pineify Trading Journal after checking its current fields. For a separate spreadsheet, inspect the Excel journal template and its calculation assumptions. Neither path adds automatic broker import.
Use the trade-import mapping and reconciliation guide
Published by Pineify, which sells trading software. Instructions use the linked official documentation; examples are fictional reconciliation exercises. No live broker account or third-party import was used to validate this guide. A matching sample tests data handling, not future trading performance.