diff --git a/resources/js/components/transactions/import-transactions-drawer.tsx b/resources/js/components/transactions/import-transactions-drawer.tsx
index 24e88384..0014568f 100644
--- a/resources/js/components/transactions/import-transactions-drawer.tsx
+++ b/resources/js/components/transactions/import-transactions-drawer.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { importKey } from '@/lib/crypto';
 import {
     autoDetectColumns,
     calculateBalancesFromTransactions,
+    collectBalancesToImport,
     convertRowsToTransactions,
     parseFile,
 } from '@/lib/file-parser';
@@ -628,18 +629,7 @@ export function ImportTransactionsDrawer({
             setImportProgress(processedCount);
         }
 
-        const balancesToImport = new Map<string, number>();
-        for (const transaction of newTransactions) {
-            if (
-                transaction.balance !== null &&
-                transaction.balance !== undefined
-            ) {
-                balancesToImport.set(
-                    transaction.transaction_date,
-                    transaction.balance,
-                );
-            }
-        }
+        const balancesToImport = collectBalancesToImport(newTransactions);
 
         if (balancesToImport.size > 0) {
             try {
diff --git a/resources/js/lib/file-parser.test.ts b/resources/js/lib/file-parser.test.ts
index 4fcfa45b..dd45e206 100644
--- a/resources/js/lib/file-parser.test.ts
+++ b/resources/js/lib/file-parser.test.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
     autoDetectColumns,
     autoDetectDateFormat,
     calculateBalancesFromTransactions,
+    collectBalancesToImport,
     convertRowsToTransactions,
     getLatestTransactionDate,
     getLocaleDateFormat,
@@ -73,6 +74,85 @@ describe('convertRowsToTransactions', () => {
     });
 });
 
+describe('convertRowsToTransactions balance column', () => {
+    const mapping: ColumnMapping = {
+        transaction_date: 'date',
+        description: 'description',
+        amount: 'amount',
+        balance: 'balance',
+        creditor_name: null,
+        debtor_name: null,
+    };
+
+    it('keeps a zero balance instead of dropping it', () => {
+        const transactions = convertRowsToTransactions(
+            [
+                {
+                    date: '2026-05-04',
+                    description: 'Drained account',
+                    amount: '-10.00',
+                    balance: 0,
+                },
+            ],
+            mapping,
+            DateFormat.YearMonthDay,
+        );
+
+        expect(transactions[0].balance).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps a zero balance provided as a string', () => {
+        const transactions = convertRowsToTransactions(
+            [
+                {
+                    date: '2026-05-04',
+                    description: 'Drained account',
+                    amount: '-10.00',
+                    balance: '0',
+                },
+            ],
+            mapping,
+            DateFormat.YearMonthDay,
+        );
+
+        expect(transactions[0].balance).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps a negative balance', () => {
+        const transactions = convertRowsToTransactions(
+            [
+                {
+                    date: '2026-05-04',
+                    description: 'Overdrawn',
+                    amount: '-10.00',
+                    balance: '-25.50',
+                },
+            ],
+            mapping,
+            DateFormat.YearMonthDay,
+        );
+
+        expect(transactions[0].balance).toBe(-2550);
+    });
+
+    it('leaves balance null when the cell is empty', () => {
+        const transactions = convertRowsToTransactions(
+            [
+                {
+                    date: '2026-05-04',
+                    description: 'No balance',
+                    amount: '-10.00',
+                    balance: '',
+                },
+            ],
+            mapping,
+            DateFormat.YearMonthDay,
+        );
+
+        expect(transactions[0].balance).toBeNull();
+    });
+});
+
 describe('autoDetectColumns', () => {
     it('detects creditor and debtor name columns', () => {
         const mapping = autoDetectColumns([
@@ -290,3 +370,61 @@ describe('calculateBalancesFromTransactions', () => {
         expect(balances.get('2024-01-05')).toBe(5000);
     });
 });
+
+describe('collectBalancesToImport', () => {
+    function txn(date: string, balance?: number | null): ParsedTransaction {
+        return {
+            transaction_date: date,
+            description: 'x',
+            amount: 0,
+            balance,
+        };
+    }
+
+    it('uses the first (newest) balance when a date repeats', () => {
+        // Rows are newest-on-top; the first one holds the correct balance.
+        const transactions = [
+            txn('2024-01-15', 10000),
+            txn('2024-01-15', 8000),
+            txn('2024-01-15', 5000),
+        ];
+
+        const balances = collectBalancesToImport(transactions);
+
+        expect(balances.get('2024-01-15')).toBe(10000);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps the first balance per date across multiple days', () => {
+        const transactions = [
+            txn('2024-01-16', 12000),
+            txn('2024-01-15', 10000),
+            txn('2024-01-15', 8000),
+            txn('2024-01-14', 4000),
+        ];
+
+        const balances = collectBalancesToImport(transactions);
+
+        expect(balances.get('2024-01-16')).toBe(12000);
+        expect(balances.get('2024-01-15')).toBe(10000);
+        expect(balances.get('2024-01-14')).toBe(4000);
+    });
+
+    it('keeps the first valid balance even when it is zero', () => {
+        const transactions = [txn('2024-01-15', 0), txn('2024-01-15', 9000)];
+
+        const balances = collectBalancesToImport(transactions);
+
+        expect(balances.get('2024-01-15')).toBe(0);
+    });
+
+    it('skips transactions without a balance', () => {
+        const transactions = [
+            txn('2024-01-15', null),
+            txn('2024-01-14', undefined),
+        ];
+
+        const balances = collectBalancesToImport(transactions);
+
+        expect(balances.size).toBe(0);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/resources/js/lib/file-parser.ts b/resources/js/lib/file-parser.ts
index c294698c..6b500bff 100644
--- a/resources/js/lib/file-parser.ts
+++ b/resources/js/lib/file-parser.ts
@@ -502,6 +502,8 @@ export function parseAmount(amountStr: string | number): number | null {
 
     let str = String(amountStr).trim();
 
+    const isNegative = /^-/.test(str) || /^\(.*\)$/.test(str);
+
     const dotPos = str.lastIndexOf('.');
     const commaPos = str.lastIndexOf(',');
 
@@ -526,7 +528,7 @@ export function parseAmount(amountStr: string | number): number | null {
         return null;
     }
 
-    return amount;
+    return isNegative ? -Math.abs(amount) : amount;
 }
 
 function getDescriptionFromRow(row: ParsedRow, mapping: ColumnMapping): string {
@@ -634,12 +636,19 @@ export function convertRowsToTransactions(
         const debtorName = getOptionalTextFromRow(row, mapping.debtor_name);
 
         let balance: number | null = null;
-        if (mapping.balance && row[mapping.balance]) {
-            const parsedBalance = parseAmount(
-                row[mapping.balance] as string | number,
-            );
-            if (parsedBalance !== null) {
-                balance = Math.round(parsedBalance * 100);
+        if (mapping.balance) {
+            const rawBalance = row[mapping.balance];
+            if (
+                rawBalance !== null &&
+                rawBalance !== undefined &&
+                String(rawBalance).trim() !== ''
+            ) {
+                const parsedBalance = parseAmount(
+                    rawBalance as string | number,
+                );
+                if (parsedBalance !== null) {
+                    balance = Math.round(parsedBalance * 100);
+                }
             }
         }
 
@@ -737,3 +746,29 @@ export function calculateBalancesFromTransactions(
 
     return balances;
 }
+
+/**
+ * Build the map of balances to store per date from imported transactions.
+ *
+ * CSV rows are newest-on-top and imported top-to-bottom, so when several
+ * transactions share a date the first one encountered is the newest and holds
+ * the correct end-of-day balance. A balance of 0 (or negative) is valid and
+ * kept; only null/undefined balances are skipped.
+ */
+export function collectBalancesToImport(
+    transactions: ParsedTransaction[],
+): Map<string, number> {
+    const balances = new Map<string, number>();
+
+    for (const transaction of transactions) {
+        if (
+            transaction.balance !== null &&
+            transaction.balance !== undefined &&
+            !balances.has(transaction.transaction_date)
+        ) {
+            balances.set(transaction.transaction_date, transaction.balance);
+        }
+    }
+
+    return balances;
+}