diff --git a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
index 709e3ccc2..01568f5dd 100644
--- a/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
+++ b/hledger-lib/Hledger/Read/CsvReader.hs
@@ -664,9 +664,10 @@ transactionFromCsvRecord sourcepos rules record = t
                    _         -> "expenses:unknown"
     account1    = T.pack $ maybe "" render (mfieldtemplate "account1") `or` defaccount1
     account2    = T.pack $ maybe "" render (mfieldtemplate "account2") `or` defaccount2
-    balance     = maybe Nothing parsebalance $ mfieldtemplate "balance"
-    parsebalance "" = Nothing
-    parsebalance str = Just $ either (balanceerror str) id $ runParser (evalStateT (amountp <* eof) mempty) "" $ T.pack $ (currency++) $ negateIfParenthesised $ render str
+    balance     = maybe Nothing (parsebalance.render) $ mfieldtemplate "balance"
+    parsebalance str 
+      | all isSpace str  = Nothing
+      | otherwise = Just $ either (balanceerror str) id $ runParser (evalStateT (amountp <* eof) mempty) "" $ T.pack $ (currency++) $ negateIfParenthesised str
     balanceerror str err = error' $ unlines
       ["error: could not parse \""++str++"\" as balance amount"
       ,showRecord record
diff --git a/tests/csv/read.test b/tests/csv/read.test
index f4f2bb113..9ad2986e0 100644
--- a/tests/csv/read.test
+++ b/tests/csv/read.test
@@ -67,4 +67,29 @@
 
 >>>2 /using conversion rules file.*t.rules/
 >>>=0
+# 7. read CSV with blank balance field
+ rm -rf t.rules$$; printf 'fields date, description, amount, balance\ndate-format %%d/%%Y/%%m\ncurrency $\naccount1 assets:myacct\n' >t.rules$$; echo '10/2009/09,Flubber Co,50,123\n11/2009/09,Blubber Co,60,' | hledger -f- print --rules-file t.rules$$; rm -rf t.rules$$
+>>>
+2009/09/10 Flubber Co
+    income:unknown          $-50
+    assets:myacct            $50 = $123
 
+2009/09/11 Blubber Co
+    income:unknown          $-60
+    assets:myacct            $60
+
+>>>2 /using conversion rules file.*t.rules/
+>>>=0
+# 8. read CSV with empty balance field
+ rm -rf t.rules$$; printf 'fields date, description, amount, balance\ndate-format %%d/%%Y/%%m\ncurrency $\naccount1 assets:myacct\n' >t.rules$$; echo '10/2009/09,Flubber Co,50,123\n11/2009/09,Blubber Co,60,   ' | hledger -f- print --rules-file t.rules$$; rm -rf t.rules$$
+>>>
+2009/09/10 Flubber Co
+    income:unknown          $-50
+    assets:myacct            $50 = $123
+
+2009/09/11 Blubber Co
+    income:unknown          $-60
+    assets:myacct            $60
+
+>>>2 /using conversion rules file.*t.rules/
+>>>=0