Import Journal Entries into Quickbooks Desktop from CSV/Excel

Quickbooks does not import General Journal Entries as CSV or Excel. You may have them created in Excel or exported from your production system, but they are not usable.

Instead of typing entries in Quickbooks Desktop, you may create an IIF file and import it,

All documents, shown in this tutorial are available to download, see spreadsheet at

https://www.propersoft.app/static/samples/propersoft-iif-template.xlsx

or

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sYM1ifHgtpjyjQDd9abCz8Cc9V8KVMVsG8YoOv4oKbc/

So, let's take a look at our file, which has two General Journal Entries, and they are separated by entry number. They are for the same date but could be for a different date. We have the Account Name, we have some subaccounts, and we have regular debit and credit lines. This entry has one credit line, one debit line and another entry has two debit lines two credit lines. We have some Memo, we have some Name for one of the lines and we have optional class and subclass available as well.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 1: Original

This file, which you can download and try yourself, has the IIF template. What is the IIF template? It is an Excel file, formatted as an IIF file: it should have a header and different rows. The header first three lines you don't change, but each transaction or each General Journal Entry has the first line, as TRNS and then you have one or more split lines and then you have to have ENDTRNS line.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 2: IIF template

For this file, as here, the final result would look like this. As you see, I filled the first entry TRNS line and then split line, and then ENDTRNS. Then for the second entry, I have the first line always TRNS and then I have three split lines and again ENDTRNS line. You can fill it, as fast, as you work in Excel, you can copy this column, TRNS type usually should be General Journal, you can copy the Date, it should be month/day/year format, and then account.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 3: IIF Result

How you would start working on this? First, you would create as many lines, as you need. So, in this case, you would have six lines. So your IIF result would have six lines. Then, you will need to insert those TRNS lines at the end of each entry. Now you need to copy the entry number.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 4: Copy entry number

Then you go on the template, paste, you start multi-lines, same you do for the second one, same you do for the dates, for account number, account names, classes, names.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 5: Copy entry number

The most difficult one would be the amount column. If you have debit and credit, in IIF it must be just the amount. How do you get those minuses and plusses in right place? What would you do? You would create the amount column in your template and then would enter the formula, as simple as this - which is debit minus credit.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 6: Formula Amount

Then you press 'Enter' and then you would multiply this column for all lines. The credit lines should be minus and debit lines should be plus. Then you can start copying this column as well to the IIF result.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 7: Copy Amount column

The final step is what would you do to get this into the IIF file. There are different approaches to convert. The easiest one would be using Text editor or Notepad, which is included in all Windows, starting from Windows 7, Windows 10, Windows 11. Start Notepad, if you don't know where is Notepad, just open your start menu and start typing 'Notepad' and that's where you would see Notepad.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 8: Notepad start menu

When you open Notepad (File - New), then you would switch back to Excel, select this final result, click 'Copy' or 'Ctrl' - 'C'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 9: Select the final result

Then you switch to Notepad and press the 'Ctrl' - 'V'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 10: Paste the final result

Click 'File' - 'Save', and then you would say 'entries.iif' and save.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 11: save as entries.iif

That's it.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 12: entries.iif

Let's go to Quickbooks Dekstop. This is Quickbooks Desktop 2019 and it's the same as 2020, 2021, or any previous Quickbooks, as far as IIF files are imported. In Quickbooks 2019 and later (2020, 2021), the IIF import was changed, so to import the IIF file you go to 'File - 'Utilities' - 'Import' - 'IIF files'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 13: File-Utilities

If you have Quickbooks Desktop 2018 or earlier it would just go to the import screen, but in 2019 there's two options 'Import IIF' or 'Import IIF for me. I'll fix it later'. Those are two different ways to import. This way is called the 'legacy way'. It is for how Quickbooks Desktop 2018, and earlier would import the IIF files. If you get used to a regular way of importing the IIF files - this is the way to keep importing them. This new way of importing IIF files is a little different. First - it's much slower, and the second is - if you have any mistakes, let's say, the Vendor name is incorrect, if the account name is incorrect, then all those entries will be rejected and a new IIF file, with a timestamp added, will be created for your IIF file. And this IIF file will have all error messages for what went wrong. So if you know that everything is correct in your General Journal Entry file and you will just go ahead. If you're not sure or you're doing it the first time I would suggest going first with the 'Import IIF' to see any errors, that you would encounter, let's say, account names are incorrect.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 14: Import IIF and Import IIF for me

But before that, so, let's say, I will 'Import IIF for me', either way - old way or new way, do backup before you do anything with the IIF file.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 15: Backup now

Online backup, the Local backup will take just a couple of seconds.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 16: Local backup

Click 'Browse' (tell us where to save your backup copies) - click 'Ok' (do it in Documents - 'Ok' (remind me to backup when I close my company every times).

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 17: save backup copies

'Use this location'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 18: Use this location

'Save it now'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 19: create backup

'Save'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 20: save backup copy

'Ok' and it's done.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 21: backup is done

Now go to 'File' - 'Utilities' - 'Import' - 'IIF Files' - 'Ok' (QB must close all windows to import the IIF file) - 'Import for me' - 'Import IIF'. Now we're ready to import the IIF file. Save it in the Downloads folder. This is our entries, and our data has been imported.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 22: open entries

Go to 'Company' - 'Make General Journal Entries'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 23: company - make gje

That's where we see our Entries imported.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 24: Entries imported

This is the manual way.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 25: Entries imported

We don't need any tools and you could work as fast, as you work in Excel and you have as much freedom, as you have, like you could copy those lines, you can check, you can do everything you want. There is an easier way, so, if you have this file, and you don't want to do formulas, you don't want to do the formatting, copy, pasting, you would just use the ProperConvert app. What does it do? It loads your file, it recognizes all those columns automatically and then you just say 'IIF', then click 'Convert'.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 26: convert

Click 'Save' and that's it.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 27: save

Your IIF file is created now and ready to import into Quickbooks Desktop. So, it's up to you, in some cases you would like to have manual work, but if you have like an export from your production system and it's already predefined, everything is resolved, everything is ready, just convert data, I would suggest using General Journal Entries tool to quickly reformat your CSV file to IIF file.

Import GJE from CSV Excel onto QB Desktop Step 28: iif is created

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