Import CSV or Excel into QuickBooks Desktop: convert CSV or Excel to IIF

QuickBooks Desktop imports QBO and IIF files. Convert your CSV or Excel file to IIF first, then import it. Read the full QuickBooks Desktop import guide.

What is a CSV file

CSV (comma-separated values) is a plain text file with one transaction per row and columns for date, amount, description and other fields. Every bank and payment service uses its own column names and layout, so no two CSV files look exactly the same. An Excel file (XLS or XLSX) works the same way here.

CSV column mapping

Different CSV files use different column names. A PayPal export uses different headers than a bank export. ProperConvert detects the columns automatically in most cases. If your CSV has unusual column names or splits amounts into separate debit and credit columns, use the manual mapping option to tell the app which column contains which value. Once mapped, the app remembers the layout for the next file from the same source. See CSV column mapping.

Can any CSV file be converted?

Most bank and credit card CSV files can be converted. The file needs at least a date column and an amount column. Files that put deposits and withdrawals in separate columns, or use unusual date formats, may need manual column mapping before converting. Remove any summary rows above or below the transactions.

What is an IIF file

IIF is a tab-separated text format that goes directly into QuickBooks Desktop. Besides the date and amount, each transaction names the bank account, the vendor, and an expense or income account. More about IIF.

Why convert CSV to IIF

QuickBooks Desktop doesn't import a bank's CSV into its registers, and QBO import stops working once a version is about three years old. IIF has no such limit, so it is the way to keep importing into an older QuickBooks. It also suits files that already name the vendor and expense account, because those go straight into the register.

Each IIF transaction needs two accounts, so your file needs a category column for the expense or income account. A bank's CSV usually doesn't have one: open it in Excel and add it, or set a default account.

Before you import: back up QuickBooks

Back up your QuickBooks company file before you import any file, so you can restore it if something comes in wrong. On Windows, click File > Back Up Company > Create Local Backup. On a Mac, click File > Back Up, then Start Backup.

Step by step: convert CSV or Excel to IIF

1. Download, install and start ProperConvert. The trial is free.
2. Open your CSV or Excel file.
3. Review the transactions to see how the app read your file. Check that the dates are correct, and that expenses are negative and deposits (payments to the account) are positive. The "Change +/-" button reverses the signs for the whole file, for bank and credit card accounts alike.
4. Set the IIF settings below.
5. Click Convert, then confirm the file name and location.

Set the IIF output settings

An IIF file goes directly into the QuickBooks database, so names must match what is in QuickBooks exactly:

• Account name: the bank or credit card account name as it appears in QuickBooks, not the account number. Sub-accounts use Parent:Sub.
• Payee: should match your vendor names. QuickBooks creates a new vendor for any name it doesn't find.
• Expense or income account: every transaction needs one. Use a category column in your file, or set a default account in ProperConvert.

See the IIF format.

Import the IIF file into QuickBooks Desktop

IIF works with every QuickBooks Desktop version, including ones older than three years, and doesn't need an internet connection. Transactions go straight into the register, with no review step and no undo, so back up the company file first.

1. Make sure the accounts and vendors in the file exist in QuickBooks.
2. Click File > Utilities > Import > IIF Files. QuickBooks needs to close all windows; click OK.
3. Click Import IIF, open the file, and click Proceed.
4. If QuickBooks reports errors, click Review now. Rows that imported are in the register. The failed rows are saved in a new IIF file: fix the cause, then import that file.

QuickBooks Enterprise needs exclusive access to the company file. QuickBooks Online doesn't import IIF.

QuickBooks Desktop IIF questions

Which format should I use, QBO or IIF?

Use QBO when QuickBooks is less than three years old and the transactions should go through Bank Feeds for review and matching. Use IIF when QuickBooks is discontinued, when the transactions should land directly in the register, or when each row must carry a vendor and an expense account.

My QuickBooks is older than three years. Can I still import?

Not with QBO. A discontinued QuickBooks version refuses QBO files and no longer connects to online banking. IIF still imports, because it does not depend on Intuit's servers.

Can I import into a sub-account?

Yes, in both formats. For QBO, match the file to the sub-account in Bank Feeds. For IIF, write the full path Parent:Sub as the account name.

Where do IIF import errors go?

QuickBooks writes a new IIF file next to the original with a timestamp in its name, containing only the failed rows and an error message per row. Fix the cause in QuickBooks, usually a missing account or vendor, and import the timestamped file.