How to import a PDF bank statement into QuickBooks

QuickBooks Online doesn't read PDF statements, so convert the PDF to a QBO (Web Connect) file or a QuickBooks-ready CSV first, then upload it from Bank transactions with Upload from file. Check the running balance before you upload, because QuickBooks will import whatever the file says.

Before you start

• Know which QuickBooks bank account the statement belongs to, and the date range you're adding, so you don't import a period twice.
• Intuit accepts QBO, QFX and CSV for manual uploads and lists QBO as the preferred format. Files must be in English and within Intuit's size limit (Intuit help: manually upload transactions).
• A CSV needs either 3 columns (Date, Description, Amount) or 4 columns (Date, Description, Credit, Debit).

1. Convert the PDF statement

1. Upload the statement on StatementPanda's QuickBooks converter. Text PDFs, scans and phone photos all work.
2. Check the result. Every running balance is compared with the balance printed on the statement, and any row that doesn't match is highlighted. Fix it in the table before downloading.
3. Download QuickBooks Desktop (.qbo) for a Web Connect file, or QuickBooks Online (CSV) for the 4-column CSV (Date, Description, Credit, Debit, with blank cells instead of zeros). Accounting formats are part of the Pro and Business plans; Excel and CSV are on every plan.

2. Upload it to QuickBooks Online

1. Go to Bank transactions.
2. Open the Link account dropdown and choose Upload from file.
3. Select the .qbo or .csv file.
4. Choose the QuickBooks account to put the transactions in, or add a new one.
5. For a CSV, map the columns: Date, Description, and Credit and Debit (or a single Amount). Pick the date format that matches the file.
6. Select the transactions to import, confirm, and choose Done. They arrive in the For review tab, where you categorise and match them.

Menu names can differ slightly by country; the steps above follow Intuit's current help article.

QuickBooks Desktop

Download the .qbo file and open it from File, Utilities, Import, Web Connect Files. QuickBooks asks which account to use; choose the matching bank account, then review the downloaded transactions in the Bank Feeds center.

Fixing common errors

• Dates in the wrong month: the CSV uses DD/MM while QuickBooks expects MM/DD, or the other way round. Pick the right date format when mapping the columns.
• Money in shows as money out: the Credit and Debit columns were mapped the wrong way round. Credit is money in, Debit is money out.
• File rejected: remove extra header rows, keep one date format, leave empty amount cells blank, and split very large statements into shorter date ranges.
• Duplicates: if the bank feed already brought in some of the same dates, exclude the overlapping rows in For review instead of adding them again.

Check it after importing

Compare the QuickBooks account balance for the statement's closing date with the closing balance on the statement. If they match, the period is complete. If they don't, look for rows excluded in For review or a date range imported twice.