QuickBooks IIF File Checker — Fix Import Errors

Why won't my IIF file import into QuickBooks?

Drop in an IIF file and get every problem with its line number: a transaction with no ENDTRNS, TRNS and SPL amounts that do not sum to zero, a row with more columns than its header, columns split by spaces instead of tabs, Excel quote marks, dates in the wrong form, accounts that are not in the file's own list, and transactions that appear twice. Then download a repaired file.

The file is read in this browser tab and never leaves your device; accounting files hold customer and vendor names, so that matters. This checks the file against IIF conventions QuickBooks Desktop follows, not against your company file, so it cannot know which accounts you already have. For bank files use the OFX file check or the QIF file check. Independent of every product named.

1. Your IIF file

A .iif file, or its text pasted below (tabs must survive the paste).

Choose a file …or paste the text

Fix day-first dates

If the file cannot prove its date order, read it as

Choose a file or paste the text, then click Check file.

The rules, and what they leave out

Structure: tab-delimited; ! header rows that name each record type's columns; every transaction a TRNS row, SPL rows and an ENDTRNS row.
Balance: the TRNS and SPL amounts of one transaction sum to 0.00, with opposite signs.
Columns: a row may not have more cells than its header names; TRNS needs TRNSTYPE, DATE, ACCNT and AMOUNT, SPL needs ACCNT and AMOUNT.
Dates: MM/DD/YYYY, the form a US-locale QuickBooks reads. Year-first dates are always rewritten; day-first dates only when the file proves the order or you choose it; mixed orders are an error.
Lists: ACCNTTYPE values, duplicate accounts, account names over 31 characters, names over 41, and accounts used but absent from the file's !ACCNT list.
Fixed automatically: missing ENDTRNS rows and header, quote marks around cells, plain-decimal amounts, year-first dates, spaces around names.
Never guessed: which side of an unbalanced transaction is wrong, a garbled amount, a misspelled account, or whether two similar transactions are one.
Not checked: that accounts, customers, vendors or items exist in your company file, closing-date or period locks, sales tax, items and inventory rows, or what any one QuickBooks version will accept. Read from memory of common IIF practice; confirm against Intuit's own IIF documentation and import into a copy of the company file first.

Common questions

Why does QuickBooks say my IIF file has an error or imports nothing?

The usual causes are a transaction with no ENDTRNS row, TRNS and SPL amounts that do not sum to zero, a row with more columns than its header (a stray tab inside a memo or name), columns separated by spaces or commas instead of tabs, and header names that are misspelled. This tool finds each one and gives the line number.

Why must the TRNS and SPL amounts add up to zero?

An IIF transaction is a double entry: the TRNS row posts one side and the SPL rows post the other, with opposite signs. If the sum is not exactly 0.00, QuickBooks refuses the transaction. The checker names the transaction and the difference.

What does Excel do to an IIF file?

Saving as Text (Tab delimited) keeps the tabs but Excel may wrap cells that contain quotation marks in more quotes, turn dates into its own format, or drop leading zeros. QuickBooks reads the quote marks as part of an account or customer name, so the match fails. The checker finds wrapped cells and year-first dates and can fix them.

Why are my dates refused or wrong?

QuickBooks reads IIF dates in the computer's short-date format, normally MM/DD/YYYY in a US locale. A date like 31/12/2024 or 2024-12-31 is then refused or misread. A date such as 03/05/2024 could be either order, so the tool only rewrites day-first dates when another date in the file proves the order or you tell it.

Do the accounts and names have to exist already?

Yes. An IIF import does not create the accounts a transaction posts to unless the file also carries an !ACCNT list. The checker lists the account names a file uses and, when the file has an !ACCNT list, warns about any that are not in it. Names must match your chart exactly, with colons between parent and sub-accounts.

Is my file uploaded anywhere?

No. It is read in your browser tab and a test in the code asserts there are no network calls. Accounting files hold customer and vendor names, so do not paste one into a tool that uploads it.