Import QuickBooks financials

Use An Empty Destination

The self-service QuickBooks importer writes the Chart of Accounts and Journal CSV history into the selected company. It is intended for a company without existing journal activity.

If the destination already has journal entries, LedgerHQ refuses the import. Use an empty company or send the package through Assisted Import. The current self-service flow does not offer a replacement switch.

Export Both Files

Export these two files from the same company and at the same point in time:

• the Chart of Accounts CSV;
• the Journal report CSV for the history you want to bring over.

In QuickBooks Online, export the Chart of Accounts from Accounting > Chart of Accounts and the Journal from Reports > Journal.

In QuickBooks Desktop, export the Journal from Reports > Accountant & Taxes > Journal with All dates, then Excel > Create New Worksheet > Create a comma separated values (.csv) file. Export the chart from Lists > Chart of Accounts > Reports > Account Listing the same way.

For a normal migration, use All Dates in the Journal report so the destination receives the history needed for comparative reporting. A shorter range can work for a planned opening-balance start, but document the cutoff before importing.

The Journal report should include the transaction date, transaction type or identifier when available, account, memo or description, and debit and credit amounts. Export a real double-entry report. If the preview finds unbalanced entries, re-export both files from the same QuickBooks company before continuing.

Check The Files In LedgerHQ

1. Open the destination company.
2. Go to Settings > Import & Export.
3. Choose QuickBooks Import.
4. Select the Chart of Accounts CSV and Journal CSV.
5. Choose Check Files.

Nothing is imported while LedgerHQ checks the files. The preview reports accounts, source transactions, posting lines, date range, missing accounts, unbalanced entries, and other validation counts.

If the Journal includes accounts that QuickBooks omitted from the Chart of Accounts CSV, LedgerHQ lists them after the check. Choose Asset, Liability, Equity, Revenue, or Expense for every missing account, then choose Save account types. LedgerHQ adds those confirmed accounts to the checked import without changing the source CSV.

Fix unbalanced entries in the source export before importing. Editing a large CSV by hand can create a second mismatch between the chart and journal report.

Import The Checked Package

When the preview is correct, choose Import QuickBooks. LedgerHQ creates the accounts and posted journal history. QuickBooks bank and credit-card accounts also receive the matching register structure needed for later bank feeds and reconciliation.

The import also adds the names on QuickBooks customer transactions (invoices, payments, sales receipts, credit memos) as customers, and the names on vendor transactions (bills, bill payments, expenses, checks, vendor credits) as vendors, and links imported bank rows to them. Names on deposits, transfers, journal entries, and payroll are skipped. An existing contact with the same name is reused, and a name that appears on both sides becomes both a customer and a vendor. For a company imported before this was added, choose Find customers and vendors on the QuickBooks Import tab, review the list, then choose Add customers and vendors. Undoing an import leaves these contacts in place.

If a bank or card register already has posted bank-feed transactions inside the imported dates, the import stops before anything is written and names the register and dates. Undo those transactions in Bank Feeds under Posted, then import again, so the same bank activity is not entered twice.

The job runs on LedgerHQ's servers with progress and a saved result. Closing or reloading the page does not cancel it. Return to the same job to inspect completion and any row errors before starting other work.

Each Settings import kind runs once per company: customers, QuickBooks Journal, open invoices, and open bills. A completed import refuses a repeat of the same kind; customers, open invoices, and open bills can run before or after the QuickBooks Journal. Bank and card files go to Upload CSV in Bank Feeds instead. Plan the package before starting. If an import went wrong, ask Tally to undo it: Tally shows what will be removed, removes it after you agree, and the company can then import the corrected files.

The import writes the checked package to the selected company. It does not prove that the cutoff, account types, or business history are correct, so use Verify a company after import before adding new live activity.

If The Import Cannot Continue

For an existing company with journal activity, use Assisted Import or create a clean destination. Do not try to correct a rejected or incorrect migration with offsetting journal entries. Keep the source files, company name, cutoff, and preview error when you create a support ticket.