# Import Journal Entries into QuickBooks Online: When and How

- Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://simplebankconvert.com)
- Published: 2026-10-16
- Category: QuickBooks Online imports
- Canonical: https://simplebankconvert.com/blog/import-journal-entries-into-quickbooks-online

> When to import journal entries into QuickBooks Online instead of bank transactions, the columns the file needs and how to keep debits equal to credits.
To import journal entries into QuickBooks Online, save a CSV file with one row per debit or credit line, give every line of an entry the same journal number, make each entry's debits equal its credits, then use Settings, Import Data, Journal Entries. Use it for adjustments and balances from another system, not for ordinary bank lines.

## Journal entries or bank transactions: which import fits?

Use a journal entry import when the data is an accounting adjustment that no bank ever reports, and a bank transaction import when the data is money that went through a bank or card account. The two imports end up in different places and serve different jobs, so the choice matters.

A bank transaction import adds lines to the bank feed review screen. Each line waits there until you match it to something or add it as a new expense or deposit. A journal entry import skips that screen. The entries post straight to the accounts you named.

### Good fits for a journal entry import

- Opening balances from the system you are leaving, one entry for each month or for the year.
- Payroll summaries that a payroll provider exports as a debit and credit list.
- Month-end adjustments such as depreciation, prepaid expenses and accruals, kept in a spreadsheet.
- Reclassifications that move amounts from one account to another across many rows.
- A history of entries from a previous bookkeeper, in a spreadsheet.

### Poor fits

- A bank or card statement. See the section below on why those lines make poor journal entries.
- Checks, which need their numbers and payees. See [importing checks with their check numbers](/blog/import-checks-into-quickbooks-online).
- Payment processor activity, which is better split into sales and fees. See [importing Stripe transactions without double counting](/blog/import-stripe-transactions-into-quickbooks-online).

QuickBooks Desktop has its own journal entry import, with different file options. [The Desktop journal entry import in Excel or IIF](/blog/import-journal-entries-into-quickbooks-desktop#desktop-journal-entry-import-excel-or-iif) covers it, so this post stays with QuickBooks Online.

A short test: if the bank statement shows the amount, import it as a bank transaction. If only your own books know about it, import it as a journal entry.

## Columns a QuickBooks Online journal entry file needs

A QuickBooks Online journal entry file needs six pieces of information on every row: a journal number, a date, an account name, a description, a debit and a credit. Intuit's [journal entry import instructions](https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/import-export-data-files/import-journal-entries-quickbooks-online/L4tQBwbs7_US_en_US) list these as Journal No., Journal Date, Account Name, Journal/Description, Debits and Credits.

Each row is one line of an entry, not a whole entry. An entry with three lines takes three rows, and the shared journal number is what tells QuickBooks the three rows belong together.

### A sample file with two balanced entries

The values below are examples. Both entries balance.

| Journal No. | Journal Date | Account Name | Description | Debits | Credits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1001 | 03/31/2026 | Depreciation expense | March depreciation | 400.00 | |
| 1001 | 03/31/2026 | Accumulated depreciation | March depreciation | | 400.00 |
| 1002 | 03/31/2026 | Prepaid insurance | Insurance paid in advance | 1,200.00 | |
| 1002 | 03/31/2026 | Insurance expense | Insurance for March | | 100.00 |
| 1002 | 03/31/2026 | Checking | Annual premium paid | | 1,100.00 |

Entry 1001 has two lines and totals 400.00 on each side. Entry 1002 has three lines. Its debit side is 1,200.00, and its credit side is 100.00 plus 1,100.00, which is 1,200.00.

The totals check for the whole file is the same sum one level up: all debits are 1,600.00, and all credits are 1,600.00.

### Other points from the instructions

Intuit's page says to add any new accounts to your chart of accounts before the import, so the names in your file match accounts that already exist. It also says to turn off account numbers before you begin, and that a sub account must be written as the parent account, a colon, then the sub account. Writing only the sub account name causes a "Line Account Invalid" error.

If a row posts to Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable, the page says the file needs a Name column holding the vendor or customer. The page also notes that the "warn if duplicate journal number" setting should be turned off before you import entries whose numbers already exist.

The page does not state a date format. Use one format on every row, and check the preview screen before you start the import.

The steps themselves are short. Go to Settings, choose Import Data, choose Journal Entries, browse to your CSV, map each of your columns to the QuickBooks field of the same meaning, review any errors, then start the import. The page offers a sample file to download if you want a template.

If you build the file in Excel, save it as CSV, close the file before you upload it, and make sure the header row is the first row. Check that Excel has not turned 03/31/2026 into a different date format, and that no account name picked up a trailing space.

## Balancing debits and credits in each journal entry

Each journal entry must have total debits equal to total credits, because double-entry bookkeeping records every amount twice, once on each side. An entry that is out by even one cent does not balance, so QuickBooks cannot post it. Check each entry, not just the file total.

The file total can hide a problem. Suppose entry 1001 is 0.01 too high on the debit side and entry 1002 is 0.01 too high on the credit side. The file as a whole nets to zero, but both entries are wrong. Sum by journal number.

### How to check balance in Excel

Add a helper column that sums debits minus credits for each journal number. A SUMIF formula does this: sum the Debits column where the Journal No. matches, subtract the same sum for the Credits column, and round to two decimals. Any number other than zero marks an unbalanced entry.

### Common causes of a cent difference

- **Rounding on split amounts.** Splitting 100.00 three ways gives 33.33 three times, which totals 99.99. Put the extra cent on one line.
- **Text that looks like a number.** An amount stored as text, such as one with a trailing space, is skipped in a sum, so the sheet looks balanced when it is not.
- **Currency formatting.** A cell that displays 12.50 may hold 12.4999 if it came from a calculation. Round the values, do not only format them.
- **A debit and credit on one row.** Each row should carry one side. Put a debit and a credit on the same line only if your template allows it, and check the preview.

Once every entry sums to zero, the totals check at the foot of the file takes a moment and gives you a number to compare with the entries QuickBooks reports after the import.

## Why bank statement lines make poor journal entries

Bank statement lines make poor journal entries because a journal entry has no place in the bank review screen. It posts to the accounts, but nothing on the bank side is matched against it, so you give up the checks that bank transactions get.

You lose several things when you post statement lines as journals:

- **Matching.** The review screen exists to pair bank lines with items you entered. A journal posted straight to the bank account bypasses it, so a later feed or file import can bring the same line in a second time.
- **Payees.** A journal entry line carries a description, and a vendor or customer name only on receivable or payable lines. Reports by vendor then miss the spending.
- **Check numbers and types.** An expense, a check and a deposit each have their own form. A journal has none of those.
- **Proof.** A bank transaction import ties back to a file with an opening and closing balance. A journal import ties back only to your own spreadsheet.

If your statement is a PDF and a journal entry looked like the only way to get it in, use the bank upload instead, with the statement converted to a CSV of date, description and amount. [SimpleBankConvert](/) is being built to make that CSV, and the [get started page](/get-started) collects your email until accounts open.

## Can you undo an imported journal entry batch?

Intuit's journal entry import page does not describe a way to undo a whole batch in one step, so plan to remove a bad batch entry by entry. Search for the entries by the journal numbers in your file, open each one, and delete it or correct it.

That is a reason to test with a small file first. Import two or three entries, open them, and check each account and amount before you load the full set. A mistake in a three-row test costs a minute to fix. A mistake in a 500-row file costs an afternoon.

If the mapping step shows errors, the page says to correct the file and try again. Before you retry, search for the batch's journal numbers to see whether any entries from the first attempt are already in your books.

A practical habit helps with cleanup. Give the batch a recognizable range of journal numbers, such as 9001 to 9050, and put a short tag in the description column. Then a search on the range or the tag finds every entry in the batch in one pass.

Before you delete, note that closed periods may block changes. If you use a closing date, ask whoever set the password to lift it for the clean-up, then set it again.