# Import QIF File into Xero: Check the Dates First

- Author: SimpleBankConvert (https://simplebankconvert.com)
- Published: 2026-10-17
- Category: Xero imports
- Canonical: https://simplebankconvert.com/blog/import-qif-file-into-xero

> How to import a QIF file into Xero, why QIF date formats cause trouble and when converting the QIF file to CSV or OFX is the safer choice.
To import a QIF file into Xero, open the bank account in Xero, choose Import a Statement from its menu, upload the .qif file and confirm the date format if Xero asks. Then review the lines and complete the import. Check the dates closely, because QIF files often use short dates that can be read two ways.

## What a QIF file holds and which parts Xero reads

A QIF file, short for Quicken Interchange Format, is a plain text file in which each transaction is a block of lines, one field per line. Xero reads it as a bank statement. Every block has a date and an amount, and most add a payee, a memo or a check number.

Open a QIF file in a text editor and it looks like this. The values are examples:

```
!Type:Bank
D04/07/26
T-58.20
PRiverside Hardware
MShelving brackets
^
D04/09/26
T1,150.00
PMeadow Lane Dental
MInvoice 2213
^
```

Read it line by line:

- `!Type:Bank` says the file holds bank transactions. Card exports use a different type line.
- `D` is the date. Here it is month, day and a two-digit year.
- `T` is the amount, negative for money out.
- `P` is the payee and `M` is the memo.
- `^` ends each transaction.

There is no account number and no opening or closing balance in this example. That is normal for QIF, and it is why you must pick the right account in Xero yourself.

## Importing a QIF file through Xero's Import a Statement screen

Xero imports a QIF file from the bank account's own menu, using the same Import a Statement screen as other file types. You need the administrator role or the standard role with bank accounts access. Download one QIF file per bank account and save each with the .qif ending.

These steps follow [Xero's article on importing a QIF bank statement](https://central.xero.com/0/article/Import-a-QIF-bank-statement-US):

1. In the Accounting menu, select Bank accounts.
2. Next to the account the file belongs to, open the menu and choose Import a Statement.
3. Drag the file in or click Select file, then click Next.
4. If Xero asks for a date format, choose it, then click Next.
5. Review the lines and clear the box next to any you do not want.
6. Click Complete import.

Xero says it recognises transactions already imported from other QIF files and leaves them out. That helps when two downloads overlap by a few days, but do not rely on it across file types. A line imported from a CSV last month may not be recognised when it shows up again in a QIF.

### A QIF file from PayPal

[PayPal's activity download reference](https://developer.paypal.com/reports/activity-download) lists QIF as a format for USD accounts. If you are bringing in PayPal history, the guide to [importing PayPal transactions into Xero](/blog/import-paypal-transactions-into-xero) explains why a CSV with separate fee columns often works better.

## Why does Xero ask for a date format with QIF files?

Xero asks for the date format when the dates in a QIF file could be read more than one way. A date such as 04/07/26 might be April 7, 2026, July 4, 2026 or a date in 2004. Xero cannot tell, so it asks you to choose DD/MM/YY, MM/DD/YY or YY/MM/DD.

Answer the prompt by finding one date in the file that can only be read one way. Look for a day above 12. In the sample above, every date is ambiguous, so open the file and scroll until you see something like 04/23/26. A 23 cannot be a month, so that file is month first.

### Why the prompt is easy to get wrong

The prompt appears once per file, and the preview often shows dates that look plausible either way. Read day first, the sample's April 7 and April 9 become July 4 and September 4. Nothing fails, and every line imports. You notice only when the reconciliation screen shows transactions months ahead of the statement. Before you click Complete import, check that the first and last lines fall inside the statement period.

## Which QIF problems stop a Xero import?

A QIF import into Xero usually fails for one of two reasons: Xero does not accept the file type, or no date format was chosen when Xero asked for one. A third problem, a wrong date format, does not stop the import at all, which makes it the one to watch.

[Xero's page on resolving manual import errors](https://central.xero.com/0/article/Troubleshoot-a-bank-statement-manual-import-error) lists the QIF cases. For a file type error, it suggests uploading the file again or using OFX, QFX or CSV instead. When a QIF file is refused, these are worth checking before you try again:

- The file was saved with a .txt ending after being opened in an editor.
- The first line is not a bank or card type line, which suggests the export was meant for something other than a statement.
- Several accounts were exported into one file.
- Transactions of 0.00 are present. Xero's error page says zero-value lines cannot be imported, because there is nothing to reconcile.

Amounts with thousands separators, like the 1,150.00 in the sample, are another thing to check in the preview. If an amount comes through as 1.00 or 150.00, the comma was read as a break.

## When to convert a QIF file to CSV or OFX before Xero

Convert a QIF file before importing it when you cannot settle the date order, when Xero refuses the file, or when you need to edit lines first. Xero itself recommends OFX or QFX over QIF when your bank offers them.

Choose the route by what you need to fix:

- **The bank also offers OFX or QFX.** Download that instead. It is less work than converting.
- **You need to split or trim lines.** Turn the QIF into a CSV, edit it in a spreadsheet and import that. [Xero's CSV statement columns](/blog/xero-bank-statement-import-csv) shows the layout to aim for.
- **The file is a card export.** Card files carry their own sign conventions. [Importing a credit card statement into Xero](/blog/import-credit-card-statement-into-xero) covers how charges and payments should appear.
- **It is a decade of Quicken history.** Ask whether you need it all in Xero. [How much bank history to move to new software](/blog/how-much-bank-history-to-move-to-new-software) helps you decide what to bring.

If your old statements are PDFs rather than QIF downloads, SimpleBankConvert is being built to turn them into a CSV that Xero's statement import accepts. [Get started](/get-started) to hear when it opens.