Import Checks into QuickBooks Online or Desktop

Quick Answer: In QuickBooks Online, a spreadsheet of checks or deposits goes in through Settings > Import data, which lists Checks and Deposits among the transaction types and accepts CSV, Excel or Google Sheets. Checks that have already cleared the bank come in more reliably as a .QBO bank file, which carries the check number and lets QuickBooks match each one. QuickBooks Desktop's Excel import handles lists only, so checks and deposits from Excel need an IIF file, a Marketplace import app or a bank file through Bank Feeds.

Importing checks into QuickBooks depends on where the checks live. A register you keep in Excel can be imported as Check and Deposit transactions in QuickBooks Online. Checks that already cleared your bank are better brought in from the bank's own record, so each one matches the check you wrote. QuickBooks Desktop needs IIF or a bank file because its spreadsheet importer does not create transactions.

Which route fits your checks?

Ask two questions: which QuickBooks are you on, and are these checks you wrote (not yet necessarily cleared) or checks the bank has already paid?

If you are doing both (recording checks you wrote, then confirming them against the bank), import the written checks first and bring the bank activity in second. The bank file then matches against them instead of creating a second copy.

How do you import checks into QuickBooks Online from a spreadsheet?

Intuit's list of importable data includes Checks and Deposits alongside Expenses and Journal Entries, from CSV, Google Sheets or XLS/XLSX files with fewer than 1,000 rows.

1. Import your lists first. Intuit recommends bringing in the chart of accounts, vendors and customers before any transactions, so every payee and account in your sheet already exists.
2. Go to Settings (the gear) and select Import data, then choose the transaction type, Checks or Deposits.
3. Select Download a sample file. Its column headers show exactly which fields your version accepts.
4. Copy your data into the sample layout. Keep one row per check line; a check split across two expense accounts uses two rows with the same reference.
5. Upload the file and map each of your columns to a QuickBooks field from the dropdowns.
6. Review the preview, fix anything flagged in red, and finish the import.

Keeping check numbers

Check numbers are where spreadsheet imports most often disappoint. Look for a reference or number field in the sample file and map your check-number column to it. Intuit's community answers have said in the past that some import paths could not carry check numbers, so open two or three imported checks afterwards and confirm the number is on them before relying on it. If it is missing, you can edit the number in afterwards or use a third-party importer that maps it.

Getting the number right matters later. When a cleared check downloads from the bank with its number, QuickBooks uses the number and amount to suggest the match.

How do you bring in checks that already cleared the bank?

If what you have is a bank statement showing paid checks, import the bank activity rather than building a spreadsheet of checks. A .QBO (Web Connect) file includes a check-number field for each item, so the number travels with it. In QuickBooks Online, upload it from Bank transactions > Link account > Upload from file; in Desktop, import it as a Web Connect file and review it in the Bank Feeds Center.

What happens next is the useful part:

• If you already recorded the check, QuickBooks offers a match. Accept it and the check is marked as cleared against the real bank line.
• If you never recorded it, add it from the downloaded line, choosing the payee and expense account.
• If the amount differs (a check cashed for a different amount than written), investigate before matching; the bank amount is what left the account.

A CSV upload to QuickBooks Online accepts only Date, Description and Amount (or separate Credit and Debit), so a check number has nowhere dedicated to go. That is a good reason to prefer .QBO for check-heavy accounts.

When the statement exists only as a PDF, QuickBankConvert can turn it into a .QBO file on paid plans. Look over the rows before uploading: many statements print the check number only inside the description, and banks that list checks in a separate "Checks paid" block show number, date and amount but no payee, so expect to add payees during review.

How do you import checks into QuickBooks Desktop from Excel?

Desktop's built-in Excel import (File > Utilities > Import > Excel Files) is for lists: customers, vendors, items and the chart of accounts. It does not create checks or deposits. That leaves three routes:

1. IIF file. Lay the checks out as TRNS/SPL blocks with TRNSTYPE CHECK, save as tab-delimited text and import through File > Utilities > Import. It is fast for large volumes, but it posts directly to your books with no review step. The Excel to IIF guide walks through the layout, including the DOCNUM column that holds the check number.
2. A Marketplace import app. Several paid add-ons map spreadsheet columns to Desktop checks and deposits with validation. Worth it if you do this every month.
3. A bank file, if the checks cleared. If the spreadsheet is really a copy of bank activity, a .QBO file through Bank Feeds is the safer route because you review each line. The CSV bank import for Desktop guide covers that conversion. Where the only record is a PDF statement, QuickBankConvert produces the .QBO directly, which saves building the spreadsheet at all.

How do you import deposits into QuickBooks from Excel?

Deposits behave differently from checks because of Undeposited Funds. If you already record customer payments in QuickBooks, those payments sit in Undeposited Funds until you group them into a deposit. Importing a spreadsheet of deposits on top of that records the income twice: once as the payment, once as the imported deposit.

So decide which side is your source of truth:

• Payments already in QuickBooks: do not import deposits. Create them from the payments (Desktop: Record Deposits / Make Deposits, then pick payments in the Payments to Deposit window) and match the bank line to that deposit.
• No customer payments recorded: importing deposits from Excel is fine. Code each one to the income account it belongs to, not to Undeposited Funds.
• Mixed deposits (customer checks plus a loan transfer, say): split the row so each portion goes to the right account.

What should you check after the import?

• Run a check detail or transaction list report for the imported date range and compare the total with your spreadsheet.
• Spot-check that check numbers, payees and accounts came across.
• Reconcile the bank account for the period. Checks written but not yet cleared will show as outstanding; that is expected and is covered in outstanding checks in a bank reconciliation.
• If anything doubled, delete the imported copy, not the one matched to the bank line.

Related guides

• Import bank transactions into QuickBooks Online
• Import bank transactions into QuickBooks Desktop
• Manually enter bank transactions in QuickBooks Desktop