Convert a PDF bank statement to QBO

5 min read

Quick answer

A .qbo file is an OFX bank statement with Intuit's bank ID added, the format QuickBooks calls Web Connect. QuickBankConvert reads a PDF statement and writes one transaction record per line of the statement, each with a date, signed amount, payee and its own ID. QBO export is part of Plus ($29 a month) and the plans above it. If you only need QuickBooks Online, the free CSV download imports there too; see the QuickBooks guide.

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QBO, QFX and OFX are one family

All three are the same underlying format, Open Financial Exchange:

Extension	What it adds to OFX	Made for
.ofx	Nothing: the open standard	Any program that reads OFX, including Xero
.qfx	Intuit tags for Quicken	Quicken
.qbo	Intuit's bank ID (the `INTU.BID` tag)	QuickBooks

That is why the files look alike in a text editor and why renaming one to another's extension sometimes works and sometimes does not: the importing program also looks for the tags it expects.

What we accept as input: PDF statements and .ofx files. A .qfx or .qif file is not accepted, so this is not a QFX-to-QBO or QIF-to-QBO converter. If your bank offers an OFX download, you can upload that instead of the PDF and export QBO from it.

How to convert

Download the statement PDF from online banking. A PDF generated by the bank converts more accurately than a scan.
Upload it to the converter. It is sent over HTTPS and parsed on our servers. A password-protected PDF prompts for its password.
Check the preview against the statement: first row, last row, closing balance, and the number of transactions.
Download QBO. The button is unlocked on Plus, Pro and Business.
Import it. The steps for QuickBooks Online and Desktop, taken from Intuit's help pages, are in the QuickBooks guide.

What is in the file

A shortened example of what the export looks like:

OFXHEADER:100
DATA:OFXSGML
VERSION:102
...
<OFX>
<SIGNONMSGSRSV1><SONRS>
<FI><ORG>Example Bank<FID>0000</FI>
<INTU.BID>0000
</SONRS></SIGNONMSGSRSV1>
...
<BANKACCTFROM>
<BANKID>000000000
<ACCTID>****1234
<ACCTTYPE>CHECKING
</BANKACCTFROM>
<BANKTRANLIST>
<DTSTART>20260601
<DTEND>20260630
<STMTTRN>
<TRNTYPE>DEBIT
<DTPOSTED>20260614
<TRNAMT>-84.12
<FITID>5f2c91a0
<NAME>AT&amp;T WIRELESS
<MEMO>Utilities
</STMTTRN>
</BANKTRANLIST>
<LEDGERBAL><BALAMT>1532.07<DTASOF>20260630</LEDGERBAL>

Field	What we write
`TRNTYPE`	CREDIT when the amount is zero or positive, DEBIT when it is negative
`DTPOSTED`	The transaction date as YYYYMMDD. No day/month ambiguity.
`TRNAMT`	Signed amount with two decimals and no thousands separator
`FITID`	An ID derived from the date, amount and description, unique within the file (a repeat of an identical transaction gets a numbered suffix)
`NAME`	The description, cut at 32 characters (the OFX limit)
`MEMO`	The category we assigned, when there is one
`DTSTART`, `DTEND`	The earliest and latest transaction dates in the statement
`LEDGERBAL`	The closing balance read from the statement
`ACCTID`	The account number as printed on the statement
`ORG`	The bank name read from the statement

Limits worth knowing before you import

These are properties of the file as it is today. We would rather you read them here than discover them in QuickBooks.

The bank ID is a placeholder. INTU.BID and FID are 0000 and BANKID is zeros, because the file is built from a PDF rather than issued by your bank. QuickBooks Desktop has to recognise the bank ID in a Web Connect file and can refuse the import with "QuickBooks is unable to verify the Financial Institution information for this download".
The account type is always CHECKING. A credit card statement is still written as a bank account. You pick the destination account during import, but check that purchases arrive as spending.
The currency is always USD. A statement in another currency is labelled USD inside the file. Amounts are not converted.
Long descriptions are cut at 32 characters in NAME. The full description is still in the CSV and Excel exports.
One account per file. A combined statement covering several accounts becomes one transaction list under one account header.
QuickBooks Online accepts upload files of 350 KB or less, per Intuit's upload instructions. A statement with a few thousand transactions can exceed that.

Check the file before importing

The QBO file checker opens a .qbo, .qfx, .ofx or .qif file in your browser, without uploading it, and reports the transaction count, date range, duplicate or missing IDs, malformed dates and amounts, and header problems. It works on files from any source, including ones your bank produced. On one of our exports it will point out the placeholder bank ID.

Is QBO what you need?

QuickBooks Online: QBO works and is what Intuit suggests, but CSV also imports and is free here. Start with CSV unless you want transaction IDs.
QuickBooks Desktop: .qbo is the only file Web Connect reads. Read the bank ID limit above first.
Xero: imports CSV, and the Xero guide covers it. Xero also lists QuickBooks files among the formats it accepts.
Quicken, GnuCash and other personal finance programs: see PDF to QIF.
A spreadsheet: CSV or Excel, both free with a free account.

Plans and limits

Free account: CSV and Excel only. 3 statements a month, 10 pages each.
Plus, $29 a month: QBO, QIF, Xero CSV, TSV and JSON. 50 statements a month, 50 pages per statement.
Pro, $59 a month: adds batch upload and client labels. 200 statements a month, 100 pages per statement.
Business, $99 a month: everything in Pro. 600 statements a month, 100 pages per statement.

Refunds are available within 7 days of the first subscription payment; see the refund policy and pricing.

Privacy

The statement is uploaded over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection and parsed on our servers, and a copy is stored; ask us to delete it through the contact page. No bank login is involved. See the Privacy Policy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PDF to QBO conversion free?

No. QBO export is part of the Plus plan ($29 a month) and the plans above it. Without paying you can preview the parsed transactions, and with a free account you can download CSV and Excel, which QuickBooks Online also imports.

What is the difference between QBO, QFX and OFX?

They are the same format, Open Financial Exchange. A .qbo file adds Intuit's bank ID for QuickBooks, a .qfx file adds Intuit tags for Quicken, and a .ofx file is the plain standard.

Can I convert a QFX or QIF file to QBO here?

No. The converter accepts PDF statements and .ofx files as input. If your bank offers an OFX download you can upload that and export QBO from it on Plus; .qfx and .qif files are not accepted.

Will the QBO import into QuickBooks Desktop?

It may be refused. QuickBooks Desktop has to recognise the bank ID inside a Web Connect file, and a file made from a PDF carries a placeholder ID instead of your bank's. QuickBooks Online's upload instructions describe no such check. Test one statement before relying on it; refunds are available within 7 days of the first payment.

What happens if I import the same statement twice?

Each transaction's ID is derived from its date, amount and description, so the second export of the same statement carries the same IDs, and importing programs use those IDs to recognise transactions they already have.

How do I see what is inside a QBO file?

Open it in a text editor, or drop it on the QBO file checker at /tools/qbo-file-checker. The checker runs in your browser without uploading the file and lists the account details, date range, transaction count and any problems.

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