Reference

Updated: 2025-01-15 10 min read

IIF File Format Reference — QuickBooks Desktop Import Specification

IIF (Intuit Interchange Format) is a tab-delimited text format for importing transactions into QuickBooks Desktop. This reference covers the file structure, available columns, and transaction types.

Format Overview

IIF files are plain text with tab-separated values. The basic structure is:

Basic IIF Structure

!TRNS	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	AMOUNT	MEMO
!SPL	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	AMOUNT	MEMO
!ENDTRNS
TRNS	CHECK	01/15/2025	Checking	Amazon	-50.00	Office supplies
SPL	CHECK	01/15/2025	Office Supplies		50.00	Office supplies
ENDTRNS

Key Points - Fields are separated by tabs (not commas or spaces) - Headers start with ! (exclamation mark) - Each transaction block: TRNS + SPL + ENDTRNS - Amounts must sum to zero per transaction

Header Rows

Every IIF file starts with three header rows defining the columns:

Header Row Types

Header	Purpose	Example
!TRNS	Columns for transaction rows	!TRNS TRNSTYPE DATE ACCNT...
!SPL	Columns for split rows	!SPL TRNSTYPE DATE ACCNT...
!ENDTRNS	End marker (no columns)	!ENDTRNS

Column Order Matters The column order in headers must match the data rows exactly. Data rows use the same column positions as their corresponding header.

Transaction Structure

Each transaction consists of multiple rows:

Row Types

Row Type	Purpose	Required
TRNS	Main transaction line (bank side)	Yes (one per transaction)
SPL	Split line (offset account)	Yes (one or more)
ENDTRNS	Transaction terminator	Yes

Simple Transaction Example

TRNS	CHECK	01/15/2025	Checking Account	Amazon	-50.00	Order #123
SPL	CHECK	01/15/2025	Office Supplies		50.00	Order #123
ENDTRNS

How Amounts Work

Transaction amounts follow double-entry accounting:

TRNS row: The bank account entry (negative = debit/payment, positive = credit/deposit)
SPL row: The offset account entry (opposite sign)
Sum: Must equal zero

Column Reference

Common IIF Columns

Column	Description	Example
`TRNSTYPE`	Transaction type	CHECK, DEPOSIT, INVOICE
`DATE`	Transaction date (MM/DD/YYYY)	01/15/2025
`ACCNT`	Account name	Checking Account
`NAME`	Payee/customer name	Amazon
`AMOUNT`	Amount (negative = debit)	-50.00
`MEMO`	Transaction memo	Office supplies
`DOCNUM`	Check/reference number	1001
`CLASS`	QuickBooks class	Operations
`CLEAR`	Cleared status (Y/N)	N
`TOPRINT`	Print check (Y/N)	N

Additional Columns

Column	Description	Used For
`TRNSID`	Transaction ID	Linking rows
`SPLID`	Split ID	Multi-split transactions
`DUEDATE`	Due date	Invoices, bills
`TERMS`	Payment terms	Net 30, etc.
`PAYMETH`	Payment method	Check, Cash, etc.
`ADDR1-5`	Address lines	Customer/vendor address

Transaction Types

TRNSTYPE Values

Type	Description	Use Case
`CHECK`	Check/payment	Bank payments, expenses
`DEPOSIT`	Deposit	Bank deposits, income
`INVOICE`	Customer invoice	A/R transactions
`BILL`	Vendor bill	A/P transactions
`CREDIT CARD`	Credit card charge	CC expenses
`CCARD REFUND`	Credit card refund	CC credits
`PAYMENT`	Customer payment	Receiving payment
`GENERAL JOURNAL`	Journal entry	Adjustments, transfers

Bank Transactions For bank imports, you'll typically use: - CHECK for payments (negative amounts) - DEPOSIT for deposits (positive amounts) - GENERAL JOURNAL for transfers between accounts

Complete Examples

Check/Payment Example

!TRNS	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	CLASS	AMOUNT	DOCNUM	MEMO
!SPL	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	CLASS	AMOUNT	DOCNUM	MEMO
!ENDTRNS
TRNS	CHECK	01/15/2025	Checking Account	Amazon		-50.00	1001	Office supplies
SPL	CHECK	01/15/2025	Office Supplies			50.00	1001	Office supplies
ENDTRNS

Deposit Example

!TRNS	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	CLASS	AMOUNT	DOCNUM	MEMO
!SPL	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	CLASS	AMOUNT	DOCNUM	MEMO
!ENDTRNS
TRNS	DEPOSIT	01/16/2025	Checking Account	Customer ABC		1500.00		Payment received
SPL	DEPOSIT	01/16/2025	Sales Revenue			-1500.00		Payment received
ENDTRNS

Multi-Split Transaction

!TRNS	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	AMOUNT	MEMO
!SPL	TRNSTYPE	DATE	ACCNT	NAME	AMOUNT	MEMO
!ENDTRNS
TRNS	CHECK	01/17/2025	Checking Account	Office Store	-150.00	Office run
SPL	CHECK	01/17/2025	Office Supplies		100.00	Paper and pens
SPL	CHECK	01/17/2025	Computer Equipment		50.00	USB cables
ENDTRNS

Multi-Split Balance TRNS: -150.00 + SPL: 100.00 + SPL: 50.00 = 0.00 ✓

Best Practices

IIF File Checklist

Use tabs (not spaces) between columns
Keep amounts as plain numbers (no $ or commas)
Use MM/DD/YYYY date format
Ensure account names match exactly
Verify each transaction balances to zero
Include ENDTRNS after every transaction
Test with small files first

Common Mistakes - Using spaces instead of tabs - Forgetting ENDTRNS markers - Amount sign confusion (TRNS and SPL should be opposite) - Account name typos or case mismatches

Need to create IIF files from bank data?

Use Our Converter

Frequently Asked Questions

TRNS is the main transaction line (typically the bank account). SPL is the split/offset line(s) showing where the money went or came from. Together they must balance to zero.

Yes, for split transactions you can have multiple SPL rows. The TRNS amount must equal the sum of all SPL amounts (with opposite signs).

IIF follows double-entry accounting. Every debit must have an equal credit. The zero balance ensures the books stay balanced.

Plain ASCII or UTF-8 text. Avoid Unicode characters that QuickBooks might not recognize.

Yes, but be careful — Excel may convert dates or remove leading zeros. Save as 'Text (Tab delimited)' format.

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