How to Import Sales Receipt to QuickBooks Online (2026 Guide)

Before importing sales receipts, make sure the Product/Service column is active on sales forms. Go to Settings (gear icon), select Account and Settings, then open the Sales section. Under Products and Services, turn on the 'Show Product/Service column on sales forms' toggle. This ensures your line items import correctly.

Tip: If you skip this step, QuickBooks may not recognize your Product/Service column during import.

Format your spreadsheet with the required column headers: RefNumber, TxnDate, Customer, ItemAmount, and any optional fields like Product/Service, Quantity, or Rate. Save the file as a CSV (.csv). Make sure dates use MM/DD/YYYY format and amounts have no currency symbols or thousand separators.

Warning: Each sales receipt can have multiple line items. Use the same RefNumber across rows that belong to the same receipt.

Click the Settings gear icon in the upper-right corner of QuickBooks Online. Under the Tools column, select 'Import Data'. On the Import Data page, look for the Sales Receipts option and click it. Note that this option may not be visible in all QBO accounts.

Warning: If you do not see a Sales Receipts option, your QBO plan may not support this import. QuickBooks Online Advanced and Accountant plans offer Batch Transactions (+ New > Batch Transactions) as an alternative for bulk sales receipt entry.

Click the Browse button and navigate to your CSV file on your computer. Select the file and click Open, then click Next to proceed. QuickBooks will read your file and attempt to detect the column structure automatically.

QuickBooks displays a mapping screen where your CSV column headers are matched to QuickBooks fields. Review each mapping and correct any mismatches. Fields that match automatically show a green checkmark. Make sure Customer, TxnDate, and ItemAmount are mapped correctly.

Tip: If your Product/Service values do not match existing items in QBO, QuickBooks will offer to auto-create them.

QuickBooks shows a preview of your data with any validation errors highlighted in red. Hover over red-highlighted fields to see what caused the error. Common issues include missing customer names, incorrect date formats, or negative discount amounts. Fix any problems before proceeding.

Once all errors are resolved, click the Import button to start the process. QuickBooks will display a summary showing how many sales receipts were imported and how many new customers were created. Click Done to finish. Verify a few imported receipts by searching for them in the Sales Transactions list.