QuickBooks Online journal entry import CSV, explained

QuickBooks Online can import journal entries from a spreadsheet, which saves typing month-end entries line by line. The rules below are from Intuit’s Import journal entries (updated 8/4/2026) and Common questions about importing data.

Where to import

Go to Settings ⚙, then Import data, then Journal entries.
Select Browse and choose your CSV file (Intuit also accepts XLS/XLSX and Google Sheets). Inside QuickBooks you can select Download a sample file.
Map your information: match each header in your file to a QuickBooks field.
Select Next. If there’s an error, edit the file and try again. Then Start import.

What the file needs

Field	What Intuit says
`Journal No.`	Groups lines into one entry. If “Warn if duplicate journal number is used” is on, entries with existing numbers may not upload; you may need to uncheck it first.
`Journal Date`	The entry date.
`Account Name`	The account name. Turn off account numbers before importing. A sub-account is written “Parent account:Sub account”; the sub-account name alone gives a “Line Account Invalid” error. New accounts must be added to the chart of accounts first.
`Journal/Description`	The line description.
`Debits` / `Credits`	The amounts.
`Name`	If the Account Name is Accounts Payable or Accounts Receivable, a Name column (the vendor or customer) is required.
Class, Location	Can be imported when class and location tracking are on (Plus and Advanced only).

Limits to know

“You can only import spreadsheets with less than 1,000 rows.” Split bigger files.
The first row is used for mapping and isn’t imported, so keep a header row.
Every journal entry must balance: total debits equal total credits.

How Periodline writes the file

The header row is exactly Journal No.,Journal Date,Account Name,Journal/Description,Debits,Credits, in that order, the order Intuit’s article lists. Name, Location and Class are added after Credits only when a line uses them.
Every row carries its entry’s Journal No. and date (MM/DD/YYYY). Amounts are positive, in Debits or Credits, with no currency symbol. Every entry balances, or no file is made.
Journal numbers are a prefix (default PL) plus the year and month, for example PL202606.
Account names come from your template; sub-accounts as Parent:Sub. A purely numeric account such as “620” is refused, because the import matches names.
At most 998 data rows per file. A bigger run is split into several files of whole, balanced entries, downloaded together as a .zip. Import every file.

The entries come from Periodline’s depreciation, deferred revenue and prepaid expense schedules.

Try it on your own schedule. Free, no account or sign-up, nothing uploaded. The free plan covers one company: every line’s schedule and balances on screen, and the journal entry file, posting record and working paper for 3 lines. Standard ($19 per month or $190 per year) covers every line for up to 3 companies; Practice ($49 per month) covers unlimited companies: see pricing.

Build a schedule

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Periodline is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by Intuit. QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. This guide was checked against the linked sources on 27 October 2026; Intuit changes its product, so check the current Intuit help article if a menu looks different.