When a statement will not import
The errors that stop a bank statement reaching your books, what each one actually means, and how to fix it. Written from the file formats up, because most of these messages describe a symptom rather than a cause.
QuickBooks error OL-301: what causes it, and how to fix it
OL-301 reads like a connection failure and usually is not. What the error actually means, the four causes in order of likelihood, and how to fix each.
7 min readQuickBooks error OL-249 when importing a Web Connect file
OL-249 appears when QuickBooks cannot reconcile the file with the account it is being imported into. What separates it from OL-301, and how to clear it.
6 min read"This file is not from a QuickBooks-supported financial institution" — what it means
The message is about one tag inside the file, not about your bank. Why it appears, and the three ways out of it.
6 min readDuplicate transactions after importing a QBO file
Why the same transactions appear twice after a Web Connect import, what FITID has to do with it, and how to clean up without deleting the wrong things.
7 min readQuickBooks won’t import my .qbo file: 7 things to check
A checklist for when a Web Connect import fails, in the order that finds the cause fastest — from the file itself to the company file it is going into.
8 min readQuicken QFX import errors, and how to fix them
QFX carries the same Intuit bank ID as QBO, plus Quicken’s own checks on top. The errors you see, what each one means, and the fixes.
6 min readXero CSV import failed: fixing column mapping errors
What Xero needs from a statement CSV, why the amount column defeats most files, and the date setting that silently shifts an import by months.
7 min read"Invalid date format" when importing bank transactions
The error is easy to fix. The danger is the rows that do not trigger it — the ones that import silently in the wrong month.
6 min readWhy your imported balance doesn’t match the statement
A closing balance that disagrees with the bank is telling you something specific. How to read the size and sign of the gap to find the cause.
8 min readMissing transactions after a PDF to Excel conversion
Rows disappear from converted statements in a small number of predictable places. Where to look, and how to catch it before the data is used.
6 min readQIF import creates the wrong account type
QIF says what kind of account it is in a single line, and getting it wrong sends transactions into a new account with inverted signs. How the type header works.
5 min readTally XML import errors: voucher rejected
Tally rejects vouchers rather than importing them wrong, which is the better failure. What the import log means, and the two causes behind nearly every rejection.
6 min readQBO vs QFX vs OFX vs QIF: which one does your software need?
Four formats, three of them nearly the same file with different requirements. What separates them, and which your accounting package will actually accept.
8 min readWhat is INTU.BID, and why does QuickBooks check it?
One tag inside a .qbo file decides whether QuickBooks accepts it. What the number is, where to find yours, and what to do when your bank has none.
6 min readWhat is a FITID, and why you keep getting duplicate transactions
One field decides whether re-importing a statement is harmless or doubles your books. How FITIDs work, and how to tell if your converter generates them badly.
7 min readIIF vs QBO for QuickBooks Desktop
Both import into QuickBooks Desktop and they behave completely differently. Which to use, and the unbalanced-file trap that makes IIF dangerous.
6 min readWhat is a QuickBooks Web Connect file?
Web Connect is the file-based way to get bank transactions into QuickBooks. How it differs from Direct Connect, and why the distinction decides your options.
5 min readThe OFX format, explained for accountants
OFX is the format underneath QBO and QFX, and the one most non-Intuit software accepts. What it contains, how to read one, and why it needs no bank ID.
7 min readCSV or Excel for bank statement data: which should you use?
CSV imports everywhere and loses everything. Excel keeps types and is refused by half the importers. Which to pick, and the traps in each.
6 min readThe Tally XML voucher format, explained
Tally imports vouchers in its own XML envelope. What the structure is, why the signs are inverted, and why ledger names decide where everything lands.
6 min readCAMT.053, MT940 and BAI2: the corporate statement formats
The three formats banks use to send statements to corporate treasury systems, what each looks like, and why you will not find them in consumer online banking.
7 min readBank statement file formats: a complete reference
Every format bank statements come in or convert to — CSV, Excel, OFX, QBO, QFX, QIF, IIF, Tally XML, CAMT.053, MT940, BAI2 — and what each requires.
9 min read
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