QuickBooks Online bank CSV checker and formatter

Drop in the CSV you downloaded from your bank before you upload it to QuickBooks Online. The checker reads it the way Intuit's help says the file has to look: 3 columns (Date, Description, Amount) or 4 (Date, Description, Credit, Debit), one date format, plain amounts with no zeros or currency symbols, 350 KB and 1,000 lines at most. Then it gives you a cleaned 3-column copy to upload.

Free, no sign-upRuns in your browser, nothing is uploadedBank and credit card CSVs

Drop a bank .csv here, or click to choose oneRead on this device only. Up to 25 MB. Or paste the file's contents · open it in Notepad or TextEdit, select all, copy

Account Dates in the file are Opening balance · optional Closing balance · optional

Flip signs Remove special characters Remove digits from descriptions Cleaned dates

Try it: · · Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded or stored.

On this page

How to use the checker
The two CSV formats QuickBooks Online accepts
What it checks, and where each rule comes from
Uploading the file to QuickBooks Online
"Some info may be missing from your file" and other upload errors
Credit card CSVs
FAQ

How to use the checker

Add the file. Drop the CSV from your bank onto the box above, click to choose it, or paste its contents. It's read in your browser and never leaves your computer.
Pick the account type. Bank account or credit card. If you know them, type the statement's opening and closing balances and the checker tells you whether the file ties out to the cent.
Read the verdict. Red items are the things Intuit's help lists as reasons an upload fails. Amber items usually upload but can bring rows in wrong (a date read as the wrong month, a payment as a deposit). Each item shows the line numbers and where the rule comes from.
Download the cleaned copy. It's always Intuit's 3-column format: a header row of Date, Description, Amount, one date format, amounts like -1234.50 with a minus sign for money out, no zeros, no blank lines, no extra columns, and Windows line endings. Files over 1,000 transactions or 350 KB come split into parts that each fit. It never changes an amount's value or guesses a date: rows it can't read are left out and counted, so you can fix them.
Upload and review. Upload it from Bank transactions (steps below) and pick the matching date format when you map the columns.

The summary shows the number of transactions, money in and out, the net change and the date range, so you can compare them with the statement before anything goes into QuickBooks. If the file has a running Balance column, the checker also confirms the balance moves by exactly each row's amount, which catches a missing or doubled row.

The two CSV formats QuickBooks Online accepts

Intuit: "You can upload CSVs with either the 3-column or 4-column format to QuickBooks," and "Each bank formats CSV files differently. This means you may not be able to import CSVs from certain banks since files don't have the format QuickBooks needs."

3-column: Date, Description, Amount

Date,Description,Amount
1/1/2018,Example of a payment,-100.00
1/1/2018,Example of a deposit,200.00

One signed Amount column: negative for money out (payments), positive for money in (deposits). This is the format the cleaned copy uses, because there's no question about which column means what.

4-column: Date, Description, Credit, Debit

Date,Description,Credit,Debit
1/1/2018,Example of a payment,100.00,
1/1/2018,Example of a deposit,,200.00

Each amount goes in only one of the two columns, with the other cell left blank, not 0. Note that Intuit's US example puts the payment under Credit and the deposit under Debit, while most bank exports use Credit for money in and Debit for money out. When you upload, you match each column in the file to a field in QuickBooks, so check the first few rows on the review screen: deposits should show as money received. The checker reads columns named Credit, Deposits or Money in as money in, and Debit, Withdrawals or Money out as money out.

Anything else in the file (a running balance, check numbers, a category, a transaction type, a card number, a second date) has to go. Intuit: "Delete columns you do not need from your CSV to avoid any confusion."

What it checks, and where each rule comes from

Every finding is labelled: Intuit rule (from Intuit's QuickBooks Online help articles), Intuit, in QuickBooks Community (advice from Intuit's own staff answering upload questions in the QuickBooks Community), or Common cause (a frequent reason a bank export won't upload or comes in wrong, not an Intuit rule).

Check	What goes wrong	Source
3 or 4 columns	Balance, check number, type, category, memo or card-number columns left in the file.	Intuit: each file needs either 3 or 4 columns; delete the columns you don't need
Column names	"Transaction Date", "Withdrawals", or the word "amount" in "Credit Amount" and "Debit Amount".	Intuit: rename columns to match QuickBooks; remove "amount" from Credit and Debit
Headers on row 1	An account number, statement period or summary block above the column headers, or no header row at all.	Intuit's format examples start with the header row; lines above it are a common cause
File size and length	Over 350 KB, or over 1,000 transactions in one upload.	Intuit: 350 KB or less; up to 1,000 lines per upload
One date format	Day-first and month-first dates mixed, or slashes and dashes mixed. Dates that can only be read one way are used to work out the file's order.	Intuit: make sure the dates are in one format, and that it matches the one chosen at mapping
Day of the week, times	Dates like 20/11/2018 TUE (Intuit's own example) or 08/03/2026 14:05.	Intuit (day of week); common cause (times)
Excel date damage	Serial numbers like 46237, month names, two-digit years, impossible dates like 02/30.	Common cause; Intuit suggests the Short Date format in Excel
Zeros	0 or 0.00 in an Amount, Credit or Debit cell.	Intuit: remove any zeros and leave those cells blank
Plain amounts	$ signs and thousands commas; (parentheses) for negatives; CR/DR labels; decimal commas; 1.23E+05.	Intuit (currency symbols and commas); Intuit in Community (parentheses); common cause (the rest)
Credit or Debit, not both	Both filled on one row, or neither; a 4-column file with only money out.	Intuit: amount in one column only; its workaround for money-out-only files
Descriptions	A description that's just a number (an amount in the wrong column), an empty description, special characters.	Intuit: correct transactions that show numbers in Description; special characters can prevent the import
Rows	Blank lines, totals and balance lines, and unquoted commas that shift a row's values one column right.	Intuit in Community (blank lines); common cause (the rest)
Text and encoding	Semicolon- or tab-separated files, old Mac line endings, UTF-16 "Unicode Text", non-English column names and characters.	Intuit: English only; Mac users must save as Windows CSV
Completeness	A running balance that jumps by more than the row's amount; a file that doesn't tie to the statement's opening and closing balance.	Common cause: the only way to know nothing was dropped

On special characters: Intuit's US article says special characters in the bank description can prevent the import, and its UK upload checklist lists them: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) , . ? " : { } | < >. The cleaned copy removes those by default; untick Remove special characters to keep them. Intuit's upload article also says to remove numbers from Description cells. The checker flags descriptions that are only a number, and Remove digits from descriptions is there if an upload still fails after everything else is fixed.

Uploading the file to QuickBooks Online

Intuit's steps for a CSV (or .txt, .qbo, .ofx) transaction list:

Go to All apps, then Accounting, then Bank transactions.
If you see a tile for the account you want to upload into, select it.
Select the Link account ▼ dropdown, then Upload from file.
Select Drag and drop or select files, choose the file, then Continue.
In the QuickBooks account ▼ dropdown, choose the account to upload into (or Add New), then Continue.
Match the columns in the file with the fields in QuickBooks, then Continue. Intuit's CSV errors article says the date format must match the one you choose at this mapping stage.
Select the transactions you want to import, then Continue.
Select Yes, then Done.

Overlap. Upload only dates that aren't already in the account (from the bank feed or an earlier upload). Overlapping uploads are one of the causes of duplicates Intuit lists.
Wrong account? Intuit: exclude the transactions from the incorrect account and upload the CSV again to the correct one.
Subaccounts. Intuit: you can't upload to a subaccount, which is a current limitation. Connect the subaccount to its bank feed or enter the transactions by hand.
Then reconcile. Reconcile the account to the same statement. If the file tied out here, any difference is in what was excluded, matched or categorised, not in the file.

Have the statement as a PDF instead? QuickBooks Online can read PDF and image statements directly now. Our guide covers how to upload a PDF bank statement to QuickBooks Online and check nothing was missed.

"Some info may be missing from your file" and other upload errors

QuickBooks Community users report this message when a CSV upload fails: Some info may be missing from your file. Double-check that your file is complete and try uploading again. Intuit's staff answers point to the same list each time: the file must be in English and under 350 KB; only Date, Description, Amount or Date, Description, Credit, Debit; headers renamed to match; no "amount" in the Credit and Debit headers; zero cells left blank; no numbers in Description; one date format; no day of the week. They also mention removing ( ) negatives, $ signs, thousands commas, special characters such as #, % and &, and blank lines. Every one of those is a check above.

Only money out in a Credit/Debit file

Intuit: a file with a debit and credit column but only money-out transactions in the period can give an error. Its workaround is to add an extra line with a positive amount, then untick that line on the last screen before you confirm the upload. The cleaned 3-column copy avoids the problem.

Dates land in the wrong month

Intuit recommends dd/mm/yyyy in its help, but the date format you pick at the mapping step is what decides how QuickBooks reads 04/05/2026. US bank exports are month first. When some dates in the file can only be read one way (a day above 12), the checker uses them to work out the order for the whole file. When none can, it assumes month first and tells you. Pick the matching format at the mapping step, or set Cleaned dates to the one you want.

Mapping problems

Intuit: "Make sure you have chosen the correct columns in the mapping stage. QuickBooks will not be able to read the data otherwise." Fewer columns with exact names leave nothing to get wrong, which is why the cleaned copy has exactly Date, Description and Amount. Intuit also suggests copying the CSV's contents into a blank spreadsheet to reveal formatting you can't see. Pasting the file into this checker does the same job.

Credit card CSVs

Intuit: "CSV files for credit card accounts may display transactions in reverse order. For example, deposits may appear as negative amounts because paying your credit card reduces your balance." Choose the credit card account, not a bank account, when you upload.

The checker shows card amounts by their effect on your cash: charges negative, payments and refunds positive. With Credit card selected, type the previous and new balance from the statement and it checks that previous balance − net = new balance. If it would tie only with every sign reversed, it says so: tick Flip signs. After uploading, look at a purchase and a payment on the review screen. If they're the wrong way round, exclude them and upload the flipped copy.

Only have the statements as PDFs?

Utilly converts text-based PDF bank and credit card statements into a QuickBooks .QBO, a Desktop .IIF, CSV or Excel. Every statement is checked against its own opening and closing balance before you download, so you know no row was dropped. Preview free with no sign-up; $9 for 5 statements. Want a .QBO Web Connect file from a CSV instead? The CSV to QBO converter is free up to 100 rows.

Convert a PDF statement for QuickBooks

FAQ

Is my CSV uploaded or stored?

No. The checker is JavaScript that runs on this page. Your file is read on your own computer and never sent to Utilly or anyone else, and the tool area is excluded from our analytics and session replay. Once the page has loaded it works offline.

What CSV format does QuickBooks Online need for bank transactions?

Intuit accepts two layouts: 3 columns (Date, Description, Amount, with negative amounts for money out and positive for money in) or 4 columns (Date, Description, Credit, Debit, with each amount in only one of the two and the other cell blank). Delete every other column, use one date format, and keep amounts plain: no $ signs, thousands commas or zeros.

Why does QuickBooks say "Some info may be missing from your file"?

Users in the QuickBooks Community report this message when a CSV upload fails. Intuit's staff answers point to the format: extra columns, header names that don't match, the word amount in the Credit or Debit header, zeros, numbers in Description, mixed date formats, a day of the week in the date, $ signs, thousands commas, ( ) negatives, special characters, blank lines, or a file over 350 KB. Run the file through this checker and upload the cleaned copy.

What date format should the CSV use?

One format for every row. Intuit's help recommends dd/mm/yyyy, and its CSV errors article says the date format must match the one you choose at the mapping step. US bank exports are usually month first (MM/DD/YYYY), which works as long as you pick that format when mapping. The cleaned copy writes every date the same way, in the order you choose.

Is there a size or row limit for a CSV upload?

Yes. Intuit says a transaction list upload must be 350 KB or less, and you can include up to 1,000 lines per upload. For more, shorten the date range and upload in batches. The checker flags both limits and splits the cleaned copy into parts that each fit. (PDF and image statements are a separate upload with their own rules.)

Can I upload a credit card CSV to QuickBooks Online?

Yes, into the credit card account, not a bank account. Intuit warns that card CSVs may show amounts reversed, because a payment reduces the card balance. Choose Credit card above, type the previous and new balance to check the file ties out, and tick Flip signs if purchases come in as payments.

Why can't I upload transactions to a subaccount?

Intuit lists it as a current limitation: you can't import a CSV into a subaccount. Its suggestions are to connect the subaccount directly to the bank feed, or to enter the transactions manually.

Does the cleaned copy change my numbers?

No. It rewrites amounts in plain form (for example $1,234.50 becomes 1234.50 and (312.88) becomes -312.88), merges Credit and Debit into one signed Amount, and rewrites dates in one format. It never changes a value or guesses a date. Rows it can't read, and rows with a zero amount, are left out and counted so you can check them.

Related guides

Sources: Intuit, Format CSV files in Excel to get bank transactions into QuickBooks (updated 8/24/2026), https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/bank-transactions/format-csv-files-excel-bank-transactions-quickbooks/L4BjLWckq_US_en_US ; Common errors for importing bank transactions using CSV (updated 8/3/2026), https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/import-transactions/common-errors-importing-bank-transactions-using/L02IgW462_US_en_US ; Manually upload transactions into QuickBooks Online, https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/import-transactions/manually-upload-transactions-quickbooks-online/L0rE9OXBz_US_en_US ; Prepare your CSV file for bank upload to QuickBooks (UK), https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-uk/help-article/bank-transactions/prepare-csv-file-bank-upload-quickbooks/L4BjLWckq_GB_en_GB ; Fix duplicate transactions in QuickBooks Online bank feeds, https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/help-article/duplicate-transactions/fix-duplicate-transactions-quickbooks-online-bank-feeds/L1fjxl88f_US_en_US . QuickBooks Community answers from Intuit staff: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/community/move-to-quickbooks-online-56/error-some-info-may-be-missing-from-your-file-double-check-that-your-file-is-complete-and-try-uploading-again-275861 and https://quickbooks.intuit.com/community/account-management-35/can-t-upload-csv-file-101451 . Read October 19, 2026. Intuit updates these pages; if a screen differs, follow the current article.