Intuit Interchange Format from a PDF
PDF to IIF converter for QuickBooks Desktop
IIF is QuickBooks Desktop's own import format. It needs no bank ID and keeps working on Desktop versions that have lost Web Connect, but it writes straight into the register, so it rewards a little care.
- QuickBooks Desktop only
- No Intuit bank ID needed
- Every transaction balanced
- Bank and credit card transaction types
!TRNS TRNSTYPE DATE ACCNT AMOUNT MEMO!SPL TRNSTYPE DATE ACCNT AMOUNT!ENDTRNSTRNS DEPOSIT 03/02/2026 Checking 4210.00 STRIPE PAYOUTSPL DEPOSIT 03/02/2026 Uncategorized Income -4210.00ENDTRNSTRNS CHECK 03/05/2026 Checking -1250.00 CHECK #1042SPL CHECK 03/05/2026 Uncategorized Expense 1250.00ENDTRNS
The short answer
How to convert a PDF bank statement to IIF
To convert a PDF bank statement to IIF, a PDF to IIF converter extracts the transactions and writes them as tab-delimited Intuit Interchange Format records: a TRNS line for the bank side and an SPL line for the other side of each entry, balanced to zero. VouchRow builds that file from a digital or scanned statement, and QuickBooks Desktop imports it with File → Utilities → Import → IIF Files.
IIF is the route into QuickBooks Desktop when Web Connect isn't available: your bank has no Intuit bank ID, or your Desktop version is past the support date when Intuit switches off online banking services. IIF doesn't go through the bank feed. It writes transactions straight into the account register, so there's no review screen and no duplicate check.
That makes the conversion's own checking more important. Every row is checked against the statement's running balance and totals before the IIF is written, and every TRNS/SPL pair is balanced, because an unbalanced transaction does not fail the whole file: QuickBooks sets it aside and imports the rest, which leaves the register out by whatever was left behind.
Step by step
PDF to IIF, then into QuickBooks Desktop
- 1Convert and review the statementSign in, upload the PDF and review any rows flagged by the running-balance check. Each row links to its highlighted line on the PDF page.
- 2Export IIFChoose IIF (on Professional and Business plans). Bank statements use CHECK and DEPOSIT transaction types, and card statements use CREDIT CARD for charges and CCARD REFUND for credits.
- 3Check the account nameOpen the .iif in a text editor. The ACCNT column on each TRNS line is the account the transactions post to, written as the statement's account number. If that isn't the exact name of the account in your Chart of Accounts, replace it with the exact name (Find and Replace does it in one go), or QuickBooks will create a new account.
- 4Back up the company fileIIF imports can't be undone with one click. Make a backup first so a mistake costs a restore, not an afternoon of deleting transactions.
- 5ImportIn QuickBooks Desktop: File → Utilities → Import → IIF Files, select the file, and confirm. The transactions appear in the account register.
- 6Recategorise and reconcileEach transaction's other side posts to Uncategorized Income or Uncategorized Expense. Reassign them from the register or a report, then reconcile against the statement's closing balance.
Why it works
What this IIF file gets right
Balanced on every transaction
Each TRNS line has an SPL line for exactly the opposite amount. QuickBooks doesn't check this on import, so it's checked here.
No bank ID
IIF has no INTU.BID, so banks that aren't on the Web Connect list are no obstacle.
Correct transaction types
Using bank types on a card account posts amounts the wrong way round. Card statements get card types.
Uncategorised on purpose
Rows aren't guessed into expense accounts. They sit in QuickBooks' holding accounts where you can see them, not in a plausible wrong account.
No column shifts
IIF has no quoting at all; a tab inside a description shifts every column after it. Tabs and line breaks are stripped from every value.
Checked before export
A misread digit is caught on its own row
Every conversion is tested against the statement: the running balance on every row, page subtotals, opening plus movement against closing, the printed credit and debit totals, and the transaction count. When a number does not add up, VouchRow names the row and highlights the line it came from on the PDF.
Arithmetic only: it verifies amounts, balances and totals, not descriptions or dates, and two errors that cancel out would pass. The source-line link covers the rest.
How the checks workRunning balance check
- POS AMAZON MKTPLACE−86.4316,604.12
- CHECK #1042−1,250.0015,354.12
- ZELLE FROM J MORALES+640.0015,994.12
Every row agrees with the balance printed beside it.
The format
What's inside an IIF file
IIF is tab-delimited text with header rows that declare the columns for each record type. Header rows start with an exclamation mark. Every transaction is a TRNS line, one or more SPL lines, and an ENDTRNS line, and the amounts on TRNS and its SPLs must sum to zero.
| Record / column | Contents |
|---|---|
| !TRNS, !SPL, !ENDTRNS | Header rows declaring the columns that follow |
| TRNS | The bank or card side of the transaction |
| SPL | The other side, for exactly the opposite amount |
| ENDTRNS | Closes the transaction |
| TRNSTYPE | CHECK or DEPOSIT for bank accounts; CREDIT CARD (charge) or CCARD REFUND (credit) for cards |
| DATE | Always MM/DD/YYYY; IIF has no locale |
| ACCNT | Account name on TRNS (the bank account); Uncategorized Income or Uncategorized Expense on SPL |
| NAME | Payee, or the description |
| AMOUNT | Signed amount; the SPL is the negation of the TRNS |
| DOCNUM | Cheque or reference number |
| MEMO | The full description |
| CLEAR | N, so the rows are left for your own bank reconciliation |
Accounts
Account names decide where everything lands
IIF matches accounts by name. When a name in the file doesn't exist in the company file, QuickBooks creates a new account with that name instead of rejecting the import. A bank account spelled slightly differently from yours ("Chase Checking" against "Chase checking 4021") becomes a second account, and every transaction posts to it.
The converter writes the bank side under the statement's account number. That's deliberately not a name you're likely to have already, so a mismatch is obvious rather than plausible. Replace it with your account's exact name before importing. The same applies to the holding accounts: if your company file uses different names from Uncategorized Income and Uncategorized Expense, edit them too, or let QuickBooks create them and merge them later.
Troubleshooting
Common IIF import problems
IIF import errors are rarely about the format itself and nearly always about names, duplicates or the wrong QuickBooks.
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A new bank account appeared after import | ACCNT didn't match an existing account name exactly | Restore the backup, fix the name in the file, re-import; or merge the accounts |
| Every transaction appears twice | The file was imported twice; IIF has no duplicate check | Restore the backup, or delete the second set in the register |
| Card charges reduced the balance owed | Bank transaction types used on a card account | Use the card statement conversion, which writes card types |
| No IIF option in QuickBooks Online | QuickBooks Online doesn't import IIF | Use QBO or CSV for QuickBooks Online |
| Columns shifted on one transaction | A tab inside a description in a hand-made file | Values are stripped of tabs here; regenerate the file |
Choosing
IIF or QBO for QuickBooks Desktop?
Use QBO when you can. It enters through the Bank Feeds Center, where you review transactions before they post and QuickBooks recognises repeats by their FITID.
Use IIF when QBO isn't an option: your bank has no Intuit bank ID, Web Connect has been switched off for your Desktop version, or you're importing a long run of history into a file where the bank feed isn't set up. IIF writes directly to the register, so import each statement once, and back up before you start.
What gets checked first
Because IIF has no review screen, the checks before export are your review. Each row is compared with the printed running balance, pages with their subtotals, and the statement with its opening balance, closing balance, printed totals and transaction count. The checks are arithmetic only. They don't validate descriptions or dates, and two errors that cancel each other out would pass, but a misread amount or a missing row won't.
Side by side
IIF vs QBO for QuickBooks Desktop
| IIF | QBO (Web Connect) | |
|---|---|---|
| Import path | File → Utilities → Import → IIF Files | File → Utilities → Import → Web Connect Files |
| Bank ID needed | No | Yes (INTU.BID) |
| Works after Web Connect is switched off for your version | Yes | No |
| Review before posting | No, writes to the register | Yes, in the Bank Feeds Center |
| Duplicate detection | No | Yes, by FITID |
| Other side of each entry | Uncategorized Income or Expense | Chosen as you add each transaction |
| Plan here | Professional and Business | All paid plans |
Who uses it
When IIF is the answer
Desktop versions past their support date
Web Connect stops working when Intuit discontinues online services for an older version. IIF import is a file utility and carries on.
Banks with no Intuit bank ID
Small banks and credit unions not enrolled in Web Connect, where every QBO file is rejected.
Bulk history into a new company file
A year or more of statements into a freshly set-up file, then recategorised from the holding accounts in a few passes.
FAQ
PDF to IIF converter for QuickBooks Desktop: questions
How do I convert a PDF to IIF?
Upload the PDF statement, review the extracted transactions, and export IIF. Check that the account name in the file matches your QuickBooks account exactly, back up, then import with File → Utilities → Import → IIF Files.
IIF or QBO: which should I use?
QBO if you can. It goes through the bank feed with duplicate detection. IIF writes straight into the register, so a double import really does duplicate. Use IIF when a bank ID isn't available or Web Connect has been switched off for your version.
Does QuickBooks Online accept IIF files?
No. IIF is QuickBooks Desktop only. For QuickBooks Online, use QBO or the three-column CSV.
Where do the transactions post?
The bank side posts to the account named in the file. The other side posts to Uncategorized Income for money in and Uncategorized Expense for money out, so nothing lands in a plausible but wrong expense account. Reassign them after import.
Why did QuickBooks create a new account when I imported?
IIF matches accounts by exact name, and creates any it can't find. The converter writes the bank account as the statement's account number; replace it with your account's exact name before importing.
Can I undo an IIF import?
Not in one step. Restore the backup you made before importing, or delete the transactions from the register. That's why backing up first matters.
Does it work for credit card statements?
Yes. Card statements are written with the CREDIT CARD and CCARD REFUND types, so charges increase the balance owed.
Which plan includes IIF?
Professional ($39 a month, 900 pages) and Business ($99 a month, 2,500 pages). Starter includes QBO, QFX, OFX, QIF, CSV and Excel.
Keep going
Related guides and converters
QuickBooks Desktop
Troubleshooting
Who uses it
Get PDF statements into QuickBooks Desktop
Create an account, convert a statement and export IIF on the Professional plan ($39 a month, 900 pages) or Business. Every transaction is balanced and checked before it reaches your register.