Quicken Interchange Format from a PDF
PDF to QIF converter
QIF is the oldest statement format still in use and one of the most widely read. Convert a PDF statement to QIF when your software takes nothing newer, or when there is no bank ID for QFX.
- No bank ID, no registration
- Bank and credit card account types
- Cheque numbers kept
- Checked against the statement first
!Type:BankD03/02/2026T4,210.00PACH DEPOSIT STRIPE PAYOUT^D03/05/2026T-1,250.00N1042PCHECK #1042^
The short answer
How to convert a PDF to QIF
To convert a PDF to QIF, a PDF to QIF converter extracts the statement's transactions and writes them as Quicken Interchange Format: one block per transaction with a date, amount, payee, memo and cheque number, each on its own coded line. VouchRow does that from a digital or scanned statement, after checking every row against the statement's running balance and totals.
QIF needs no bank ID and no enrolment of any kind, which is why it still imports into so much software: Quicken, GnuCash, Moneydance, older Sage 50 installations, MYOB AccountRight, Zoho Books and others. The price of that simplicity is that QIF carries no transaction IDs and no indication of its date order. Both are manageable if you know about them, and this page explains how.
Step by step
Converting a PDF statement to QIF
- 1Upload and reviewSign in, upload the PDF, and check any rows flagged by the running-balance check. Each one links to its highlighted line on the page.
- 2Export QIFChoose QIF. The file is typed Bank for checking and savings statements, or CCard for credit card statements, and dates are written month-first (MM/DD/YYYY).
- 3Back up the target fileQIF imports usually can't be rolled back in one step. Make a backup of your Quicken or accounting file before the first import.
- 4ImportIn Quicken for Windows: File → File Import → QIF File, then choose the account. In GnuCash: File → Import → Import QIF. Other programs have a QIF option in their import menu.
- 5Check dates and totalsOpen the account and confirm the first few dates and the ending balance. If the dates have shifted, the program read the file in day-first order; see below.
Why it works
When QIF is the right choice
No bank ID
Works for any bank, whether or not it's enrolled with Quicken or QuickBooks.
Older software
Desktop programs that predate OFX often read QIF and nothing else.
Cheque numbers kept
Cheque and reference numbers go in the N field, including numbers found inside the description.
Checked before writing
Running balance, totals and transaction count are verified before the QIF is built.
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 a QIF file
QIF is line-based. Each line starts with a one-character code that says what the line is, and a caret (^) ends each transaction. There is no escaping mechanism, so line breaks inside a description are flattened to spaces before writing.
| Line | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| !Account | Starts an account block naming the target account | !Account |
| N (in the account block) | Account name, here the account number | N12345678 |
| T (in the account block) | Account type | TBank |
| !Type:Bank or !Type:CCard | Header for the transactions that follow | !Type:Bank |
| D | Date, month-first | D03/14/2026 |
| T | Signed amount | T-124.80 |
| P | Payee, or the description where no separate payee was found | PACME SUPPLIES |
| M | Memo: the full description when it differs from the payee | MCARD 1234 ACME SUPPLIES LONDON |
| N | Cheque or reference number | N1042 |
| ^ | End of the transaction | ^ |
Dates
The date-order problem, and how to avoid it
A QIF file never says which order its dates are in. The importing program decides, usually from your computer's regional settings. The same line, D03/04/2026, is 4 March on a US-configured machine and 3 April on a UK one, and nothing warns you.
The converter writes month-first, the order Quicken's US versions expect. The statement's own order is worked out once from every date on it before the file is written, so the dates in the QIF are right; the risk is only in how the importing program reads them. GnuCash asks which order to use when a file is ambiguous. For other software, check the first imported dates against the statement. If they've shifted, and you can't change how the program reads the file, use OFX, whose YYYYMMDD dates can't be misread.
Quicken
QIF in Quicken: the restrictions to know
Quicken for Windows limits importing QIF into checking, savings and credit card accounts on many versions; Quicken's own direction for those accounts is QFX. The account block at the top of the file names the account and its type, and depending on the version, Quicken may use it to pick or create the target account.
If an import creates a new account named after your account number, or the wrong account type, delete the lines from !Account to the first ^ in a text editor and import again, choosing the account yourself. If you have your bank's Quicken ID, QFX avoids the issue altogether and adds duplicate detection.
Duplicates
No transaction IDs means no duplicate check
QFX, QBO and OFX give every transaction an ID that software uses to skip repeats. QIF has nothing equivalent, so importing the same statement twice, or a period that overlaps one already in the account, creates real duplicates.
Keep a note of which statements have been imported, and import each one once. For long catch-up jobs, converting one statement at a time and checking the ending balance after each import is the safest rhythm.
Software that reads QIF
QIF remains an import option in a long list of programs, often alongside OFX: Quicken (within the limits above), GnuCash, Moneydance, MYOB AccountRight, Zoho Books, and older Sage 50 installations that won't read OFX. If your program offers both OFX and QIF, choose OFX: it carries transaction IDs and unambiguous dates.
Side by side
QIF compared with OFX and QFX
| QIF | OFX | QFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank ID needed | No | No | Yes |
| Transaction IDs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Date order stated in the file | No | Yes (YYYYMMDD) | Yes (YYYYMMDD) |
| Card accounts | !Type:CCard | Credit card message set | Credit card message set |
| Quicken for Windows, bank accounts | Restricted on many versions | Use QFX instead | Supported |
| Best for | Older software, no bank ID | Most modern software | Quicken |
Who uses it
Who still uses QIF
GnuCash and Moneydance users
Personal-finance users with PDF statements and no direct download. QIF imports cleanly and GnuCash asks about date order.
Legacy desktop accounting
Older Sage 50 and MYOB installations that won't read OFX but do read QIF.
Quicken accounts with no bank ID
Where a bank has never offered Quicken downloads, QIF is the way in, within Quicken's limits.
FAQ
PDF to QIF converter: questions
How do I convert a PDF to a QIF file?
Upload the PDF statement, review the extracted transactions against the reconciliation, and export QIF. The file is typed Bank or CCard to match the statement, with month-first dates.
Which date order does the file use?
Month-first (MM/DD/YYYY). QIF has no way to state its date order, so the importing program usually reads it using your system locale. Check the first imported dates; if they've shifted, use OFX, whose dates can't be misread.
Does QIF keep cheque numbers?
Yes, in the N field. Numbers printed inside the description are extracted into it as well.
Can I import QIF into Quicken?
Yes, with File → File Import → QIF File, but Quicken for Windows restricts QIF imports into checking, savings and credit card accounts on many versions. If you have your bank's Quicken ID, QFX is the better route.
Why did my QIF import create the wrong account type?
The account block at the top of the file names an account and type, and some programs use it to create a new account. Remove the lines from !Account to the first ^ and import again, choosing the account yourself.
Will importing a QIF twice duplicate transactions?
Yes. QIF has no transaction IDs, so the importer can't recognise a repeat. Import each statement once, or use OFX or QFX, which carry IDs.
QIF or OFX?
OFX, if your software accepts it. It has transaction IDs and unambiguous dates. QIF is for software that reads nothing newer, or for Quicken when there's no bank ID.
Keep going
Related guides and converters
Convert a PDF statement to QIF
Create an account, upload a statement and download a QIF typed for a bank or card account. QIF is included from Starter at $15 a month for 300 pages.