Prepare a CSV for QIF: Dates, Signs and Quicken Compatibility

Prepare a bank CSV as a QIF transaction file for software that supports Quicken Interchange Format. This guide follows the actual controls and output of CSV2QBO, so you can distinguish a completed file conversion from a verified import.

Prepare the right source

Confirm the date order and whether money out is negative. QIF output uses month/day/year dates, a signed amount and the payee on separate lines.

Work with a copy covering one account and a known date range. An export from a bank or finance application is preferable to a manually reconstructed table because it gives you an original to compare. Never rename a PDF or a company backup to a different extension and expect its contents to become transaction data.

Convert and review

1. Open the CSV to QIF Converter. Use Download sample file or the sample button first if you want to inspect the workflow with fictional data.
2. Choose the original csv file. The converter reads it locally. Keep an untouched copy for comparing counts and values later.
3. Confirm the date, description and amount mappings. Use either a signed Amount column or separate Debit and Credit columns. Set the date order explicitly.
4. Inspect the preview and resolve any errors. Read and acknowledge format limitations when they appear, then download the qif output.
5. Compare the downloaded file with the original before importing it into your destination software.

What changes in this format

QIF is a text interchange format. This tool exports basic bank transactions using D, T, P and optional M fields, followed by a caret terminator. It does not generate investment trades or security positions.

Worked example: verify the meaning, not just the extension

A supplies payment dated October 2, 2026 becomes D10/02/2026, T-42.50 and a P line containing the payee. A caret ends the transaction. The number of caret terminators should match the number of transactions, not the number of physical lines in the source CSV. A quoted multiline memo is still part of one transaction.

Set up the destination

For QIF output, check that the target application accepts this format for the intended account type. The exporter keeps basic transactions rather than reconstructing an entire accounting system. Import a small date range into a test account, compare it, and avoid importing the same batch twice.

Common mistakes to avoid

QIF import support varies by application, edition and account type. Confirm the target importer before converting an entire year. QIF has no equivalent to the bank FITID duplicate-matching contract used by OFX.

An invalid date or amount blocks export rather than quietly removing a transaction. If an error names a record or source row, correct that record in a copy of the source and load it again. A date that is valid in two different orders still needs your explicit choice. Check a date whose day is greater than twelve to confirm the source convention when such a row is available.

A final comparison before import

Compare the first and last transaction dates, the number of main transactions, the total money in and the total money out. Inspect at least one refund or reversal when the source has one. A matching net total alone is insufficient: two errors with opposite signs can cancel each other. Keep the source and output together until the destination has been checked.

The local file limit is 5 MB, and supported financial inputs are bounded to 50,000 records. The destination software may allow less. Files remain in your browser; no account is needed, and no conversion file is stored on CSV2QBO servers.

Use CSV to QIF Converter or explore the other converters. For a related workflow, review a QBO as a spreadsheet.