Importing the PaperRows QuickBooks CSV into QuickBooks Online

Not yet tested in QuickBooks. These steps follow Intuit's published upload instructions and the exact file PaperRows writes. Nobody on our team has run this import in a QuickBooks Online company yet. We will take this note down once we have, using made-up test statements only. Until then, try one small month first and check it before importing more.

PaperRows is independent and is not connected with Intuit or QuickBooks. We name QuickBooks only so you know which format the file is written for.

What the file is

When you click Download QuickBooks CSV you get a file named like paperrows-chase-2026-12-15-to-2027-01-14-quickbooks.csv. Inside:

Date,Description,Amount
12/30/2026,CARD PURCHASE 12/29 HARDWARE STORE,-42.18
12/31/2026,PAYROLL DEPOSIT,2400.00
01/02/2027,CHECK 1043,-650.00

(Made-up example rows.)

  • Three columns: Date, Description, Amount, with that header row.
  • Date is always MM/DD/YYYY, with the year filled in from the statement period.
  • Amount is one signed column: money in is positive, money out has a minus sign. Two decimals, no dollar sign, no thousands separator.
  • Description is the statement text as printed. If it starts with =, +, - or @, it has an apostrophe in front so a spreadsheet does not treat it as a formula. QuickBooks may show that apostrophe. You can delete it when you review the row.
  • One row per transaction, in the same order as the statement.

To look at a full file before you have one of your own, the Chase to QuickBooks Online demo has a made-up Chase statement and its QuickBooks CSV to download free, and runs the sample through the converter in your browser. For the format on its own, with a worked example of which amounts come out negative, see the QuickBooks CSV format.

What the file is not

  • Not a categorised import. There is no category, payee, class or memo column. You categorise the rows in QuickBooks after the upload, like any other bank transactions.
  • Not a QBO, OFX or Web Connect file. It is a plain CSV for QuickBooks Online's "upload from file" option.
  • Not tested with QuickBooks Desktop, Xero or other tools. The plain CSV from PaperRows opens in any spreadsheet, but we have not tried importing either file anywhere else.
  • Not a connection. PaperRows never connects to your bank or to QuickBooks and never posts anything for you. You upload the file yourself.
  • Not a check on your books. The PaperRows checks compare what we read with the totals printed on the statement. They say nothing about what is already in your QuickBooks company.

Before you import

  1. Look over the preview. Every check in the checks panel should say Passed or Not checked. Not checked means the statement prints nothing for that check to compare, such as no transaction counts. It is not a pass. If any check fails, the preview shows no rows and there is nothing to export.
  2. One account per file. Each file is one statement from one checking account. Import it into the matching account in QuickBooks.
  3. Bank feed already on? If QuickBooks already pulls in this account automatically, uploading the same dates again creates duplicates. Only upload months the feed does not have.
  4. Over 1,000 rows? Intuit's instructions currently limit one upload to 1,000 transactions. Split a bigger file into two in a spreadsheet, keeping the header row on both. Save each half as CSV.
  5. Do not open and re-save the file in a spreadsheet unless you have to. Some spreadsheets change dates or drop the minus sign format when they save. If you split the file, check a few dates and amounts in the saved copy before uploading.

Import steps

Intuit moves these menus around, and the labels depend on your QuickBooks version and whether the account is already connected to a bank feed. Treat these as the usual path, not exact wording.

  1. In QuickBooks Online, open Bank transactions. Depending on your version it sits under Transactions or under Banking.
  2. Find the upload option. If the account is already listed, use the arrow next to Link account and choose Upload from file. If it is not connected to a bank feed, look for Upload transactions.
  3. Drag in the QuickBooks CSV from PaperRows and click Continue.
  4. Choose the QuickBooks account these transactions belong to (the checking account in your chart of accounts). Click Continue.
  5. Map the columns: Date to Date, Description to Description, and choose the one column option for amounts, mapped to Amount. Pick the date format MM/dd/yyyy.
  6. Tick the transactions to import, click Continue, then confirm.
  7. The new rows land in the bank transactions review list, where you categorise them like any other bank transactions.

After the import

Compare the account balance in QuickBooks with the closing balance on the statement. If you started from an empty account or a known opening balance, they should line up. If you are converting several months, do one month first, check it, and only then do the rest.

If something looks wrong

What you see Likely cause What to do
Dates in the wrong month, or days and months swapped The wrong date format was picked when mapping. Undo the import and map again with MM/dd/yyyy.
Every amount shows as money in, or every amount as money out The amount was mapped as two columns, or the wrong sign option was chosen. Map it again as one column for amounts.
An apostrophe at the start of a description That description started with =, +, - or @ on the statement. Expected. Edit it out in the review list if you like.
The same transactions twice The bank feed already brought them in. Exclude the duplicates in the review list.
QuickBooks refuses the file as too big More than 1,000 rows. Split the file and upload the halves one at a time.
A row differs from the statement Possibly a conversion error on our side. Check the row against the PDF using the page and line columns of the plain CSV. If PaperRows got it wrong, you get a full refund under our refund policy.

Bank notes

  • Chase: dates on the statement have no year, so the year comes from the statement period. A December to January statement has both years in the file. More on the Chase help page.
  • Bank of America: in the single-table layout checks appear as description text, such as CHECK 2210; in the sectioned layout (beta) they appear as Check #1043. More on the Bank of America help page.
  • Wells Fargo: in the single-table layout checks appear as description text, such as CHECK 1187; in the Transaction history layout (beta), with separate deposit and withdrawal columns, they appear as Check #1043. More on the Wells Fargo help page.

If an import goes wrong in a way this page does not cover, write to hello@asgardagents.com with the bank, the statement month and what QuickBooks showed. Please do not attach the statement or the CSV. More answers are on the FAQ.