How to import your invoices and bills into QuickBooks Online from a spreadsheet

If you're switching from spreadsheets to QuickBooks Online, you don't need to enter every invoice and bill by hand, you can import them straight from a CSV file.

Importing invoices

Before you start, your spreadsheet needs to meet these requirements:

• .csv format
• Up to 1,000 rows per spreadsheet, with a maximum of 100 invoices per import
• No negative charges (discounts or credit notes) — add these manually afterwards
• Each line item needs its own invoice number, customer, invoice date, due date, item amount, and item tax code

To import:

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Import data
2. Select Invoices
3. Download the sample file, or use your own .csv with the columns above
4. Select Browse, choose your file, then Next
5. Map your spreadsheet columns to QuickBooks' invoice fields (fields marked * are required)
6. Choose your date format (e.g. D/M/YYYY)
7. Select Exclusive or Inclusive for VAT, then map your VAT codes to QuickBooks' VAT codes
8. Review the summary and select Start import

If you're on QuickBooks Online Plus, you can manually add Class or Location to each invoice after import — these can't be set during the import itself.

Importing bills

Bills work a little differently, so here's a separate rundown. If you're on Essentials, Plus, or Advanced, you can import bills directly.

Your spreadsheet needs these columns:

• Bill no.
• Supplier
• Bill Date
• Due Date
• Account
• Line Amount
• Line Tax Code

A few things worth knowing before you start:

• We recommend importing no more than 100 bills at a time
• Bills need at least one line item
• VAT codes are mapped automatically, so no manual VAT mapping is needed like with invoices
• The Item details section isn't imported — so if you're hoping a bill import will automatically increase stock quantities, it won't. You'll need to update inventory separately.
• Make sure any new suppliers and accounts already exist in QuickBooks before you upload

To import:

1. Go to Settings ⚙ and select Import data
2. Select Bills
3. Select Browse, choose your .csv file
4. Tick Add new suppliers that don't already exist in QuickBooks if needed
5. Map your columns, choose your date format, and select your VAT option if applicable
6. Map your VAT codes and resolve any mapping issues flagged
7. Review the summary and select Start import

A few things neither import can do:

• PDF invoices or bills can't be imported directly. QuickBooks doesn't convert PDFs into transaction data. Use receipt capture instead if you need to bring in PDF documents (this creates expenses, not sales invoices or supplier bills).
• Increasing the import limits isn't currently possible. For larger volumes, split your file into batches.

If your CSV won't import even though it looks correctly formatted, it may be a corrupted file. Copy all the data into a fresh CSV and try again, this resolves it more often than you'd expect.

Got a question about your specific import? Drop it below and we'll help you troubleshoot!