FinanceConvert.
FORMAT REFERENCE

QIF files: dates, fields and import limits

Quicken Interchange Format is a text exchange format. In a bank transaction list, each line starts with a field code and a transaction ends with a standalone caret line.

Reviewed · Scope and editorial method

Reading one transaction

D supplies the date, T the signed amount, P the payee and M a memo. A negative transaction amount represents money out in this mapping. The standalone ^ line terminates the transaction; a caret inside a payee is ordinary text.

FinanceConvert supports Bank, Cash and CCard transaction lists. It refuses investment/list types and account-list sections rather than collapsing their structure into one bank account. Date and amount fields must not repeat within a record.

Why 03/04/2026 needs a convention

That date can mean 3 April or March 4. A row containing a day greater than twelve may establish a convention for the source file. When all dates remain ambiguous, choose the date order explicitly instead of relying on the browser's locale.

The QIF writer uses MM/DD/YYYY. A destination that expects another convention must be configured accordingly. Compare known transaction dates before importing a complete period, especially when every sample date is ambiguous.

Categories and splits are not reconstructed accounts

Source category and split details are retained as memo text by this reader. An output transaction does not reproduce a complete category hierarchy or the original accounting relationships. Use an appropriate migration tool when those relationships are the goal.

QIF output carries date, signed amount, description and optional memo. It does not carry all bank identity, currency and FITID fields found in OFX. Keep a tabular export as well when those identifiers matter to your review.

Incomplete files and destination support

An unfinished final record is refused. The converter does not decide that a missing final transaction is safe to ignore. Obtain a fresh export if a download was interrupted or fields are missing.

Destination support is product- and account-specific. Quicken documents import paths separately, so do not assume that QIF works wherever QFX Web Connect works. For QBO output, missing bank and institution metadata requires a separate check.

A synthetic source example

!Type:Bank
D01/15/2026
T-45.00
POffice supplies
^
D01/16/2026
T1200.00
PClient payment
^

This is an example for the reader, not a customer document or a certified bank export. Use “Try a sample file” on a converter to test the complete local workflow.

Checks for this format

Available conversions from QIF

  • QIF to CSV converter — Read QIF bank transaction fields into CSV with debit, credit and identifier columns. Review the preview before downloading.
  • QIF to Excel converter — Read QIF bank transaction fields into Excel with typed dates and amounts. Review the preview before downloading.
  • QIF to PDF converter — Read QIF bank transaction fields into PDF as a readable transaction report. Review the preview before downloading.
  • QIF to QBO converter — Read QIF bank transaction fields into QBO with account metadata for an import check. Review the preview before downloading.

Format and product references

Publisher documentation describes the format or destination product. It does not certify this converter or any generated file.

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