Importing QBO exported journal entries with subaccounts keeps failing

mittyt · ‎March 24, 2025

I am trying to get my company off of another QBO account as the QBO account is owned by a former accountant. After speaking with your support staff, they stated I could just "export data and import data" into a new account... so I embarked on what I thought would be a relatively simple task. This has been nothing but a disaster. It's amazing how you can't export and import from your own system. I am trying to import journal entries that were exported from the other QBO account, with nothing but problems. After hours of manually modifying files, I've finally been able to load some journal entries. Due to the 1000 record limitation, I've had to split the file into several smaller files (thank you chatGPT). Now that I am on my second file to import, which contains sub-accounts, it fails stating the accounts don't exist. All of my research has led me to basically one answer: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-ca/reports-accounting/can-you-import-journal-entries-... and unfortunately it doesn't seem to work.

My account structure is simple, main account is "Payroll Liabilities", then the subaccount is "Federal Taxes". In the import file, the account is listed as "Payroll Liabilities:Federal Taxes" and it still fails. I have tried to add the account numbers before the account name, I have tried including the account number for the main account and not the sub account (and vice versa), I have tried turning on/off the setting to use account numbers, nothing has worked... all of the importer tools require further customization to the files or additional costs which should not be needed as this is an out of the box feature that should work.

Please please please help, this is so frustrating, horrible user experience.

JeveeAdvin__la

I appreciate you for providing a screenshot, it helps us understand your situation better, mittyt. The error you encountered in QuickBooks Online (QBO) indicates a mismatch between account names in your CSV file and those in your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts. When importing transaction data from a CSV, each item must correspond to an account in QuickBooks. Let me offer some additional details below.

To fix this, verify that the account names in your CSV file correspond exactly with those in your QuickBooks Chart of Accounts. If there's a mismatch due to spaces or special characters, consider adjusting the CSV accordingly. Once the account names align, try re-importing the CSV to successfully update your transactions in QuickBooks Online.

I've provided a screenshot below for your reference.

We can check out these articles for more information about this topic:

Please inform me if you continue to have concerns regarding the importation and exportation of your data within QuickBooks Online. We are committed to providing you with timely assistance. Have a nice one.

mittyt

This is the same reply for all other posts about this same issue, which doesn't really provide any solution or guidance. If you could show a sample of an account:sub-account being imported, that would be helpful.

If you're going off of my first 2 lines in my error screenshot from my original post, I simply ommitted them from my search to show you the actual account names. I have attached another screenshowing the raw CSV where the account:sub-account match exactly what's in QBO but I still get there error, and it contains an image of the account editor listing the name of the sub-account and its parent, which match exactly to what I am importing and what QBO is showing as an error. You are seeing the complete picture of what's in QBO and what I am trying to import.

Do the imports have to be separated between non-sub-account and sub-account entries?

jenop2

Thank you for your detailed response, mittyt. I understand that the process of importing data can significantly save you time, particularly when dealing with multiple entries. Let me clarify how you can successfully import your journal entries into QuickBooks Online.

Please know that importing journal entries for parent and sub-accounts does not need to be done separately. However, the Journal Entry Line items must be a parent account. Subaccounts will cause a "Line Account Invalid" error.

This means that you can only import data if the entries in the Account Name column are only parent accounts.

I can also see from your screenshots that the account names on the file are the same as the accounts in your Chart of Accounts. In this case, I suggest temporarily turning the sub-accounts into parents.

Just click the drop-down list beside Run report, then choose Edit.

Then, import the entries using the parent accounts. Once imported, turn them back into sub-accounts so the reporting will be accurate. Here's an official guide article for more details about this process: Import journal entries in QuickBooks Online.

If you continue to experience the same error, I strongly advise contacting our phone or chat support teams for further assistance. These specialized teams have the tools and expertise to conduct a more in-depth investigation into the root cause of the error.

For your convenience, I've included a link to an article that provides detailed information on how to connect with them: Get help with QuickBooks products and services.

Here are some resources that can be helpful and provide additional guidance when working with journal entries in QuickBooks Online:

Please remember that we are here to support you throughout your QuickBooks journey. Whether you are importing data or navigating other features of the software, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

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Importing QBO exported journal entries with subaccounts keeps failing