When I import my iif payroll data, it is assigning check numbers. How can I get it to not do that?

Thank you!!!  I thought I was losing my mind.  QB2019 has some bugs for sure!

I am importing a check file that DOES have check numbers assigned already but in the new 2019 version it drops the number and loads without a check number on the check.  I then have to manually open each check and add the number back.  How do I get the number I am assigning it in the load file to load?  Has the check number column header changed?

Thanks for posting your concern here in the Community, @ameredithNLC.

Have you tried the solutions shared by one of our Community Backers above? There haven't been any changes made to the columns that could cause the program to not load the check numbers.

Our newly improved IIF Import in QuickBooks 2019 can now scan file errors and eliminate bad data before importing. I recommend checking the mapping setup to ensure the accuracy of the import.

For more information about this, refer to the following articles:

• Improved IIF Import in QuickBooks 2019.
• Export or import Intuit Interchange Format (.IIF) files.

That should get you pointed in the right direction.

Let me know if you need further assistance working with QuickBooks. I’m always here to help. Have a good one!
 

Thank you for these suggestions! However non of them are working. 

We do not use the "Ill fix it later" importer, and our file is tab delimited and there is no error given after loading.  And still the check number drops and does not load on the check transaction in quickbooks.  Do you have any other suggestions?

Hi there, @ameredithNLC.

I appreciate you getting back to us and for following the steps provided on this thread.

As mentioned by my colleague above, There haven't been any updates to QuickBooks that cause check numbers to not load.

Since they're still not showing and you haven't received any error messages, I highly suggest contacting the application's technical support department if the .IIF file was created by a third-party application so they can double-check this one for you.

You can always check out the articles given by @KhimG for future reference.

Please let me know how the call goes by leaving a comment below. I'll be happy to help should you need anything else. Take care.

I see your able to import payroll data for checks.  How are you doing this? Have a sample file I can look at? I am trying to accomplish importing payroll checks into Quickbooks without using the time and running payroll.

Hi there, Silentrath.

The option to use Intuit Interchange Format (.IIF) files to import payroll data is unavailable. However, you can import check transactions and employees' list using the .IIF file.

You can refer to Export or import Intuit Interchange Format (.IIF) files article on what data can be exported and imported.

If you need to enter historical payroll data in QuickBooks, you can follow the steps in this article: https://community.intuit.com/articles/1773163.

To access the sample .IIF files, you can refer to IIF Overview: import kit, sample files, and headers article. Then, go to the Individual sample IIF files section to access the sample text files.

I found a helpful article for more details about the tasks you can do with IIf files: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/community/Help-Articles/Tasks-you-can-do-with-IIF-files/m-p/201588.

Please reply to this thread if you need anything else with importing your files in QuickBooks.

Hi

By any chance did you get a reply on this issue. I am having the same issue where the Check Number from the IIF files are not populating in QB. I have to manually re enter the Check number and it does take hell lot of unnecessary time.

Hello there, @lsriramakumar.

Let me share some information about the error when importing .qbo files in QuickBooks Desktop.

Since all of the above steps don't work for you, I recommend contacting our Phone Support. They can initiate a screen sharing session to help you get to a resolution quickly.

For the support's contact information, you can check it here: Contact the QuickBooks Desktop Customer Support Team.

Feel free to drop a post if you have any other concerns. Have a good day!

Same issue here. Very frustrating!! It never assigned check numbers before and it is a pain to have to go in and change each on manually for every import! Why QB's has not come up with an easy solution to this is mind boggling! :(

Yes, it's one of the many new bugs you'll experience when importing the "improved" way. Our customers are seeing the same thing.

If you follow our recommendations you can still use the old, reliable method. 

See BRC QuickBooks 2019 & 2020 IIF Import Changes and Recommendations 

I do not see how this was solved. Please advise.

Thank you for informing us, LosingTime.

I recommend contacting our QuickBooks Desktop support to check this further since none of the provided solutions above worked for you. They will be able to review your account and provide alternatives.

Here's how:

1. Click Help from the menu.
2. Select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
3. Click Contact us.

You can always post here in the Community if you have other questions.

It hasn't been resolved.  If you use our instructions you can work around the new buggy IIF import Intuit added to QB 2019 & 2020.

I have the opposite problem...check numbers are being assigned to direct deposits...over 140 entries weekly...so ridiculous!

Hello, @cgrandy.

Let me share some information about importing payroll checks into QuickBooks.

Using the iif importing process in importing your payroll transactions such as direct deposit checks is currently not available. However, if you have processed payroll outside QuickBooks, you can create a journal entry to record it.

Also, you can configure QuickBooks to run payroll manually without a subscription to QuickBooks Desktop Payroll. Let's first make sure your computer is offline or is not connected to the internet. Then, let's set up your company preferences for payroll. Here's how:

1. Go to the Edit menu.
2. Select Preferences.
3. On the left panel, select Payroll & Employees then go to the Company Preferences tab.
4. In the QuickBooks Desktop Payroll Features section, select the Full Payroll radio button.
5. Select OK.

Once it's set, you're now ready to create the manual payroll.

Here's how:

1. Click the Help menu.
2. Select QuickBooks Help.
3. In the Search field, type manual payroll and press Enter on your keyboard.
4. Select the topic Calculate payroll manually (without a subscription to QuickBooks Payroll).
5. Under Set your company file to use the manual payroll calculations setting, click the manual payroll calculations link.
6. Select Set my company file to use manual calculations link.
7. Close and reopen QuickBooks Desktop.

On the other hand, you can import the checks as standard check type transactions. This time you can use the iif file format for Check affecting an account as a sample file. This way, you can make sure that data are placed to the correct field and it matches with QuickBooks. 

Please know that I'm only a few clicks away if you have any follow-up questions. Wishing you and your business continued success!

Thank you so much for posting this!  I can confirm that the bug of assigning check numbers to direct deposit paychecks on import still exists as of 8/7/20.  I'm using Intuit Online Payroll and QB Desktop Premier 2019 (fully patched).  Note that neither IOP support nor QB Support admitted this problem, offered the correct solution or was any help finding a resolution.

Hello, @HCH2020.

I understand the importance of not being able to assign check numbers to the direct deposit paychecks in QuickBooks when importing IIF payroll data for you and other business users as well. Rest assured that our engineers are continuing to develop QuickBooks to deliver the best experiences to our customers and hope this feature will become available soon. For now, you can visit our blog to stay current with the latest QuickBooks news and updates.

Also, you can check the workaround/s provided above to get the information you need.

As always, feel free to read these handy articles that might help you in the future while working with QuickBooks and payroll:

• How to check your direct deposit setup status.
• When do direct deposits post?
• Resolve Direct Deposit Issues

Let me know if you have any other questions. I'm always here to help you out. Have a good day!

Hello @Angelyn_T ,

You said:

"I understand the importance of being able to assign check numbers to direct deposit paychecks in QuickBooks for you and other business users as well."

This is an incorrect conclusion.  The WHOLE PROBLEM here is that Quickbooks is assigning check numbers when is should NOT BE.   So you have misunderstood completely.

Since this BUG has existed since QB2019 was released, and as of the latest update, some 23 months later  still exists, it would be nice to know that the developers know about the problem and it is somewhere on somebody's list to actually fix it.

The workaround does indeed work, but using the "old method" of importing requires, for instance, that you be in single user mode, while the "2019 method" of importing allows you to stay in multiuser mode, which is less disruptive.  So the preferable option would be for the bug to be fixed so that we don't have to rely on workarounds forever.

Hi there, @HCH2020.

Let me step in and share with you a piece of information about the checking number of the direct deposit. Modifying a direct deposit check number isn't an option for now since this number is system generated. Our development team is constantly working to improve the product and appreciates the help of users in bringing things like this to their attention. 

However, you can use the Print Later option so that the check number will not appear as a workaround. Please follow these steps on how:

1. Go to the Employees tab.
2. Choose the Payroll Center.
3. Select Transactions, and click the Paycheck.
4. Filter the date range that will cover the time that the paycheck was issued.
5. Double-click the check you want to print later.
6. Click the Print Later box next in the print icon.
7. Hit Save and Close, then OK to confirm the action.

For more detailed information about printing a paycheck, you can read this article: Print your paychecks in QuickBooks Desktop.

Additionally, I'd encourage you to visit our QuickBooks Blog, so you'll be updated with our latest news and updates including product improvements.

Please know that I'm always around here in Community to help. Keep safe, and have a good one.

I am really starting to believe Intuit is paying staff based on volume of posts, with no concern for accuracy of the information. Intuit staff - the whole issue is that direct deposit payments should NOT have check numbers assigned to them, and until the botched changes to the IIF import system in 2019, Quickbooks desktop handled them correctly. But now it not only assigns check numbers to each and every direct deposit, it also assigns them to the ACH payroll tax payments, even when the IIF import file was created by its own payroll system.

Folks, ignore the Intuit staff on this thread who have said QBD doesn't support IIF import because they are so poorly trained they don't know what the differences are between desktop and online versions of the software, or the ones talking nonsense about not being able to change the check number on a direct deposit item (you can ALWAYS change the check number - but the whole point is that the system shouldn't be assigning a check number to begin with). 

Instead, refer to this helpful post by Big Red Consulting, which provides a work-around to the problem. Of course, afer over two years, it would really be better if Intuit would actually fix this, but in the meantime, Big Red's method does work if you can run the file in single user mode.  https://bigredconsulting.com/quickbooks-2019-iif-import/

Your statement "Using the iif importing process in importing your payroll transactions such as direct deposit checks is currently not available" is factually incorrect. While IIF import is not supported in QB Online, it has been supported in QB desktop for over 20 years, and anyone asking why their IIF import is adding check numbers to direct deposit items is obviously doing IIF imports, so must be in Desktop. In fact, this very support site includes a page that was updated just a month ago, about how to create IIF files, and a downloadable IIF kit with sample files! See  https://quickbooks.intuit.com/learn-support/en-us/manage-lists/iif-overview-import-kit-sample-files-...

The problem is that Intuit re-designed the desktop IIF import in 2019, introducing some fairly annoying bugs, and after two years, still hasn't fixed the problem. As a result, if you import an IIF file using Intuit's recommended method (including IIF files created by other Intuit software!) Quickbooks Desktop 2019 and later erroneously assigns check numbers to direct deposit and electronic payment entries, which you then have to remove.  It’s a major time-waster if you run weekly payrolls for more than a few employees.

I have not been able to find an IIF format for payroll data. Can you share that with me?

Thanks.