Skip to main content

Get 50% OFF QuickBooks for 3 months*

Buy now
Switch to QuickBooks and 70% off for 3 Months
Talk to Sales: 877-683-3280
Hours
Mon - Fri, 5am - 6pm PST
Sat - Sun, 7am - 4pm PST
Product support & help
Need help signing in?
M
Mark145
April 14, 2020
Solved

IIF Import Error [3040]

  • April 14, 2020
  • 2 replies
  • 2 views

Hi,

 

I'm having the strangest issue with importing a simple BILL IIF in QUICKBOOKS DESKTOP 2019. I've stripped the file down to its most basic components and can't find a way around the issue. It looks like the schema for IIF has been change but the documentation hasn't. eg In the Header Help for TRNS & SPL is says "The TRNSTYPE, ACCNT, and AMOUNT columns are required." This is true. However if you omit the NAME field you get "Missing mandatory field NAME in header. [15102]".

I even created a blank company and tried to import the sample IIFs from the import kit (https://support.quickbooks.intuit.com/support/pages/executable/iif/iif_import_kit.zip) and used that without success. 

Error 3040 claims to be  an invalid character, but no matter how I check it, the result is always the same.

Long story short, does anyone know how to resolve importing this data:

!TRNSDATETRNSTYPEACCNTNAMEAMOUNT
!SPLDATETRNSTYPEACCNTNAMEAMOUNT
!ENDTRNS     
; [ERROR] The record at (or starting at) this line could not be imported. There was an error when converting the amount "-100.00" in the field "item amount".  QuickBooks error message: This field contains an invalid character. [3040]      
TRNS07/16/2017BILLAccounts PayableBob100
SPL07/16/2017BILLAccounts Receivable -100

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Mark

Best answer by BigRedConsulting

Not sure why you're seeing the error in your post.

 

One thing that does look wrong is your use of "Accounts Receivable" on the SPL line.  You can't use an AR account in QB on a Bill.

 

Regarding the NAME, it is required for a Bill.  And also a NAME is required for any AR row, whether a TRNS or SPL row.

 

Generally we recommend avoiding the new import code as it's so shabby and Intuit has shown very little interest in fixing it for the last two years. 

See our more detailed recommendations here: BRC QuickBooks 2019 & 2020 IIF Import Changes and Recommendations 

2 replies

Pabz_L
Pabz_L
April 14, 2020

Thank you for posting your question here in Community, @Mark145.

 

IIF is used to export or import QuickBooks Desktop data like your bank transactions, general journals, customer, and vendor lists. 

 

However, creating IIF files from scratch or adapting data from another program is technically complex and may be difficult if you don't have experience formatting delimited text files. This makes it faster and easier to enter the information directly into QuickBooks Desktop unless you have very large amounts of data to import.

 

Let me help you with how to import the IIF file in QuickBooks Desktop. Here’s how.

 

  1. Log in to your data file as the Administrator.
  2. Switch to single user (SU) mode.
  3. Go to File > Utilities > Import > IIF Files.
  4. Browse to the location of your IIF file and highlight the file.
  5. Click Open.
  6. QuickBooks pops a message confirming your data has been imported.
  7. Click OK on the message.

 

If the issue persists, I recommend contacting our Phone support. They have the proper tools to pull and check your account regarding this issue.  

 

To reach out to our Phone support, here’s how.

 

  1. Go to Help and select QuickBooks Desktop Help.
  2. Click Contact Us.
  3. Let them know that you need a validation code.
  4. Click Continue, then select if you want to schedule a callback.

 

You can refer to this article for additional reading on export, import, and edit IIF files. Export, import, and edit IIF files.

 

Please fill me in if you have further concerns. Take care!

M
Mark145Author
April 14, 2020

Hi Pabz_l,

 

Thank you for your response.

I have successfully imported the chart of account and list of suppliers so I am familiar with the process.
Do you have any information regarding Error 3040?

 

Cheers
Mark

BigRedConsulting
BigRedConsultingAnswer
Level 15
April 14, 2020

Not sure why you're seeing the error in your post.

 

One thing that does look wrong is your use of "Accounts Receivable" on the SPL line.  You can't use an AR account in QB on a Bill.

 

Regarding the NAME, it is required for a Bill.  And also a NAME is required for any AR row, whether a TRNS or SPL row.

 

Generally we recommend avoiding the new import code as it's so shabby and Intuit has shown very little interest in fixing it for the last two years. 

See our more detailed recommendations here: BRC QuickBooks 2019 & 2020 IIF Import Changes and Recommendations 

    M
    Mark145Author
    April 15, 2020

    Hi BR,

     

    That did the trick. Thank you for the assistance!

     

    There are some very weird inconsistencies in IIF (such as not accepting the date 09/01/17, had to be 2017/09/01) but I've got my first 100 BILL entries tested and working as well as their corresponding CHECK entries.

     

    Cheers

    Mark 

    J
    julielyn1503
    June 9, 2023

    I am having a similar problem and can't get it fixed.  I am hoping you can help me.  I tried to follow the messages but not helping.  I am getting the 15102 error.

    Thanks!

    Julie

    Need QuickBooks guidance?
    Log in to access expert advice and community support instantly.
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement