The full name of the IIF file format developed by Intuit for bulk-importing data into QuickBooks Desktop. Supports transactions, chart of accounts, customer/vendor lists, and items.
Understanding Intuit Interchange Format (IIF)
Intuit Interchange Format (IIF) is the full name of the IIF file format developed by Intuit for bulk-importing data into QuickBooks Desktop. It is a tab-delimited text format that supports transactions, chart of accounts, customer lists, vendor lists, item lists, and other data types.
IIF is the most comprehensive import format for QuickBooks Desktop because it supports full double-entry transactions with multiple split lines. A single IIF file can contain a mix of data types, allowing you to import a chart of accounts and transactions in one operation.
The format uses keyword headers to identify record types: TRNS/SPL/ENDTRNS for transactions, ACCNT for accounts, CUST for customers, VEND for vendors, and INVITEM for inventory items. Each keyword line includes specific columns defined by a header row (prefixed with an exclamation mark, like !TRNS).
Why It Matters for Ecommerce
IIF is the gold standard for QuickBooks Desktop data import, supporting richer data than any other format. When converting ecommerce settlement reports, IIF allows you to create proper double-entry journal entries with revenue, fees, and refunds mapped to specific accounts — providing far more detail than a simple QBO bank import.
Practical Example
An IIF file importing a new expense account and a transaction: !ACCNT→NAME→ACCNTTYPE ACCNT→Amazon Fees→EXP !TRNS→TRNSTYPE→DATE→ACCNT→AMOUNT !SPL→TRNSTYPE→DATE→ACCNT→AMOUNT TRNS→GENERAL JOURNAL→01/15/2026→Checking→1000.00 SPL→GENERAL JOURNAL→01/15/2026→Sales→-1200.00 SPL→GENERAL JOURNAL→01/15/2026→Amazon Fees→200.00 ENDTRNS
Related Terms
IIF (Intuit Interchange Format)
A tab-delimited text file format created by Intuit for importing transactions, lists, and budgets into QuickBooks Desktop. Each row type is identified by a keyword header like TRNS, SPL, or ACCNT.
File FormatTab-Delimited File
A text file where data fields are separated by tab characters instead of commas. The IIF format and some bank exports use tab-delimited structure for data interchange.
AccountingDouble-Entry Bookkeeping
An accounting system where every financial transaction is recorded in at least two accounts — a debit and a credit — ensuring the accounting equation always balances.
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