LedgerRowsPDF to QBO converter
Turn PDF bank statements into QuickBooks files, checked against their own balances.
No sign-up to try · PDFs never stored
How to import a PDF bank statement into QuickBooks
- 1
Upload the PDF statement
Drop in a statement downloaded from your bank's website: checking, savings or credit card. Cover, disclaimer and ad pages are skipped and never billed.
- 2
Check the balance
LedgerRows adds every transaction to the opening balance and compares the total with the closing balance on the statement. You see Balanced, or the row that doesn't add up.
- 3
Export QBO and import it
In QuickBooks Online, upload it from the bank transactions page with Upload from file. In QuickBooks Desktop, use File → Utilities → Import → Web Connect Files.
What's in the QBO file
Bank and credit card accounts
Checking, savings and credit card statements each import as the right kind of account, with money out as a debit.
You choose the account
QuickBooks asks which of your accounts receives the transactions, so one file works with whichever account you pick.
No duplicates on re-import
Every transaction carries a stable ID, so importing the same file twice is recognised instead of doubling your books.
A CSV if .qbo is refused
If QuickBooks Online won't take a .qbo, export the QuickBooks Online CSV instead: the same rows in its uploader's three-column layout.
Why the balance check matters
Any converter can misread a row: a line lost at a page break, a withdrawal read as a deposit, a 6 read as an 8. Nothing looks wrong until the books won't reconcile.
Opening + transactions = closing
Every statement prints its own opening and closing balances. If the rows don't add up to them, you're told before you export, not after you import.
The row, not just a warning
Where the statement prints a running balance, each row is checked against it, so a mismatch points at the line that caused it. Fix the cell right in the table.
Doesn't balance, isn't billed
A statement that fails the check costs nothing. If a balanced file still has a mistake, report it and the pages come back.
Which file for which app
| Use it for | |
|---|---|
| QBO (.qbo) | QuickBooks Desktop and QuickBooks Online |
| QuickBooks Online CSV | QuickBooks Online's upload, if it refuses a .qbo |
| Xero CSV | Xero's Import a statement, in Xero's own template |
| OFX (.ofx) | Xero, Zoho Books, GnuCash and most other accounting apps |
| QFX (.qfx) and QIF | Quicken, and older apps that read QIF |
| Excel and CSV | Spreadsheets, scripts, and anything else |
Questions
What is a QBO file?
A QBO file is a QuickBooks Web Connect file: the OFX format with an Intuit header, which QuickBooks reads like a download from your bank. Banks offer it for recent activity; LedgerRows makes one from any PDF statement.
Does it work with QuickBooks Online and Desktop?
Yes, the same .qbo imports into both. QuickBooks Online also takes the QuickBooks Online CSV from the export menu.
Why import from a PDF when my bank feed is connected?
Bank feeds often reach back only a few months, and some banks have none. For older periods, a new client, or a feed that broke, the PDF statement is what you have.
Which banks does it work with?
Any bank. LedgerRows reads the statement itself instead of a template made for one bank's layout, so there's no setup and no waiting for your bank to be added. Credit card statements work too.
Does it work with scanned or password-protected PDFs?
Not yet. It reads PDFs downloaded from your bank's website, the kind where you can select the text; scans and phone photos aren't supported. For a password-protected PDF, open it, save a copy without the password, and upload the copy.
Is LedgerRows affiliated with my bank or Intuit?
No. LedgerRows is an independent tool and is not affiliated with Intuit, Xero or any bank.