How to Import Banking Transactions Automatically in QuickBooks Online
In order to import transactions into QuickBooks, you will need your online banking user ID and password to log into your bank account. You will only need to enter this information once, and QuickBooks will stay connected to your bank account to Download Bank Statements To Quickbooks.

Step 1: Locate Your Bank
From the Left Menu Bar, select Banking:

import transactions into quickbooks
Navigate to the Banking Center in QuickBooks Online

To locate your bank/financial institution, you can do one of the following:

Type your bank name in the search box as indicated below or
Select from the list of banks right below the search box.
If you are unable to locate your bank, then you will need to Import Your Banking Transactions using CSV, format which we will cover later in this lesson.

import transactions into quickbooks
Select the bank account to connect to in QuickBooks Online

Step 2: Log Into Your Bank Account
You should see your bank login screen like the one below.

import transactions into quickbooks
Sign into your bank account to connect it to QuickBooks Online

Enter the user ID and password that you normally use to access your bank account, as we have done for Paul.

Depending on your internet connection and the number of accounts that you have, it may take a few minutes for QuickBooks Online to connect to your bank.

Step 3: Select Bank Accounts
You should see a screen similar to the one below that will list all of the accounts you have at this bank.

import transactions into quickbooks
Select the accounts to connect to QuickBooks Online

Your financial institution will list all of the accounts that you have with them. Be sure to select only the business accounts that you want to connect to QuickBooks.

Select each account you would like to connect to QuickBooks by simply clicking anywhere in the account row.
Account Name: From the drop-down, select the QuickBooks account you want to link to this bank account. If you have not set up the bank account in QuickBooks yet, select Add Account from the drop-down.
Your screen should display the following account setup window. Complete the fields below to set up the bank account in QuickBooks.
import transactions into quickbooks
New account setup window in QuickBooks Online

A. Account Type: Select the type of account for which you want to import transactions into QuickBooks. Typically this would be either a bank or credit card account.
B. Detail Type: Here you want to provide more information on the type of bank account.
C. Name: This is how the account name will show up in QuickBooks.

TIP: If you’ve got more than one business checking account that you plan to connect to QuickBooks, then I would be more descriptive here and put the name of the bank and the last four digits of the bank account number (e.g., Bank of America Checking, x1234). This will allow you to easily tell one bank account from another when you are writing checks.

D. Description: Put the bank name and account type (e.g., checking, savings, etc.)
E. Save and Close: Double-check to make sure that you have made selections in all five fields. Click the Save and Close button

Step 4: Selecting the Right Date Range
The maximum number of transactions that will download is 90 days. If you need to download more than 90 days of banking transactions, then you will need to Import Transactions into QuickBooks Online Download Using CSV.

If you would like a shorter date range, just click the link that says want a shorter time period as indicated below:

import transactions into quickbooks
Select the date range to start downloading transactions into QuickBooks Online

If the date you start using QuickBooks is less than 90 days, then you would need to use a shorter date range.

Below is an example of when you might need to use a shorter date range:

Example: Paul’s Plumbing has been in business for three years now. Business is good and Paul has decided that he needs to do a much better job of tracking his income and expenses. Paul purchases QuickBooks on January 15. He has decided not to worry about entering any transactions from the previous year into QuickBooks. So his start date will be January 1. With that said, Paul needs to ensure that when he connects his bank account to QuickBooks, his date range starts with January 1.

If Paul forgets to select January 1 as his start date, all banking transactions from the last 90 days will download into his QuickBooks Online download file. For Paul, that would include transactions from October, November, and December of the previous year, which he does not want.

Step 5: Click Connect
Before you click the connect button, double-check to make sure that you did not select any accounts from which you do not want to import transactions into QuickBooks (e.g., personal bank accounts).

A WORD OF CAUTION: Once you click connect, all transactions will be downloaded into QuickBooks. Unfortunately, there is no automatic undo button. Later on, if you find out that you accidentally selected an account that you did not want connected to QuickBooks, then you will need to manually delete all of those transactions before you can delete the account from QuickBooks.

Click the Connect button in the far bottom right part of the screen. This will start the process of downloading transactions for the accounts you selected in Step 3 into your QuickBooks file. Depending on the number of accounts you have selected and the date range, this could take a while to complete.

import transactions into quickbooks
Click connect to begin downloading transactions from your bank account into QuickBooks Online

Once the transactions have been successfully downloaded into QuickBooks, the following message will display: