Budget Help

  1. Key Concepts
  2. Getting Started
  3. Work with Accounts
  4. Work with Envelopes
  5. Work with Income
  6. Record Transactions
  7. Work with Transactions
  8. Calendar
  9. Investments
  10. Calculators
  11. Import/Export/Sync
    Import: Export: Sync:
  12. Reports/Statistics
  13. Preferences

Importing QIF and OFX files

Note: QIF and OFX files are text files that provide a means to transfer financial information from a bank or other financial software to wherever you want. This allows you to reconcile your Budget data with your bank, or to convert from a different financial application to Budget. However, not all data contained in QIF and OFX files is compatible with Budget. Budget currently only supports standard bank transactions such as checks, debits, deposits, and credit card charges and payments.

To import a QIF or OFX file, use the File > Import QIF/OFX... menu command, or use the Import QIF/OFX toolbar button on the main window. You will then see the standard file open window where you can choose which file to import.

Budget will process most of the imported file in the background while you are reviewing the Import Progress and Options window. Once you click the Import button, Budget will finish processing the imported data and then display the Import Matching window. You can click Cancel to not continue with importing the file.

File Import Options

Import Progress window screenshot - QIF date format Import Progress window screenshot - QIF currency format

When importing a QIF file the Import Progress and Options window has two tabs: one for setting the date format and one for setting the currency format. This is needed because the data in a QIF file can be formatted differently based on where the QIF file was generated.

Both formatting tabs work in a similar way. A text sample from the imported file is displayed at the top of the tab. Below that is a text field where you should make the correct entry based on the format used in the imported file. Below your entry is the same sample text which has been processed with your formatting.

You need to tell Budget what format the dates and currencies are in the file. Banks all over the world use all sorts of different formats, so you need to let Budget know what to interpret as digits as well as the constant text before/after/between the digits.

Example: Look at your downloaded file in a text editor. If the dates in the file are of the form 20091109, then set the text in the Date Format field to YYYYMMDD. That means the four digit year is first, then two digits for month, then two digits for day. If the dates in the file are of the form 28/07/2009, then set the text in the Date Format field to DD/MM/YYYY. That is two digits for the day, then a slash, then two digits for the month, then a slash, then four digits for the year.

When importing an OFX file the Import Progress and Options window simply displays the progress bar. You don't need to decide any formatting because OFX files contain data formatted the same way no matter where the OFX file was generated.

Configuring Import Rules

You can setup rules that define how your data will be imported into Budget. See the section Import Rules for more information.

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