Import the bills CSV into Xero or QuickBooks
The steps here start after you download the file from Rinvy. To make the file, see Export purchases to QuickBooks or Xero.
Which path you use depends on your accounting system and plan. In the US, Intuit's importing FAQ limits bill import to QuickBooks Online Advanced and higher, so the other plans go through an importer app:
| You use | Bills file | Vendor-credits file |
|---|---|---|
| Xero | Native import | In the same file |
| QuickBooks Online Advanced | Native import | Importer app, or type by hand |
| QuickBooks Online Simple Start, Essentials, Plus | Importer app | Importer app |
For the importer apps, choose the QuickBooks Online (importer app) format. For QuickBooks Online Advanced, choose QuickBooks Online.
How do I import the file into Xero?
Upload the one Xero file as a bill import, then approve the drafts. Choose Xero as the format before you export.
- In Xero, open Business → Bills to pay.
- Select Import, and upload the CSV.
Xero shows each bill as a draft. Look at the tax rate on the lines. The export writes the tax type Tax Exempt, and you can change it to the rate your organization uses.
- Approve the drafts.
Credits come in the same file. If every line of a document is negative, Xero imports it as a credit note. If a bill has positive and negative lines, Xero applies the reductions to the bill. Xero's own guide to importing bills and credit notes asks for a credit note's price as a negative amount, and that is how the Rinvy file writes it.
Xero merges rows that share an invoice number into one bill, even when the supplier differs. Rinvy gives every receipt its own bill number, so two receipts never merge. Xero also suggests that you split a file of more than 500 items. For a busy month, export two half-month ranges.
QuickBooks Online Advanced
Choose QuickBooks Online as the format before you export. You get a bills file, and a vendor-credits file when the range includes credits, shorts or returns.
- In QuickBooks, open Settings → Import data, and choose Bills.
- Upload the bills file.
Match each column to its QuickBooks field. The table in the next section shows the matches.
- Look at the preview, and import.
The bill import does not take vendor credits. Import the vendor-credits file with an importer app, or type each credit into QuickBooks as a Vendor credit. Most ranges have only a few.
QuickBooks Online through an importer app
SaasAnt Transactions and Transaction Pro connect to your QuickBooks Online company. They import bills and vendor credits on any plan.
Choose QuickBooks Online (importer app) as the format before you export. This format has the same rows as the QuickBooks Online format. Its column names are Transaction Pro's bill field names. You get a bills file, and a vendor-credits file when the range includes credits, shorts or returns.
- Connect the app to your QuickBooks Online company.
- Start a new import, choose Bills, and upload the bills file.
Match each column to its QuickBooks field with the table below. If the app asks for the date format, choose
YYYY-MM-DD.- Save the mapping as a template. The next import then needs no mapping.
Import. Then start a second import, choose Vendor Credits, and upload the vendor-credits file with the same mapping.
Every line in the vendor-credits file has a positive amount. The file itself is the credit, so QuickBooks subtracts it from what you owe that supplier. The importer apps do not apply a vendor credit to a bill. Apply it in QuickBooks when you pay that supplier.
Column matches
| QuickBooks Online format | QuickBooks Online (importer app) format | QuickBooks field | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
BillNo | RefNumber | Bill number (Ref no.) | The invoice number, or R- and a short receipt id |
Supplier | Vendor | Vendor | Must match the vendor name in QuickBooks |
BillDate | TxnDate | Bill date | The day you received the delivery |
DueDate | DueDate | Due date | Same as the bill date. Rinvy does not track terms |
Terms | Not in the file | Terms | Always empty |
Location | Not in the file | Location | Always empty |
Memo | PrivateNote | Memo | For a credit memo, names the invoice it corrects |
Account | ExpenseAccount | Expense account | The QuickBooks account name from your GL category |
LineDescription | ExpenseDesc | Line description | Quantity, unit and product, for example 2 case Ground Beef |
LineAmount | ExpenseAmount | Line amount | Two decimal places |
LineTaxCode | Not in the file | Line tax code | Always empty |
Lines that share a bill number, supplier and bill date become one bill with several lines.
Common mistakes
A vendor or account is not found
QuickBooks matches the vendor and the expense account by exact name. If the import stops on a name, fix the name in Rinvy (the supplier, or the QuickBooks account name on the GL category) or add it in QuickBooks. Then export again with Include receipts already exported before on.
Xero creates a second contact for a supplier
Xero matches the contact name exactly. If the supplier is "Sysco" in Xero and "Sysco Foods" in Rinvy, the import creates a new contact. Delete those drafts, rename the supplier in Rinvy to match Xero, and export again with Include receipts already exported before on.
The vendor-credits file is left behind
If you import only the bills file, you pay for short and credited items. Import both files for the same range.