I received a line number error in QuickBooks. How can I see what the error refers to?
Sometimes, when importing IIF files, QuickBooks will show "Error on Line X" warning. To troubleshoot, try opening the file in Excel or another spreadsheet program, which will allow you to view the line with the error to (hopefully) see what is causing it.
I received a "cannot have multiple AP or AR accounts" error. What does that mean?
If you get this error during an IIF upload, you have labeled a Chart of Account "Accounts Receivable."
Did the IIF only download the Deposit Amount? In QuickBooks, go to CoA > Accounts Receivable and locate the PYM type and the amounts corresponding to the month you are depositing. If you see these, right-click and delete all payment drops (you could have ACH/CC/Cash/Check, so a total of four in this instance)
Change this CoA on Business Tools > Billing Setup > CoA Setup. Click on the bad CoA and rename it. Ensure you have the identical CoA on your QB side.
The system cannot regenerate the IFF file. The IIF file is just a text-based file. You can open it with a text program, locate the bad CoA, and highlight and rename it, which will be in the second part of the file (the first part is your money deposit). Ensure you locate the bad CoA rather than the common word account receivable.
Save and re-import.
Why is my Transferred Amount Negative?
A negative amount can happen if:
You have not matched up your CoA from QB exactly.
You did not have any CoA setup on your QB side.
It will only happen on the first upload. The IFF will import correctly upon updating QB to the Income account.
In Quickbooks, go to the CoA and ensure the CoA set into your QuickBooks is as income and not Bank. To update these, right-click on the CoA and select edit to update.
Will the customer account data be loaded from the IIF file?
Specific account data, such as names and invoices, is intended to be managed in SwimOffice and will remain on that side ONLY. The IIF file generated monthly for import into QuickBooks only has the totals for payments made and sums invoiced by Charge Categories.
I received a "can't record a negative payment" error. What does that mean?
When you use the "New Refund Credit Balance" function in SwimOffice to make a refund, it goes into the IIF file as a payment type of "Other." This amount will be negative unless you enter payments of type "Other" that equal or exceed the refunds.
When payments of type "Other" are negative for a given month (due to more refunds than payments) and you try importing an IIF file into QuickBooks, it will give the error "Can't record a negative payment."
To fix this, delete the three lines of payment type "Other" in the IIF file (use a text editor to do so), then try importing it again. They are near the top of the file, and the lines begin like so:
TRNS ... Other -1234.00
SPL ... 1234.00
ENDTRNS
You must manually enter that refund amount into QB since it won't import.
When does the QuickBooks IIF file generate?
The first of every month. This file will contain all payments for the previous month and all charges (receivables) for the current month.
How to view the contents of a QuickBooks IIF file?
Click Business Tools > Export for QuickBooks.
Click the desired .iif file.
Open a new tab in your browser (usually Ctrl+T in Windows, Command+T on a Mac).
Open the IIF file in your browser (usually Ctrl+O in Windows, Command+O on a Mac, then locate the file you downloaded and double-click it).
If your browser won't open it but tries to open it in QuickBooks instead, try these alternatives to view IIF files.
The example above is a December 2014 IIF file. The top part of the file contains the payments made last month (grouped by payment type), and the bottom section includes non-recurring fees generated the previous month and recurring fees generated this month (grouped by Chart of Accounts). They are all totals, not individual transactions.
If you wish to see the individual transactions comprising the totals, you can run the Payment Summary Report and Invoice Report to do so.
The QuickBooks CoA shows $0 or a negative amount after IIF import and Account Type set to Bank.
If your Chart of Accounts and QuickBooks do not match up, QuickBooks will put the Chart of Accounts as Bank instead of Income, causing a negative dollar amount to appear.
To fix it:
In QuickBooks, go to your Chart of Accounts.
Right-click on the CoA set as Bank.
Change the first field from Bank to Income.
If necessary, check "Subaccount of" and select the correct subaccount.
Save Changes.
If this is already a subaccount,
You have to right-click the CoA.
Select the subaccount.
Save Changes.
Right-click again.
Change to Income.
Select the correct subaccount.
Save Changes.
Remember to figure out why the CoA did not match up. Usually, it's a spelling error or a subaccount you should have correctly entered.
When I try to import an IIF file, I get "Error line 6." How do I fix this?
The issue is a negative payment amount that your version of QB will not support. To find it,
Click on Business Tools > Billing Manager > Payment Summary tab.
Generate a report for the month of the IIF file you tried importing to QB.
Look in the refund column for a negative amount.
So QB does not allow this amount to be negative, i.e., a negative payment. It's fine in SwimOffice but not QB. Did you write a refund check, or was it a CC refund?
Did any of the IIF files go into your QB? If not, support can adjust the IFF file to import, and you can manually enter your refund amount on your QB side. Please contact us for further assistance.
What are the alternatives to view IIF files?
Some browsers will use its associated program, QuickBooks, to view the file instead of simply displaying it. Here are some alternatives to view the file:
Use a plain text editor. On a Mac, you can use TextEdit. Notepad does not display the file correctly in Windows, so you will need to use an alternative. TheGun is a free, small download and does not need installation. http://www.movsd.com/thegun.htm (use at your own risk)
View as Text is an add-on for Firefox that allows viewing any downloadable file as Text. Just right-click the IIF file and select the option to view as Text. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/view-as-text/ (use at your own risk)