Ask Lou

Uploading a trial balance from any accounting system

Export from your accounting system to Excel or CSV, drop the files in, and review before anything is saved.

Any accounting system

If you're not on QuickBooks, upload your trial balance as an Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file. Go to Imports, choose your system, and if it's not listed, choose Other and type its name: Lou shows you how to export a trial balance from it.

What the file needs

  • Account Name and Category for every account
  • Optional: Account Number, Mapping, Division, and a column for each month

The headers can be anywhere in the first ten rows, in any order. Ask Lou finds them for you.

Drop in your files

Drop in one file or several; they're handled one at a time. Ask Lou reads the months from your column headers. If a file is a single month with no date on it, you'll be asked which month it is.

Review before you import

The review screen shows the columns found, the months found, and what will be created: new accounts, new mappings and new divisions.

  • Filter to see what's new, what needs review, or what has a problem.
  • Confirm any account Ask Lou flagged as unsure.
  • Leave out a month by choosing it in the list of months found.

Nothing is imported while any month is out of balance or any row has an error, so your statements always start from a trial balance that balances.

How far back to go

We recommend three full years, plus the December before them, so year-over-year comparisons and your opening balances are complete.

Uploading a trial balance
  1. 1Choose your system

    Excel or CSV from any accounting system. Tell us which one, and Lou shows how to export from it.

  2. 2Drop in your files

    One or several. Ask Lou finds the columns and the months in each.

  3. 3Review

    Check new accounts and mappings, confirm anything flagged, and leave out any month you don't want.

  4. 4Import

    Every month must balance before it can be imported.