Choose a download format
Convert downloads in fixed, ready-made formats. Here is what each one contains and which to pick for QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or a spreadsheet.
What a format is
A format decides what a downloaded file looks like: which columns it has, how amounts are written and how dates are written. It only arranges what ZeraBooks already read from the document. Choosing a format never reads the document again.
Convert has a fixed set of ready-made formats for each kind of document. For bank and card statements and for invoices, you choose one each time you download, in the Download dialog, whether you download one document or several together. Checks, investments and financial statements have one format, All details, so they skip the dialog: click Download, then Excel or CSV, and the file downloads at once. You can't make your own format; pick the one that matches where the file is going.
Bank and credit card statements
| Format | Columns | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Date, Description, Amount (money out as a minus) | A simple file for any software or spreadsheet. Chosen first. |
| Money in and out | Date, Description, Money In, Money Out, Balance | A spreadsheet with money in and money out in separate columns, both positive. |
| QuickBooks-ready | Date, Description, Amount (money out as a minus) | The columns QuickBooks Online's bank upload takes. |
| Xero-ready | Date, Amount, Payee, Description, Reference | The columns Xero's statement import takes. |
| Sage-ready | Date, Description, Money In, Money Out, Reference | Sage's bank import, in the order it requires. |
| All details | Every column: Date, Description, Amount, Money In, Money Out, Balance, Account, Account Last 4, Cardholder, Type, Check Number and Source File | Your own records, or when you need the account and cardholder on each row. |
Other documents
| Kind of document | Format | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Checks | All details | Check Number, Date, Payee, Amount, Memo, Written By, Bank, Account Last 4, Source File |
| Invoices | All details | Two sheets: "Invoices" (one row per invoice) and "Line Items" (one row per line) |
| Invoices | Bills import (one row per line) | Vendor, Bill No., Bill Date, Due Date, and each line's Description, Quantity, Unit Price and Amount: the shape most bill imports take |
| Investments | All details | Three sheets: "Summary" (Account, Period Start, Period End, Beginning Value, Deposits, Withdrawals, Net Deposits/Withdrawals, Dividends & Interest, Fees, Securities Transferred, Change in Value, Ending Value, Source File), "Holdings" (Account, Symbol, Description, Quantity, Price, Market Value) and "Activity" (Date, Account, Type, Action, Description, Quantity, Price, Amount, Source File) |
| Financial Statements | All details | Every line of each statement: Statement, Section, Line, Amount and Total |
Dates and amounts
Every ready-made format writes US dates (MM/DD/YYYY).
Amounts are written one of three ways, depending on the format:
| Style | Example | Formats |
|---|---|---|
| One column, money out as a minus | Amount: 250.00 in, -45.00 out | Standard, QuickBooks-ready, Xero-ready, All details |
| Two columns, both positive | Money In 250.00 · Money Out 45.00 | Money in and out, Sage-ready |
| Always positive | Amount: 45.00 | Checks and invoices |
See a format's columns
In the Download dialog, each format lists its columns under its name, so you can check them before you download.
Formats with one choice
Checks, investments and financial statements download in All details from a small menu, with no dialog. Under each choice, the menu says what you'll get:
Excel: "One spreadsheet", or for investments "One workbook, a tab per table".
CSV: "One file", or for investments "A file per table, in one ZIP".
Columns added for you
On bank and card statements, when one sheet holds several accounts (for example with One file), an Account column is added so every row says which account it belongs to. When a card statement has several cardholders and isn't split by cardholder, a Cardholder column is added. Formats that already include these columns, such as All details, don't get them twice.
One file or several
For bank and card statements, the Split option decides how the file is divided: Automatic, One file, One per account or One per cardholder. In Excel, each part is its own tab; as CSV, the parts come together in a ZIP. See Download your data.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which format should I use for QuickBooks Online?
QuickBooks-ready: Date, Description and Amount, exactly what QuickBooks Online's bank upload takes. Download it as CSV and upload it in QuickBooks.
Which format should I use for Xero or Sage?
Xero-ready for Xero and Sage-ready for Sage. Download the file and import it there. Both write US dates (MM/DD/YYYY).
Can I add, rename or reorder columns?
No. Convert uses fixed, ready-made formats only. If you need every value Convert reads, use All details and arrange it in your spreadsheet.
Why can't I choose a format for checks or investments?
They have one ready-made format, All details, with every column Convert reads. Click Download, then Excel or CSV.
Why is a column mostly empty?
The document doesn't show that value on every row. For example, most bank lines have no reference or check number. ZeraBooks never guesses a value. See Blank cells and missing values.
Does changing the format change files I already downloaded?
No. A file is made when you download it. To get the data in another format, download it again and choose that format.
Learn more about Bank statement converter: Statements to checked Excel or CSV, split by account and cardholder.
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