Import journal entries from a spreadsheet
Download the Excel or CSV template from Journal Entries → Import, fill in one row per line with Entry, Date, Memo, Account, Debit and Credit, then choose the file. Todah shows every entry first and imports nothing until every entry in the file balances and every account is found.
When you have more than a few journal entries, for example opening balances with many accounts or the year-end adjustments your accountant sends, you can fill them in a spreadsheet and bring them in at once. Todah gives you the template, so the columns are always right.
Before you start
- Importing is for owners and admins, like every journal entry.
- Every account you use must be in your chart of accounts. The template lists them; add a missing one in Todah first, then download a fresh template.
Step by step
- In the menu on the left, choose Journal Entries, then Import.
- Choose Excel Template (or CSV Template if you prefer a plain file). It downloads with your chart of accounts on its Accounts sheet and two example entries.
- On the Journal sheet, fill in one row for each line of each entry. Give every row of the same entry the same Entry number, the same Date and the same Memo.
- In Account, pick from the drop-down (Excel) or type the code or name exactly as on the Accounts sheet, for example 1000 or Business Bank Account.
- Type each amount in Debit or in Credit, never both. Each entry's debits must add up to its credits.
- Save the file, then back in Todah choose Choose File and pick it.
- Read the preview. Each entry shows its lines, its totals and Will be imported, Already in your books, or Needs fixing with the row and the reason.
- If anything needs fixing, correct those rows in your spreadsheet, save, and choose the file again.
- When every entry is ready, choose Import. A message says how many entries were imported, and they appear in the list.
The columns
| Entry | Any label that ties the rows of one entry together: 1, 2, JE-7. Rows whose Entry starts with Example are the template's examples and are skipped, so you can leave them in. |
|---|---|
| Date | Written like 2026-10-17. Every row of an entry has the same date. Not before 2000 and not more than a year ahead. A date such as 02/10/2026 is refused rather than guessed, because it could mean February or October. |
| Memo | What the entry is for. It shows in the Journal Entries list. |
| Account | The account's code, its name, or both as the drop-down writes them, from your chart of accounts. |
| Debit | The amount on the debit side, or empty. No minus signs: use the other column. |
| Credit | The amount on the credit side, or empty. |
| Line Note | Optional, a note for that line only. |
Good to know
- Nothing is saved until you choose Import, and nothing is imported while any entry in the file needs fixing. A set of adjustments only makes sense whole.
- An entry already in your books, with the same date, memo and lines, is skipped, so choosing the same file twice does not add it twice.
- A spreadsheet from elsewhere also works if its first row names the columns: Date, Account, Debit and Credit at least. Without an Entry column, rows with the same Date and Memo become one entry. Amounts may carry a dollar sign and thousands commas.
- Excel files must be .xlsx; save an older .xls file as .xlsx or CSV first. Up to 2,000 rows a file.
- Imported entries are ordinary journal entries: View, Edit, Reverse and Delete work on each one, and the Audit Log records the import.
See also
Was this helpful?
Still stuck? Write to us or email support@todah.ca — a person reads every message and replies by email. The FAQ covers plans, prices and the questions people ask before they sign up.