A safer preflight before importing timesheets into QuickBooks

A timesheet CSV can look clean in a spreadsheet and still be unsafe to import.

The risky part is rarely the commas. It is the meaning hidden behind each column: who performed the work, which customer or job owns it, how time is represented, and whether the destination company file recognizes the same names.

Here is a practical preflight I use before creating a QuickBooks Desktop TimeActivity IIF.

1. Freeze the source file

Keep the original export unchanged. Work from a copy and record:

• the source system and export time;
• the reporting period;
• the number of rows;
• the source total hours;
• any excluded statuses or workers.

That gives you something concrete to reconcile against later.

2. Map identity fields explicitly

Do not assume that similar-looking labels mean the same thing. Write down how each source column maps to:

• employee or vendor;
• customer and job;
• service item;
• class, when used;
• billable status;
• memo or description.

A blank mapping should remain a visible gap. Silently substituting a default can put valid time against the wrong customer.

3. Normalize dates and durations

Before export, check that every row has:

• one unambiguous work date;
• a non-negative duration;
• a consistent unit;
• a supported decimal precision;
• no accidental duplicate caused by repeated exports.

If the source uses clock-in and clock-out values, calculate duration once and retain the original values for review. Do not mix pre-calculated hours with another duration calculation.

4. Reconcile totals before generating IIF

Compare at least three totals:

1. total source rows;
2. total source hours;
3. total proposed import hours.

Then group by worker and customer/job. A portfolio total can match even when two rows have been assigned to the wrong person or project.

5. Review the proposed TIMEACT rows

Treat the IIF as a review artifact, not as proof that the import is correct. Inspect:

• required headers;
• exact names used by the destination file;
• dates and durations;
• billable flags;
• service items;
• memo content;
• omitted or blocked rows.

If a required mapping is unknown, stop that row instead of guessing.

6. Import into a safe test copy first

Back up the QuickBooks company file and test the import in a controlled copy. Confirm that the imported time appears under the intended worker, customer/job, date, duration, and billable state.

The import succeeding is not enough. The business meaning must also survive.

7. Keep a compact reconciliation receipt

After review, retain a summary with:

• source row and hour totals;
• proposed and imported totals;
• blocked rows and reasons;
• mapping choices;
• the reviewer and review time;
• the exact source and output versions.

This makes corrections much easier than reconstructing the decision from memory.

A free preflight workflow

I built TimeIIF for this narrow job. Its free workflow turns timesheet CSV data into a reviewable QuickBooks TimeActivity IIF draft and surfaces mapping gaps before export. The paid Starter option is for reusable saved work when the one-off free pass is not enough.

Commercial disclosure: TimeIIF is an Arelvia Studio product. This checklist is educational and does not replace accounting review, a verified backup, or testing against your own QuickBooks Desktop company file.

AI disclosure: AI-assisted tools were used during drafting and editing; the workflow, limitations, and product claims were reviewed against the current product.