The gap in QuickBooks Online
QuickBooks Online lets you import bank transactions, customers, suppliers, and chart of accounts via CSV. But when it comes to purchase invoices (bills), there's no built-in way to import them from PDF files.
This means every invoice that arrives as a PDF has to be entered manually: you create a new bill, type the supplier name, enter the invoice number, add each line item, set the amounts, and save. Multiply that by dozens of invoices each month and it becomes a significant time sink.
The CSV import workaround
QuickBooks does support importing bills via CSV if the file has the right column headers. The required format is:
| Bill No. | Vendor | Bill Date | Due Date | Terms | Category | Description | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV-001 | Acme Ltd | 21/02/2026 | 21/03/2026 | Net 30 | Office Supplies | Printer paper | 45.00 |
The challenge is creating this CSV from a PDF invoice. That's where InvoiceCSV comes in.
Step-by-step: PDF to QuickBooks
- Go to invoicecsv.co.uk and sign in
- Upload your PDF invoice
- Review the extracted data — vendor, dates, line items, amounts
- Select QuickBooks from the dropdown
- Click Download CSV
- In QuickBooks, go to Get paid & pay > Bills > Import bills
- Upload the CSV file
- Map the columns and import
Your invoice is now in QuickBooks — no manual typing required.
Tips for a clean import
- Check the vendor name matches an existing supplier in QuickBooks, or QuickBooks will create a new one
- Date format should be DD/MM/YYYY for UK QuickBooks accounts
- Category maps to your chart of accounts — make sure it exists in QuickBooks before importing
How many invoices can I convert?
The free plan includes 5 invoices per month. The Starter plan (£19/month) covers 200 invoices, and Pro (£49/month) handles up to 1,000.