Importing QuickBooks Data into Lacerte
Lacerte imports accounting data two ways: the Trial Balance Utility, under Tools then Import/Export Data, which takes an Excel file and needs each account assigned to a screen and field, and Lacerte Data Conductor for supported accounting data. A QuickBooks file is not read directly by the tax program, so the practical route is to export a trial balance from QuickBooks and import that.
- Export the trial balance from QuickBooks
- Open the Trial Balance Utility
- Import from Excel
- Assign every account
- Run as administrator if the import freezes
- Never import twice over the same data
- Tools
- Import/Export Data
- Lacerte Trial Balance Utility
| Trial balance account | Lacerte screen and field | Lands on |
|---|---|---|
| Excel trial balance | Trial Balance Utility, File, Import, From Excel | Wherever each account is assigned |
| Account to field mapping | Tax Line Assignment tab, with SmartMap per row | Carries forward to next year |
| Supported accounting data | Lacerte Data Conductor | Return input screens |
| EasyACCT clients | A separate documented transfer path | Return input screens |
| QuickBooks company file | Not read directly by the tax program | Export a trial balance instead |
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Try it freeImporting QuickBooks Data into Lacerte on a trial balance
| Acct # | Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000 | Cash | 42,800.00 | |
| 1200 | Accounts receivable | 68,500.00 | |
| 1300 | Inventory | 55,000.00 | |
| 1500 | Equipment | 145,000.00 | |
| 1510 | Accumulated depreciation | 47,500.00 | |
| 2000 | Accounts payable | 28,400.00 | |
| 2100 | Accrued expenses | 9,200.00 | |
| 2400 | Notes payable | 92,000.00 | |
| 2450 | Due to shareholder | 15,000.00 | |
| 3000 | Common stock | 10,000.00 | |
| 3900 | Retained earnings | 86,300.00 | |
| 3950 | Shareholder distributions | 52,000.00 | |
| 4000 | Gross receipts (the account this page is about) | 612,000.00 | |
| 5000 | Cost of goods sold | 318,000.00 | |
| 6000 | Salaries and wages | 88,000.00 | |
| 6050 | Officer compensation | 72,000.00 | |
| 6300 | Depreciation expense | 21,500.00 | |
| 6900 | Other operating expenses | 37,600.00 | |
| Total | 900,400.00 | 900,400.00 |
What actually moves between the two programs
The tax program does not open a QuickBooks company file and produce a return. What it imports is a trial balance: a list of accounts and balances, which someone then has to point at the right input screens.
So the workflow is export, then map. The export is easy. The mapping is the work, and it is the same work whether the file came from QuickBooks, Xero, Sage or a spreadsheet the client typed themselves.
The two Lacerte paths
The Trial Balance Utility takes an Excel file. Tools, Import/Export Data, Lacerte Trial Balance Utility, then File, Import, From Excel. Account Name is the only column the wizard requires, though you want the account number and ending balance as well. Assignments are made on the Tax Line Assignment tab and are retained from year to year.
Lacerte Data Conductor imports supported accounting data, and there is a documented path for EasyACCT clients.
Neither removes the per account decision on a new client. The utility's value is that year two is fast, because last year's mapping is still there.
The failures worth knowing in advance
Imports that freeze. Intuit's guidance for QuickBooks imports that hang is to run both programs as administrator.
Doubled entries. Re-importing over an existing trial balance can double everything. Delete the trial balance in the utility and import again rather than importing on top.
Accounts that silently do not arrive. An account with no tax line assignment does not post, and nothing warns you. On a returning client the accounts at risk are the new ones and any that were renamed since last year.
An empty Schedule L mid import. Amounts may not appear on Schedule L until the ending year amounts are entered and the requirements for completing the balance sheet are met.
What the export should contain
Account number, account name, and the ending balance, with debits and credits either in separate columns or as one signed column. Both work.
What matters more is what is not netted. Keep accumulated depreciation separate from the asset, the allowance separate from receivables, and distributions separate from retained earnings, because Schedule L asks for each of those as its own line.
Tax return treatment
| Form | Line |
|---|---|
| Form 1120S | Page 1, Schedule K and Schedule L, per the assignments |
| Form 1065 | Page 1, Schedule K and Schedule L, per the assignments |
| Form 1120 | Page 1 and Schedule L, per the assignments |
Common questions
Can Lacerte import directly from QuickBooks?
Not from a company file in the way people expect. The practical route is to export a trial balance from QuickBooks to Excel and import that through the Lacerte Trial Balance Utility, assigning each account to a screen and field.
Why does my QuickBooks import freeze in Lacerte?
Intuit guidance for imports that hang is to run both QuickBooks and Lacerte as administrator. If the import still fails, importing an exported Excel trial balance avoids the direct connection entirely.
What should the exported trial balance include?
Account number, account name and ending balance, with either separate debit and credit columns or one signed column. Just as important is what is not netted: accumulated depreciation, the allowance for doubtful accounts and distributions each need to stay on their own line because Schedule L asks for them separately.
Why did my entries double after importing?
An import ran twice over the same trial balance. Delete the trial balance in the utility and import again rather than re-importing on top of it. Figures at exactly twice the expected amount are the tell.
Related answers
Go deeper
This page is the short answer. These articles work through the same ground in detail.
Last reviewed October 18, 2026.