1. Home
  2. Quicken Personal Finance
  3. Import my paychecks

Import my paychecks

I'm relatively new to Quicken. I've been using it for most of last year, but fall behind on it because it's so cumbersome to enter my paycheck information. I get the downloaded transactions from my bank, but I have used the paycheck wizard to define a template for each paycheck. I have automatic 401K and ESPP investments in each paycheck, as well as commission, so each check has different numbers in it.

My paychecks are available for download from ADP, and I have access to software that can pull out the relevant information from the PDF and put the output into just about anything. My first question is - is there a way in Quicken to import paycheck information (as a scheduled transaction) from csv, qif or whatever? In other words, as a scheduled transaction, I always have to edit the paycheck info, and then enter it, and then match the bank transaction to the scheduled transaction amount. I'd at least like to automate the process of updating the scheduled transaction.

The follow-on question would be what format do I need to use to import the scheduled transaction. If it's something like QIF, then is that format defined somewhere, so I can program my application to convert the information in the PDF to this format?

Thanks!

Reply to
kjaslow
Loading thread data ...

You can't automate the modification of a transaction in the Scheduled Transaction List.

You can "import" a "register" transaction, but not a "Scheduled Transaction" (you can't import anything to the Scheduled Transaction List).

If you export transactions from the Quicken account where your paycheck transaction is recorded to a qif file, you can probably learn everything you need to know about the format of the transaction you are interested in. QIF files can be viewed (and modified) in a word processor (Notepad is probably preferable if you plan to make any modifications, so as not to get any extraneous data from the word processor). [If you feel you must have the full qif file format specs, I think those are posted in the archives of ths group with Google. If you have trouble finding them and if Google will allow it, search for something like "!Account".]

Since it sounds like you have a version of Quicken later than Q2004, you have to consider the qif file import restrictions on later Quicken versions. In those later versions, you can import your qif file to a Quicken cash account, then cut/paste the transaction(s) into your checking account. Or you can look in the Intuit Quicken forums in the Other Topics discussion for a post on importing qif files "post Q2004". (I think the same info has now been posted in this newsgroup and can be found in the archives ... different subject line though.)

Reply to
John Pollard

theScheduledTransaction List.

yourpaychecktransaction is recorded to a qif file, you can probably

Ok, that makes sense. I appreciate the input. Maybe you can help me with one more point so I can figure out the right solution to my situation. My paycheck has all these categories - taxes and such. But in the register, all I see is the deposit of the net amount. Is there an easy way to understand where all the information in my paycheck's scheduled transaction ends up, so that I can programatically parse it out as a QIF file and then just import the QIF?

Thanks!

Reply to
Keith

Yes.

As I said before; export transactions that will include at least one of your paycheck transactions, to a qif file (when you export to a qif file, you can choose a date range). In the resulting qif file, look (using a word processor) at the paycheck transaction; you will see how it is split and that will tell you how to format the transactions that you want to import. (Assuming you also follow the other instructions I referred to in order to make the QIF file "importable".)

QIF file transactions are about as primative as is possible. Each QIF file "record" (usually) represents one Quicken "field". The first position of each record identifies which Quicken "field" is in the following text; the remaining characters are the "value" of that field. The end of each Quicken "transaction" is indicated by a "^" in position one of a QIF file record.

Reply to
John Pollard

BeanSmart website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.