How Can I Import My Transactions to QuickBooks?

Need help matching your bank transaction line items to your Hemlane transactions and eliminating the need for QuickBooks? Click here to view an article with more information

There are two options to get your Hemlane financial data into QuickBooks:

1. Syncing your bank account to QuickBooks (recommended)
2. Downloading the Hemlane data and importing it into QuickBooks

Important: Be careful to avoid double entry. Do not use both options. The best plan is to select one of the two.

Option 1: Syncing Your Bank Account to QuickBooks

• Pro: Any automatic payment from Hemlane will load into QuickBooks through your bank account.
• Pro: To classify payments at the property or unit level, you can create a QuickBooks rule that matches the bank text provided by Hemlane to the correct property or unit.

Please note that the option to classify payments at the property level began on June 15, 2022. Payments made before this date may not have a consistent reference ID.

Hemlane has created reference IDs for each of your properties and units so you can quickly identify transactions within QuickBooks. Your Reference ID (REF-) begins with 3 alphanumeric characters, which you can use to match transactions on your bank statement to a specific property or unit. Your bank statement may display Stripe, such as “Stripe TG3.”    

You can create a rule in QuickBooks that automatically categorizes any payment with the same first 3 Reference ID characters as the correct property. Be sure to use the Bank text option when creating the rule.

How to Create Rules to Automatically Record Transactions in QuickBooks

You can automate how transactions are categorized in QuickBooks by setting up rules that recognize Hemlane’s reference IDs and shortcodes. This ensures payments and deposits are assigned to the correct property and GL account, saving you time and reducing errors.

1. Automatically Categorize at the Property Level

Each Hemlane transaction includes a Reference ID (REF-) with a unique 3-character code for your property or unit (e.g., REF-ZC4NG8).

To create a property-level rule in QuickBooks:

1. Go to Banking → Rules.

2. Click New Rule.

3. Enter a clear rule name (e.g., “Property - 1 Central Main Street”).

4. Under Conditions, select Bank text contains :XXX (replace XXX with your property’s 3-character code).

   ⚠️ Important: Always include the colon (:) before the code - for example, use :ZC4 instead of ZC4. This ensures QuickBooks only matches Hemlane reference IDs and doesn’t accidentally match text that might appear in property names (like “ABC123LFS”).

5. Assign the correct Category, Class, or Property account.

6. Save your rule.

2. Automatically Categorize at the Subcategory or GL Account Level

Hemlane transactions also include shortcodes (e.g., LBF, LFS, ADV) that correspond to income and expense categories such as Late Fees, Advertising, or Maintenance & Repairs.

To create a subcategory/GL account-level rule in QuickBooks:

1. Go to Banking → Rules.

2. Click New Rule.

3. Enter a descriptive rule name (e.g., “Late Fees – Property Level”).

4. Under Conditions, select Bank text contains :LFS (replace LFS with your desired shortcode).

   ⚠️ Always include the colon (:) before the shortcode. For example, use :LFS or :ADV. This ensures QuickBooks only matches valid Hemlane shortcodes and doesn’t miscategorize other text.

5. Choose the correct GL Account or Category.

6. Save your rule.

QuickBooks will now automatically assign transactions with that shortcode to the correct income or expense category.

QuickBooks Shortcode Reference Table

Option 2: Downloading Hemlane Transactions and Importing to QuickBooks

• Pro: When you import the data into QuickBooks, you can select the field mapping and automatically sync property and unit information using your QuickBooks class codes.
• Con: To upload automatically, you need a QuickBooks app that imports CSV files. These apps typically cost roughly $10 to $20 per month.

How to Import Your Transactions to QuickBooks

Step 1: Click Financials on the left panel.

Step 2: Click Download toward the middle right of your screen.

Step 3: Use a QuickBooks importer app to upload the transactions. These tools let you map the columns in the Excel or CSV file to specific fields, including Class tracking, so you can report at the property or unit level.

Here are some ProAdvisor Pick QuickBooks apps you can use:

1. Excel Transactions Importer and Deleter
2. Transaction Pro Importer/Exporter 

Note: To map the property information from Hemlane to your QuickBooks Class tracking, you can do a VLOOKUP and replace the property address with the specific QuickBooks Class tracking.