Which Import Format Should You Use — OFX, QFX, QIF or PDF?
A thirty-second decision tree for getting your money into PennyBolt, plus what each format actually carries across: transactions, payees, categories and transfers.
Switching to PennyBolt › Importing › Which format
PennyBolt imports Quicken QIF exports, OFX and QFX bank downloads, and PDF statements from the banks it recognizes — so if your money lives in Quicken or on a bank website, there is a format that gets it across. This page tells you in about thirty seconds which one fits the data you already have.
What each format carries across
The question every switcher asks first: not “can it read the file,” but “what survives the trip?”
| Format | What comes across | What does not |
|---|---|---|
| Quicken QIF | Accounts, transactions, payees, categories, and both sides of a transfer between two accounts you exported | Scheduled transactions, attachments, budgets, and your saved Quicken reports |
| OFX / QFX | Every transaction in the file, each with a suggested payee and category you review before committing; the account is matched from the number in the file | History the bank left out of the file — downloads are commonly limited to the last 30, 60, or 90 days |
| PDF statement | The transactions on the statement, with PennyBolt’s arithmetic checked against the totals the bank printed | Statements from institutions PennyBolt doesn’t read, and scanned images with no embedded text |
Detail for each of these lives on its own page, linked below.
Pick your format
PennyBolt supports four import formats in v1. Use this page to pick the right one, then follow the link to the detailed import guide.
flowchart TD
A{Where is your data?} --> B[Coming from Quicken]
A --> C[Downloading from your bank]
A --> D[Only have a PDF statement]
B --> BL[Use QIF]
C --> CL[Use OFX / QFX]
D --> DL[Use PDF statement import]
BL --> BLink["→ Import your Quicken history"]
CL --> CLink["→ Bank downloads"]
DL --> DLink["→ PDF statements"]
Follow the branch that matches where your data lives.
Format summary
| Format | When to use it | Where you get the file |
|---|---|---|
| OFX / QFX | Downloading recent transactions from your bank’s website. | Your bank’s “Download transactions” or “Export to Quicken” page. |
| QIF | Moving years of history out of Quicken Classic. | File → Export → QIF inside Quicken. |
| You only have a paper or PDF statement — no OFX download available. | Your bank’s statement archive, or a scanned paper statement. | |
| CSV (Bank of America) | Your Bank of America account offers a CSV download. Other banks’ CSVs aren’t supported yet — use OFX/QFX for those. | Bank of America’s “Download” page, CSV option. |
Which is best when you have a choice?
OFX/QFX is the most reliable format for bank data. If your bank offers it, use it. The file has a defined structure and PennyBolt reads it cleanly.
QIF is the right choice for moving history out of Quicken. It carries accounts, categories, and payees — not just a transaction list.
PDF parsing is best-effort. PennyBolt extracts what it can read from the statement, but PDFs vary by bank and by how your bank generated them. Always review the preview before committing a PDF import.
Don’t have PennyBolt yet?
Whichever format you land on, the import works the same way: you see a preview of everything found, and nothing touches your file until you commit. PennyBolt isn’t available to download yet — see what it costs and get the download link on day one . It’s $79 once, with a 60-day trial.