Import grant spending from an accounting export

Import spending when the transaction detail already exists in QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, or a spreadsheet. BetterUnite maps the file into the grant's budget-to-actual view, previews every outcome, and protects against importing the same transaction twice.

The import does not change the accounting system. It copies the reporting detail needed by Grant Center; the organization's ledger remains the book of record.

Availability: Spending import requires Grant Pro and either Manage Grant Finances or Administer Grant Center.

Choose a one-grant or multi-grant file

For a one-grant file, open that grant and select Schedule & work → Budget & spending → Import spending. A Grant Name column is optional because every row defaults to the open grant.
For a file containing several grants, start from any grant's Import spending button and include Grant Name on every row. A named row is matched to that grant instead of defaulting to the grant where the import started.

If a file includes a Grant Name column and a row names a different grant, that row is recorded against the named grant instead.

Prepare the CSV file

The file must contain one transaction per row and no more than 2,000 transaction rows per import. Download the BetterUnite template from the import page or use an export from the accounting system.

Required fields

Date
Amount
Grant Name when the import was not started from one grant

Optional transaction fields

Paid To
Description
Reference, such as a check or invoice number
External Reference, preferably the accounting system's unique transaction ID

Optional budget-matching fields

Category Code
Category Name
Budget Period

Currency symbols, thousands separators, and parenthesized negative amounts are accepted. A negative amount records a credit or refund.

Upload and map the columns

Select the CSV file.
Select Upload and map columns. Nothing is recorded at this stage.
Review each source column and its BetterUnite destination.
Correct any automatic match that is wrong.
Leave columns that should be ignored as Not Mapped.
Confirm whether the first row is a header.

BetterUnite recognizes common accounting-export labels, including alternatives such as Vendor for Paid To, GL Code for Category Code, Class or Project for Grant Name, and Transaction Date for Date. Always review the mapping before continuing.

How grants, categories, and periods are matched

Grant

Grant Name is matched to the organization's grants. If the name matches more than one grant, the row is reported instead of being guessed.

Period

A supplied Budget Period is matched to the period label. If it is blank, a grant with one period uses that period. On a multi-period grant, BetterUnite can use the transaction date when it falls within one period. A row that cannot be placed remains Unallocated unless an import option creates the missing line.

Choose import options carefully

Create budget categories the file names but BetterUnite does not have

This option is off by default because categories are shared across every grant. When enabled, a missing category is created as an active Direct Expense category. Review newly created categories after the import and correct the type or cost type if necessary.

When left off, the expense is not discarded; it is recorded as Unallocated.

Add a budget line where the category matches but the grant has none

When enabled, BetterUnite creates a line with a budgeted amount of zero. The expense then appears in that category as unbudgeted spending. When left off, the expense is recorded as Unallocated.

Import rows that duplicate spending already recorded

Leave this off for normal recurring imports. Enable it only when the file genuinely contains two transactions that BetterUnite would otherwise consider identical.

How duplicate protection works

The safest duplicate key is External Reference, using the unique transaction ID from the accounting system.

If no external reference is available, BetterUnite compares the transaction's date, amount, payee, and reference. Duplicate checking applies both within the uploaded file and against earlier imported transactions.

The same rule is used during preview and the final import. That makes it safe to retry a monthly export after correcting failed rows: transactions already recorded are skipped by default.

Preview before importing

Select Preview without importing to run the complete validation and duplicate check without writing anything. Review the totals and every row that needs attention.

When the preview is correct, return to the mapping screen and select Import spending.

Read the results

Recorded rows were assigned to a budget line.
Unallocated rows were imported but need a budget line.
Already recorded rows were skipped by duplicate protection.
Failed rows were not imported and include a row-level explanation.

One bad row does not prevent valid rows from importing. Correct failed rows in the source file and run the import again; duplicate protection skips the successful rows from the earlier run.

After the import

Review any categories or zero-budget lines created by the import.
Open Unallocated spending and assign rows that need a category or period.
Compare the imported total with the accounting export.
Review overspent and unbudgeted lines.
Retain the accounting export according to the organization's recordkeeping policy.