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The IIF export is the payoff at the end of every payroll cycle: it turns your approved time entries into a file QuickBooks Desktop can import directly — no manual re-keying. This is the single biggest time-saver PayPunch gives bookkeepers.
IIF is the PayPunch payoff. Approved hours export straight to a QuickBooks Desktop .IIF file — no manual re-keying. This is what saves bookkeepers 30–40% of payroll processing time. See the IIF Export walkthrough.
QuickBooks IIF export

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What is IIF?

IIF stands for Intuit Interchange Format — a plain, tab-delimited text file that QuickBooks Desktop reads to import data. PayPunch generates a TIMEACT (time activity) record for each approved shift, so the hours land in QuickBooks already attributed to the right employee, customer (the client company), and payroll item.

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Before you export

1

Approve the time entries

Only approved entries are exported. Review and approve hours first on the Time Entries page — unapproved entries are silently skipped.
2

Make sure shifts are closed

Entries must have a clock-out. Open shifts aren’t included; force-clock-out any stuck entries first.
3

Confirm employee QuickBooks fields

Each employee’s QuickBooks payroll item drives the ITEM / PITEM columns. Where it’s blank, PayPunch falls back to sensible defaults (below).

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Generate the file

1

Open the export page

Go to QuickBooks IIF Export (the Export page). You’ll see an IIF Export form alongside step-by-step Export Instructions.
2

Select the company

Choose the client Company to export. (If you manage just one company, it’s selected for you.)
3

Pick the date range

Set the Start Date and End Date — typically your payroll period.
4

Export

Click Export to IIF. The summary confirms what’s included: only approved entries, regular & overtime hours, in QuickBooks IIF format. Your browser downloads a file named like paypunch_{company}_{start}_to_{end}.iif.
By default, exporting marks those entries as exported so they won’t be double-counted in a future export. Entries already exported are excluded unless you explicitly include them.

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What the file contains

PayPunch writes one tab-delimited header row followed by one TIMEACT row per block of hours. The header is: 
!TIMEACT	DATE	JOB	EMP	ITEM	PITEM	DURATION	NOTE
Each field maps from PayPunch as follows:
IIF columnComes fromNotes
DATEThe shift’s clock-in dateFormatted MM/DD/YYYY
JOBThe client company nameThe QuickBooks customer/job
EMPEmployee nameWritten as Last, First
ITEMEmployee’s QuickBooks payroll itemDefaults to Hourly Wages
PITEMEmployee’s QuickBooks payroll itemDefaults to Regular Pay
DURATIONHours workedFormatted HH:MM
NOTEJob code, task code, and entry notesCombined into one note
Overtime is split onto its own line. Regular hours export with the regular payroll item; overtime hours export as a separate TIMEACT row using an “… - OT” payroll item (or Overtime Pay by default) and a (OT) note, so QuickBooks can apply the correct rate.

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Import into QuickBooks Desktop

1

Open the import utility

In QuickBooks, go to File → Utilities → Import → IIF Files.
2

Select your file

Choose the .iif file PayPunch downloaded.
3

Confirm the import

QuickBooks imports the time activities. Review them under your timesheets / payroll as usual.
Always confirm every entry is approved before exporting — unapproved entries are not included, and a re-export only picks up entries that haven’t been exported yet. If an export returns “No approved time entries found,” check the date range and that the period’s entries are approved and clocked out.

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Emailing the IIF to a payroll location

Beyond downloading, PayPunch can generate the IIF and email it straight to a payroll location’s inbox. The company must have a location assigned (or you supply a valid location code — rr, na, sa, or gt). Sending the file records it against the pay period and payroll submission and advances the submission toward In QuickBooks.
A preview option is also available to check the entry count and totals for a date range before generating the file — useful for confirming a period is complete.

Approve time entries

Approve hours so they’re eligible to export.

Payroll workflow

Where the export fits in the full cycle.