Mapping Customer Names into QuickBooks from Excel

Question: I have been trying to load customers into QuickBooks Premier from an Excel file, but I keep getting error messages about duplicates. How can I fix that?

Answer: Here’s the fix. QuickBooks Premier runs on lists. Once you enter data into lists you can use that list entry over and over again. However, QuickBooks does not allow you to use the same name twice. This can pose problems when you have a customer list with multiple contacts or locations. For instance, ABC Company can only be in your customer list once in QuickBooks, although you may have it listed multiple times with various contacts or locations in your Excel list.

The simplest fix is to rename the customer name to make it unique. If you have multiple “ABC Company,” you might expand their name to be “ABC Company Jane Doe” or “ABC Company Atlanta.”

This differentiation allows QuickBooks to recognize these customers as separate and unique.

Set up the unique name in the “Customer Name” field, and leave it as “ABC Company” with its contact name and address in the “Company Name” field.

Please email accounting questions you would like considered for the column to HGatter@AccountingSupportLLC.com with the subject line of "Ask the Accountant."