MYOB CSV: Import Cards, Invoices, and Bank Feeds Without Locale Pain

MYOB Is the AU/NZ Default — CSV Is Still How Data Moves

Accountants and bookkeepers across Australia and New Zealand (plus AU-facing teams in the UK and US) live in MYOB Business / AccountRight. CSV bridges bank downloads, contact lists, and invoice imports when APIs or bank feeds are not enough. DMY dates, GST tax codes, and Excel-mangled ABNs are the usual failure modes.

Common MYOB CSV Jobs

Match the template to the job.

Step-by-Step: Import with the Official Template

Do not invent headers.

• Download the current MYOB import template for cards, items, or transactions.
• Map source columns exactly — spelling and order matter.
• Use DMY or ISO dates consistently with what MYOB expects for your company file.
• Confirm tax codes (e.g. GST, FRE) already exist in the company file.
• Keep ABN and account numbers as text in Excel.
• Clean in Online CSV Editor; remove blank name rows.
• Import a 5–10 row pilot in a backup/test file; then production.

Co./Last Name,First Name,Card ID,Email,ABN,Tax Code
Acme Pty Ltd,Alex,CUST-1001,alex@acme.example,51824753556,GST
Beta Supplies,Sam,SUP-2002,sam@beta.example,53004085616,GST

Bank CSV and Reconciliation

Feeds fail; CSV fills the gap.

• Export from the bank in the format MYOB’s bank feed/import accepts.
• Normalize date format before import if the bank uses something exotic.
• Watch debit/credit vs signed amount columns.
• Do not edit cleared transactions in a re-import loop.
• See OFX/QFX guides if your bank offers those instead of CSV.

AU/NZ Locale Notes

Why US Excel settings wreck MYOB files.

• Australia/NZ default to DMY — US MDY swaps 03/05 and 05/03.
• Prefer ISO (YYYY-MM-DD) in shared advisor handoffs when possible.
• UTF-8 for names with macrons (Māori) and accented characters.
• Currency: keep numbers clean — no $ inside amount cells for imports.

Tax Codes, Accounts, and Items

Import success ≠ posting correctness.

• Tax codes must match the company file exactly.
• Income/expense accounts in transaction imports must already exist.
• Item numbers: protect as text; leading zeros matter.
• Job/category tracking: confirm fields exist before promising managers a bulk load.

Common Mistakes

BAS-week foot-guns.

• Importing into the wrong company file.
• Excel scientific notation on Card IDs and ABNs.
• Mixing GST-inclusive and exclusive amounts without documenting.
• Re-importing the same invoices → duplicates.
• Emailing full customer exports without redaction.

Best Practices

Treat imports like production journals.

• Backup the company file before bulk imports.
• Version CSVs with entity + date.
• Keep a tax-code cheat sheet for staff.
• Pilot every new template.
• Cleanse bank/contact files in-browser before MYOB.

Why Use Convert CSV Online?

Convert CSV Online is free, browser-based, and requires no account for everyday conversions. Fix MYOB bank and contact CSVs in the Online CSV Editor, convert to Excel for advisors, and protect ABNs — useful for AU, NZ, and remote bookkeepers in the UK/US.

Conclusion

MYOB CSV workflows succeed when templates, tax codes, and DMY dates match the company file. Backup first, pilot always, and keep Excel away from ABNs and Card IDs.