---
key: export-your-books
title: Export your books for your accountant
audience: staff
section: bookkeeping
routes: ["/bookkeeping/reports"]
permissions: ["bookkeeping.export.read"]
features: ["bookkeeping"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: "Download your general ledger as a CSV, a QuickBooks IIF file or a portable data file, or an accountant package of four report spreadsheets, for a date range."
keywords: [accountant, year end, QuickBooks, IIF, JSON, general ledger export, CSV export, tax time, send books to accountant, download ledger]
related: [run-a-financial-report, close-the-books-for-a-period, remit-sales-tax]
---

In the sidebar, open **Bookkeeping**, then **Sales Tax & Reports**. The page address is `/bookkeeping/reports`.

## Before you start

- Finish categorizing bank lines and confirming receipts for the period, so the export is complete. See [[categorize-bank-transactions]].
- Ask your accountant which format they want. Most want the accountant package or the QuickBooks file.
- Your role needs permission to export bookkeeping data to see the export buttons.

## Steps

1. Set **From** and **To** at the top of the page to the period your accountant asked for, for example the whole fiscal year.
2. Press the export you need. Each button reads Preparing… while Nova builds the file, and then your browser downloads it.
   - **Export general ledger CSV**: every posting in the range as a spreadsheet.
   - **QuickBooks (.IIF)**: a file QuickBooks Desktop can import directly.
   - **JSON (portability)**: a complete copy of the ledger for moving to another system.
   - **Accountant package**: four spreadsheets at once: the general ledger for the range, and the trial balance, profit and loss and balance sheet. The trial balance and balance sheet are as of the **To** date. They download as separate files, so your browser may ask whether to allow several downloads.
3. Send the files to your accountant, or keep them with your year-end records.

## What you see

- The buttons sit in the toolbar above the report tabs, next to **From** and **To**.
- The general ledger files are named with the dates you picked, for example general_ledger_2026-01-01_2026-12-31.csv.
- The download is a file on your computer. Nothing in Nova changes when you export.

## If something looks different

- The export buttons are missing: your role cannot export bookkeeping data. Ask your admin.
- The page shows Download failed — please try again, or a message that Nova could not export the file: the file could not be built. Try a shorter date range, and if it keeps failing, tell your admin.
- Only one file of the **Accountant package** arrived: your browser blocked the others. Allow multiple downloads for Nova and press it again.
- Your accountant asks for a locked period so nothing changes after they have the file: see [[close-the-books-for-a-period]].

[[route:/bookkeeping/reports|Open Reports]]