Automate Chase Business Transactions to QuickBooks Online (Zapier)

1. **Authenticate Chase via Plaid**: Create a new Zap and select 'Plaid' as the Trigger app. Connect your Chase Business account using the secure OAuth popup. Choose the 'New Transaction' trigger. 2. **Configure Trigger Options**: Select the specific Chase account (e.g., Checking or Credit Card) to monitor. Ensure 'Include Pending Transactions' is set to 'False' to prevent duplicate entries before transactions clear. 3. **Sanitize Data with Formatter**: Add a 'Formatter by Zapier' step. Choose 'Text' and the 'Replace' transform. Use this to remove messy strings like 'SQ *' or 'VZWRLSS' from the 'Transaction Description' to make vendor matching easier. 4. **Add a Filter Step**: Use 'Filter by Zapier' to ensure only transactions above $0.00 (or specific types) proceed. This prevents 'Bank Fees' or small interest payments from cluttering your books if you prefer to handle those manually. 5. **Branching with Paths**: Add a 'Paths by Zapier' step. Set Path A for 'Income' (where Amount is positive) and Path B for 'Expenses' (where Amount is negative). 6. **Map Income (Path A)**: Select 'QuickBooks Online' as the Action app. Choose 'Create Sales Receipt'. Map the 'Transaction Date' and the cleaned 'Description' to the Memo field. 7. **Map Expenses (Path B)**: Select 'QuickBooks Online' and choose 'Create Expense'. Use the absolute value of the amount (using Formatter if necessary) since QBO expects positive numbers for expense entries. 8. **Setup Account Mapping**: In the QBO step, hardcode the 'Bank Account' field to match your Chase account in your Chart of Accounts. Use 'Find Vendor' as a search step before the Create step to link the transaction to an existing profile. 9. **Enable Error Handling**: Click the three dots on the QuickBooks action step and select 'Always continue even if this step fails' to ensure one failed transaction doesn't stop the entire Zap. Pair this with a 'Digest by Zapier' to receive a nightly report of any failures.

| Chase/Plaid Field | QuickBooks Online Field | Transformation Logic | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Amount | Total Amount | `{{abs(amount)}}` (For expenses) | | Description | Memo / Reference | Formatter: Remove special characters | | Date | Transaction Date | Use Plaid `ISO Date` | | Transaction ID | Message on Statement | Map directly for duplicate prevention | | Category (Primary) | Category (COA) | Map via Lookup Table or Paths |

- **The ISO Date Pitfall**: QuickBooks requires a specific date format. If the Plaid date fails, use Formatter > Date/Time to convert to `YYYY-MM-DD`. - **Duplicate Transactions**: Zapier relies on the unique Transaction ID. If you manually import a CSV and then turn on the Zap, you will have duplicates. Clean your books before turning the Zap live. - **Task Usage**: Using Paths and Formatter can consume 3-5 tasks per transaction. If you have high volume, consider using 'Code by Zapier' to handle formatting and logic in a single step to save on task costs. - **Account Reconnection**: Banks like Chase frequently update security protocols, which may cause the Plaid connection to expire every 30-90 days. Set a calendar reminder to check connection health.

- [ ] Run a 'Test Trigger' in Zapier to ensure the Chase/Plaid connection pulls the most recent cleared transaction. - [ ] Verify the 'Formatter' step successfully strips 'SQ *' or additional metadata from the Merchant name. - [ ] Use 'Test Action' in the QuickBooks step and check your QBO 'Banking' or 'Expenses' tab to confirm the entry appears. - [ ] Confirm that negative amounts from Chase are converted to positive values for QBO Expense entries. - [ ] Check 'Zap History' after the first live transaction to ensure no 'Missing Field' errors occurred during the automated run.