In Clio Accounting, you can create many vendors at once from a comma-separated values (CSV) file. A single import builds the full list of businesses your firm pays, from legal research subscriptions to court filing services. Every imported record is ready to use on vendor bills, expenses, and 1099 reporting.
Understand vendor import requirements
Your firm may import vendors when migratting a vendor list from another system, adding a batch of new vendors at once, or building the vendor list during initial setup. The importer opens from the vendor list rather than from the Clio Accounting setup flow. Before importing vendors, review the file requirements below to ensure your upload passes validation.
Note: An import creates new vendor records only. Existing vendor records keep their current details.
- The file format is CSV.
- Each file can hold up to 5 MB and 5,000 rows. Split a longer list of imports across multiple files.
- Company Name is the only required column. Every other column is optional.
- Each row creates one vendor record.
Download and complete the import template
To import vendors, download and fill out the vendor import template to ensure your data maps to the correct fields in Clio Accounting. The template contains the column headers, and a few example rows to help show the expected format. The column headers map to the vendor fields, copy your vendor data into the table.
Tip: An example row that imports by mistake is safe to delete afterward from Funds out > Vendors.
- Go to Funds out > Vendors.
- Click Import vendors. The Import vendors page opens.
- Under Import vendors from a CSV, click Download Vendor Import Template.
- Enter your vendor details in the template.
- Delete the example rows.
- Save the file in CSV format.
Review template columns
The vendor template will differ by region. Firms in the United States download 13 columns. Firms in Canada download 14 columns, Tax Number, labeled GST/HST Number
| Column | Required | Description | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Name | Required | The vendor's business name. | Acme Inc. |
| First Name | Optional | The contact's first name. | Jane |
| Last Name | Optional | The contact's last name. | Doe |
| Phone | Optional | The contact phone number. | +1 555-555-5555 |
| Optional | The contact email address, in valid email format. | billing@acme.example | |
| Description | Optional | A short note about the vendor. | Office supplies |
| EIN | Optional | The vendor's Employer Identification Number (EIN) or tax identification number. | 12-3456789 |
| Is 1099 | Optional | Whether the vendor is 1099-reportable. Enter Yes or No. | Yes |
| Street | Optional | The street address. | 123 Main St |
| City | Optional | The city. | Anytown |
| State | Optional | The state or province. | CA |
| Postal Code | Optional | The ZIP or postal code. | 90210 |
| Country | Optional | The country name or ISO three-letter country code. | USA |
Review formatting rules
The column headers determine how each value maps to a vendor record. Keep the headers exactly as the template writes them, and the rest of the file stays flexible.
- Columns work in any order, and the import maps only the headers listed above.
- Is 1099 accepts Yes or No, Y or N, True or False, and 1 or 0. A blank value imports as No.
- Country accepts a three-letter country code, such as USA, CAN, or GBR. A full country name works only where it matches the stored name exactly, which Canada does.
- Address columns are optional. A row with any address value creates an address record for that vendor.
Note: Use the three-letter code in the Country column for every vendor.
Upload the file
Uploading starts a validation pass that reads every row and checks it against the requirements above. Validation runs in the background, so the page updates automatically once the file finishes processing.
- On the Import vendors page, click Choose file under CSV file.
- Select your completed CSV file.
- Click Begin Import.
Resolve source file errors
Two conditions stop the file upload. Each one reports on screen, starting with Source file, and names the condition. You will need to correct the error to upload the file successfully.
| Message | Resolution |
|---|---|
| The file must be a CSV | Save or export the file in CSV format. |
| The file cannot be larger than 5MB | Split the list into files of 5 MB or less. |
Resolve a processing failure
Four additional conditions stop the import after the upload succeeds. The message that returns does not name the cause:
We were unable to process your file. Please re-check the headers and try again.
Click Start over to return to the upload page. Check your file for all four conditions below, since the message names the headers only.
- A missing Company Name column. Add the header to the file.
- A column header that appears twice. Keep one copy of each header and remove the rest.
- More than 5,000 rows. Split the list into files of 5,000 rows or less.
- Invalid CSV formatting. Export the file again from its source.
Review flagged rows
Validation produces a review screen that accounts for every row in the file, so you can decide what to import before any vendor record is created. Four cards at the top of the screen group the file by outcome.
The table beneath the cards lists each row with its #, Company Name, Status, Duplicate Vendor Status, and Action. A row that passes validation carries the status Ready to import. To narrow the table to one group, click All rows, Ready, Potential duplicates, or Errors.
- Total rows
Every row in the file.
- Ready
Rows that pass validation and import as new vendors.
- Potential duplicates
Rows whose company name closely matches an existing vendor or an earlier row in the same file.
- Errors
Rows with a value that needs correcting.
Potential duplicates
A row is flagged as a potential duplicate when its company name matches an existing vendor excluding case, punctuation, and a trailing business suffix are set aside. The suffixes treated this way are inc, llc, corp, ltd, co, company, incorporated, and limited. The check covers inactive vendors as well as active ones, so a flagged row may match a vendor that the Active filter on the vendors list hides.
A near duplicate will import as a new vendor. Closely compare each row against the existing record. Every potential duplicate is set to Skip by default to maintain one record per vendor. Changing the potential duplicate to Import as new creates a second record and does not change the existing vendor.
- Click Potential duplicates to narrow the table to the flagged rows.
- In the Action column, click Skip to leave the row out of the import, or click Import as new to create a separate vendor record.
- Repeat for each flagged row.
Row errors
A row error names the column and the value that needs correcting. You can correct the value in your source file and upload the file again to import those rows. A row with an unresolved error is skipped when the import continues.
- Click Errors to narrow the table to the rows that need attention.
- To discard the file and start over, click Cancel and re-upload on the review screen.
| Message | Resolution |
|---|---|
| Company Name is required | Enter a company name for the row. |
| Email is invalid | Correct the email address, or clear the value to leave the field empty. |
| Is 1099 must be Yes or No | Enter Yes or No. |
| Country '...' is not recognized | Enter a supported ISO three-letter country code, such as USA, CAN, or GBR. |
Confirm the import
Confirming commits your choices and creates the vendor records. Vendor creation runs in the background, and a completion summary opens once it finishes.
Every imported vendor is created as active and added to the list under Funds out > Vendors, ready to use for vendor bills, payments, and expenses. The uploaded CSV file is deleted shortly after the import finishes, and the vendor records it created remain.
Tip: If the import stops partway, the rows already processed exist as vendors, the counts read zero, and no completion summary opens. Open Funds out Vendors to confirm which vendors the import created before you upload the file again.
- Click Confirm import at the bottom of the review screen.
- On the completion summary, review the Imported, Skipped, and Errors counts.
- Click Download error report to save a CSV of the rows that failed, with the reason for each.
- Download the error report within 24 hours of confirming. The uploaded file and the error report are both deleted at the end of 24 hours.
- Click View vendors to open the vendor list, or click Done to return to Clio Accounting.
Up next
- Clio Accounting: Funds Out—Vendors and Vendor Bills: Add, edit, and pay vendors one at a time, and track the bills they send.
- Clio Accounting: Funds Out—Expenses: Record an operating expense against a vendor in your imported list.