Moving from Wave

Bring the books over. Know what came with them.

Setttle can bring in Wave accounting history through a reviewed import. The useful part of a move is knowing where the old books end, what the new books contain, and which open items still need your attention.

The move

Four checks between old books and new

Each step leaves you with evidence you can inspect, rather than a success screen you have to take on faith.

  1. 01

    Export the source books

    Wave · Accounting export

    In Wave, open Business settings → Data Export and request the Accounting export for each business you are moving. Keep a dated trial balance and the bank statements you will use to check the opening position. Wave emails the export link; its export guide explains what is included.

  2. 02

    Choose where Setttle begins

    all history · or a start date

    Upload the Wave accounting ZIP or its accounting.csv file. Choose all history, or choose a start date with a reviewed opening journal for the earlier position. Setttle shows what it can read and what needs attention before anything is posted.

  3. 03

    Review the numbers that matter

    mapping · balances · exceptions

    Confirm account mappings, currencies, opening balances, and any missing native-currency evidence. Compare the proposed opening position with the dated Wave trial balance and your bank records. Matching the export to itself does not prove the export was complete.

  4. 04

    Finish the handoff

    open items · bank cutover

    Review unpaid invoices and bills against their control balances, then set the bank-feed cutover and reconcile new activity. Keep the Wave export as source evidence. Your books are current only through the date Setttle can actually verify.

What needs a second look

A balanced import is a start, not the finish

Open customer invoices
Wave's accounting ZIP does not contain a complete invoice subledger. Review open invoices and credits separately before depending on customer-level receivables or recording their payments.
Unpaid vendor bills
Bill items alone do not establish every outstanding bill and its payments. Reconcile open bills to Accounts Payable; ambiguous records stay for review.
Receipts
Wave provides receipts as a separate export. Setttle's Wave accounting importer does not ingest that receipt ZIP. Keep it with your source records and add needed documents through the normal receipt workflow on Max.
Foreign-currency balances
A Wave accounting export may not contain the native amount or historical rate for every line. Supply bank or source-ledger evidence and review the affected amounts; Setttle does not invent them from a market rate.

Questions worth asking

Can I import my complete Wave account in one step?

No. The accounting export can establish journal history or a reviewed opening position. Open invoices, bills, receipts, and bank coverage need their own checks. Wave describes the separate export files in its data export guide.

Will older transactions be counted twice when I connect my bank?

Choose a bank-feed cutover after reviewing the imported date range, then check overlapping activity during reconciliation. Bank transactions are evidence to match against the ledger, not a second set of journal entries. See how Setttle keeps books current.

Do I have to import every year?

No. You can bring in all supported history or start on a chosen date with a reviewed opening journal. A start-date import preserves the opening position; it does not recreate detailed reports for every earlier period.

Move with the open items in view

Start with your Wave accounting export. Setttle shows the proposed entries and the questions to resolve before you rely on the result.

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