TXF format reference

TXF (Tax Exchange Format) is the standard interchange between accounting software and tax-preparation software. Every major U.S. tax product reads TXF — ProSeries, Drake, TurboTax, ATX, Lacerte, TaxAct — so when your bookkeeper sends your accountant the year-end numbers, TXF is the file format that makes it just work.

Solid Accounting exports TXF (it doesn't import). This page is the reference for what's in a TXF export and how it maps to your accounts.

What's exported

A TXF file from Solid contains:

• Tax-line-mapped totals — your year-end balances in each account, attached to the IRS tax line they belong on
• Period span — typically January 1 through December 31 of a calendar year
• One file per entity — sole proprietors, partnerships, S-corps, C-corps each have different tax-line maps; Solid uses your file's entity type

What's not in a TXF:

• Individual transaction details (TXF is summary-level, not line-by-line)
• Customers, vendors, items
• Anything beyond the income/expense numbers a tax preparer needs

The whole point of TXF is to send the aggregated numbers your accountant types into Schedule C / Form 1120-S / Form 1065 — not the underlying detail.

Format structure

TXF is line-oriented text:

V042
ASolid Accounting
D04/15/2026
^
TD
N488
C1
L1
$45000.00
^
TD
N489
C1
L1
$12500.00
^

The header lines:

• V042 — TXF version 4.2 (current)
• A... — application name that produced the file
• D... — export date
• ^ — end of header block

Each tax-line block:

The N reference numbers map to specific tax-form lines per the TXF reference catalog. Solid handles the mapping automatically based on each account's tax-line designation.

Tax-line mapping

Every account in your chart of accounts has an optional tax-line designation — which tax form and line that account's activity belongs on. Set it once per account in Lists → Chart of Accounts → edit, and the TXF export uses it.

Common designations for Schedule C (sole proprietorship):

For other entity types (partnerships, S-corps, C-corps), the tax-line set is different but the principle is the same.

If an account doesn't have a tax-line designation, it doesn't appear in the TXF export — the assumption being it's a balance-sheet account that doesn't flow through the income tax form (cash, AR, AP, etc., don't have tax lines).

Setting up tax-line designations

Three ways to populate your chart of accounts with tax-lines:

1. Use a starter chart of accounts — when you create a new file, the templates Solid offers include sensible default tax-line designations. Most users never touch this.
2. Edit per-account — Chart of Accounts → edit account → Tax Line dropdown. The dropdown is filtered to lines appropriate for your entity type.
3. Bulk import — for files inherited from QuickBooks or others, the IIF / .qbextract migration brings tax-line mappings forward where the source had them. CSV/OFX imports don't carry tax-lines.

Best practice: set tax-lines as you create accounts. Adding them in bulk at year-end is doable but tedious.

Generating a TXF export

1. Reports → Tax Reports → Tax Export (TXF)
2. Pick the date range — typically a calendar year
3. Pick the entity type if your file supports more than one (Schedule C / Form 1065 / Form 1120-S / etc.)
4. Export — produces a .txf file you can email to your accountant or import into your tax-prep software directly

The file is a few KB; it has no PII beyond the account totals (no transaction-level detail, no customer or vendor names). Safe to email.

What the recipient does

Most tax-prep software has File → Import → TXF (the menu varies by product):

• TurboTax: File → Import → From accounting software → Tax Exchange Format (TXF)
• ProSeries / ProSeries Basic: File → Import → TXF
• Drake: Import → Other Software
• Lacerte: Tools → Import → Accounting File
• ATX: File → Import → Tax Exchange Format

The import populates the relevant lines on the tax forms. The accountant reviews each imported value, makes adjustments, and proceeds with normal tax prep.

Multi-year exports

A single TXF file can carry multiple years' data — each year is a separate TD block with its own date. In practice, most accountants want one file per tax year; Solid defaults to single-year exports for that reason.

Common gotchas

"Some accounts didn't appear in the TXF" — those accounts don't have tax-line designations. Set them under Chart of Accounts → edit and re-export.

"Numbers are slightly off from the P&L" — usually because of the cash vs accrual basis. The TXF export honors the basis you select at export time; check that it matches your tax-prep basis.

"Accountant says the import is missing depreciation" — book depreciation (what's in your P&L) and tax depreciation (MACRS) often differ. Solid exports book depreciation in the TXF; tax-prep software runs MACRS separately. The accountant computes the deferred tax timing item — that's part of normal tax prep, not a Solid concern.

"My entity type isn't in the export dropdown" — the supported set covers Schedule C, Schedule F (farms), Form 1065 (partnerships), Form 1120-S (S-corps), Form 1120 (C-corps). Less common entity types (estates, trusts) aren't in the dropdown; use a custom CSV export of the relevant accounts and let the accountant manually enter.

"Dollar amounts have stray pennies" — TXF stores dollars-and-cents but most tax forms round to whole dollars. Tax-prep software handles the rounding. Don't try to round in Solid first.

Cross-references

• Reports → Tax reports — the export entry point and 1099 generation
• General Ledger → Chart of Accounts — where tax-line designations live per account
• Import & Export overview — table of every supported format