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Wave was great when you were getting started — free accounting software, simple invoicing, good enough for a freelancer or small business. But now you’ve outgrown it. Maybe you need better reporting. Maybe you want integrated payroll. Maybe you’re just tired of the limitations. The catch: Wave doesn’t have an API. You can’t just click “Connect” and have everything transfer over. Instead, you’ll export CSV files from Wave and import them into Pluvel. It takes about 30-60 minutes, but when you’re done, all your data is here.

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How Wave migration works

No fancy OAuth flow here. You’ll export CSVs from Wave, then upload them to Pluvel.
Plan for about 30-60 minutes to export from Wave and import to Pluvel. It’s not hard, just manual.

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What you can import

DataImport method
Chart of AccountsCSV export
CustomersCSV export
VendorsCSV export
Products/ServicesCSV export
InvoicesCSV export
TransactionsCSV export
Bank transactionsConnect bank directly (recommended)

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Exporting from Wave

1

Log into Wave

Go to waveapps.com and log in.
2

Export transactions

Go to Accounting → Transactions, click Export, and download the CSV. Select your desired date range.
3

Export chart of accounts

Go to Accounting → Chart of Accounts → Export.
4

Export customers

Go to Sales → Customers → Export.
5

Export vendors

Go to Purchases → Vendors → Export.
6

Export invoices

Go to Sales → Invoices and export unpaid invoices.

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Importing to Pluvel

1

Start the migration

Go to Settings → Migrate Data and select Wave as your source.
2

Upload chart of accounts first

Always start with the chart of accounts — this sets up your account structure.
3

Map columns

Match Wave columns to Pluvel fields. We auto-detect most mappings, but verify them.
4

Upload customers and vendors

Import your contact lists next.
5

Upload transactions

Import your transaction history. Match transactions to the correct accounts.
6

Verify totals

Compare account balances to your Wave reports. They should match.

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How columns map

Common Wave CSV columns map like this:
Wave columnPluvel field
Transaction DateDate
DescriptionDescription
AccountAccount
DebitDebit
CreditCredit
CategoryCategory

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Handling Wave features

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Wave Payments

Wave Payments transactions export like regular transactions. The income appears in your transaction export.

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Recurring invoices

Wave recurring invoices don’t export. Recreate them in Pluvel after migration — takes about 2 minutes each.

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Wave Payroll

Employee data doesn’t export via CSV. Set up employees manually in Pluvel, or use our Gusto/ADP import if you’re migrating payroll from those providers.

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Receipts

Receipt images attached in Wave don’t export. Download any important receipts before canceling Wave.

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Don’t import bank transactions from Wave

Here’s a better approach:
  1. Connect your bank directly via Plaid in Pluvel
  2. Import the last 24 months of transactions directly from your bank
  3. This is more accurate than Wave’s export
Only use Wave CSV for historical transactions before your Plaid import period covers.

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Verification checklist

After importing, check these boxes:
  • Chart of accounts matches Wave
  • Customer balances match
  • Vendor balances match
  • Bank account balances match
  • P&L for last month matches
  • Balance sheet totals match

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Common issues

Common fixes:
  • Encoding issue — Save as UTF-8 CSV, not just “CSV”
  • File too large — Split into smaller chunks and import sequentially
  • Special characters — Remove or escape characters like emojis or unusual punctuation
Wave and Pluvel may categorize accounts differently. During import, you can reclassify accounts to the correct Pluvel category.
If you import Wave transactions AND connect your bank via Plaid, you’ll see duplicates. Choose one source per date range. Mark duplicates as duplicates in your transaction feed.
Only unpaid/open invoices typically need importing. Paid invoices already exist as transactions in your ledger — you don’t need the invoice record too.

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After migration

  1. Connect your banks — Set up Plaid for ongoing transaction sync
  2. Test invoicing — Create a test invoice to make sure everything works
  3. Recreate recurring items — Set up any recurring invoices or bills
  4. Cancel Wave — Once verified, cancel your Wave account
Wave keeps historical data after you cancel, but download any reports or receipts you want to keep before canceling.

Connect your bank

Set up automatic bank transaction imports.