AI Document Extraction lets you upload a supplier bill file when creating a bill in WorkflowMAX.
It automatically fills key details (such as supplier, dates, reference numbers) and also has the capability of extracting the bill line items for your confirmation.
If Xero integration is enabled, on approval, the supplier bill is created as a Bill to Pay with the supplier bill file attached.
AI Document Extraction for Bills is available to any user with permission to create bills (the same permission used for manual bill creation. No separate permission is required for AI Document Extraction).
AI Document Extraction for Bills uses AI credits and consumes 15 credits per page, regardless of the extraction method.
Where to find it
AI Document Extraction appears at the top of the Create Bill form, in both places where you can create a bill:
- Purchases → Bills → Create Bill (standalone bill, not linked to a purchase order)
- Purchases → Purchase Orders → [a purchase order] → Add Bill (bill linked to that purchase order)
- Job Record → Options → Add Bill
How to create a bill
- You can create a standalone bill in one of two ways. From the Create Bill form, either:
- Select Upload File, or drag and drop a file onto the upload area, to extract from a file on your device, or
- Select From email inbox to pick a bill from a connected email inbox instead — see Starting extraction from your email inbox below. This button is only available when your organisation has full Collaboration Manager access and the bill's email inbox is enabled.
Please note:
- Accepted file types (manual upload): PDF, JPG/JPEG, PNG, HEIC.
- Maximum file size: 5 MB.
- Maximum file name length: 200 characters.
2. Choose an extraction mode:
You will then be able to choose an extraction mode for your bill:
- Consolidated: extracts the bill as a single line item, using only the total amount. Best for simple bills with one total.
- Line Items: extracts each line item on the bill separately. Best for detailed bills with multiple items or services.
3. Select Extract Bill.
The file upload begins, and WorkflowMAX will start extracting details in the background. Note: This typically takes a few seconds.
Please note, bill extraction uses AI credits. More information about AI Credits can be found here.
4. Extraction completes
Once extraction finishes, the following fields (where found) are pre-filled:
- Bill date and due date
- Supplier invoice number
- Supplier (matched automatically against your existing suppliers where the extracted name is a confident match)
- Purchase order reference (matched automatically against your active purchase orders, in Line Items mode only)
- Line items (description, quantity, unit cost, tax, general ledger/nominal code) in Line Items mode, or a single total line in Consolidated mode
5. Manual review
A banner will remind you that fields were pre-filled by AI and may not exactly match the original document. Please make sure to review every field before submitting the bill. During your manual review, please make sure to check:
- Quantity
- Unit cost
- Tax
- GL Account
6. Adjust and Submit
Edit any field as needed, then submit the bill as you normally would.
If you're using Xero, once submitted a bill to pay will be created in Xero.
Linking a bill to a purchase order
If you want the extracted bill to link to a purchase order, extract using Line Items mode. The purchase order selector is disabled when a bill is extracted in Consolidated mode. To link it to a PO, cancel and re-extract the same document using Line Items mode instead.
If extraction fails
If extraction of your bill fails, please try the following steps:
- If WorkflowMAX doesn't recognise the uploaded file as a bill, you'll see: "This does not appear to be a bill." Upload a different file, or enter the bill details manually.
- If extraction fails for another reason (including after automatic retries), you'll see a generic processing error. You can still complete the bill by entering details manually.
- If extraction takes longer than a minute, the upload area shows a timeout, and you can proceed manually.
- In every failure case, you are not blocked from creating the bill. You can always fall back to entering details manually.
Starting extraction from your email inbox (Collaboration Manager)
If your organisation has the Collaboration Manager bills inbox enabled, you don't have to download a bill attachment and upload it manually. You can start extraction directly from an email. You can get here either from the Collaboration Manager bills inbox itself, or by selecting Select From email inbox directly on the Create Bill screen.
- Open an email and select Extract Bill.
Choose which attachment to extract from, and preview it before proceeding. Only PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, and HEIC attachments can be extracted from this screen.
If the bill details are in the body of the email itself rather than in an attached file, you can select the email itself as the source instead of a specific attachment. When an email has no attachment WorkflowMAX can extract from, its own content is offered automatically as the extraction source.
- Choose an extraction mode: Consolidated or Line Items.
- Select Extract Bill. You're taken to the same Create Bill form described above, with extraction already running. Please review and confirm the pre-filled fields exactly as you would with a manually uploaded file.
Note: This inbox flow requires full Collaboration Manager access in addition to the bill-create permission.
What happens to the documents
Once you save the bill, your uploaded document or the email used for extraction is automatically copied into the bill's Documents tab as a record.
What this doesn't do
- It doesn't submit or approve the bill for you. You always review and manually confirm before saving.
- It doesn't guarantee a match between the supplier and the purchase order. If there's no sufficiently confident match, it leaves those fields blank for you to select yourself.
- It doesn't link a bill to a purchase order when extracted in Consolidated mode.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many AI credits does AI extraction use?
AI extraction uses 15 credits per extracted page, whether you choose consolidated or line-by-line extraction.
Do I need to allocate a bill to a job?
Yes, you must associate a bill with a job record.
Do I need to raise a purchase order first?
No, you do not need to raise a purchase order first. You can allocate a cost to a job just by the supplier bill. If you want to associate the bill with a purchase order, you can select the purchase order on extraction.
What should I do if the extracted amount doesn't match my bill?
Extraction is done via AI, AI can make mistakes. If the extracted amount does not match the bill amount, the bill line items can be manually updated before approval.