How to Import Purchase Invoices into QuickFile

To import purchase invoices into QuickFile, choose the route from the material you already have. Use the Data Import Wizard for prepared CSV data, Receipt Hub when you want to review and link source documents inside QuickFile, and QuickFile-to-QuickFile import when a supplier has sent the invoice through QuickFile. If a PDF or image batch needs spreadsheet review before import, extract the document data first and then prepare a QuickFile-compatible CSV, provided each destination row can preserve the required accounting treatment.

The Data Import Wizard accepts a maximum of 250 invoices at a time. For purchase imports, each CSV row creates a separate purchase. Repeating a supplier reference or invoice number across several rows does not combine them into a multiline purchase, even if the source invoice contains several lines.

Starting material	Best-fit route	Main control
Purchase data already arranged in rows	Data Import Wizard	Match QuickFile's purchase fields, supplier names, VAT format and purchase nominal codes
PDFs, scans or phone images to review and link inside QuickFile	Receipt Hub	Review extracted fields, any estimated VAT and the link between the file and purchase
An invoice sent by another QuickFile user	Import to QuickFile	Confirm the target account, supplier and nominal code before creating the purchase
A PDF or image backlog needing batch review in a spreadsheet	Document extraction followed by CSV preparation	Keep a source-faithful review file and confirm one destination row preserves the accounting treatment

Whichever route you use, keep three records distinct. The supplier document is the evidence, the purchase records the liability and its VAT and nominal coding, and the payment records how that liability was settled. An import is not complete merely because a purchase now appears in the ledger: its supporting document and any bank transaction still need to be connected correctly.

Keep a review file separate from the QuickFile import CSV

A source-faithful review file and a QuickFile import file serve different purposes. The review file should preserve what is actually on the supplier documents. The import CSV should contain the smaller set of fields and rows that QuickFile can create safely.

For invoices with one VAT treatment and one suitable nominal category, an invoice-level review file may be enough. Each invoice occupies one row with its date, supplier, reference, description, net amount, VAT and gross amount. If the source contains different VAT rates, cost categories, quantities or descriptions that matter to the accounts, retain invoice line-item detail before CSV mapping. That detail remains available for checking even when the eventual QuickFile row has to be consolidated.

Invoice Data Extraction can extract purchase invoice data into a reviewable spreadsheet from mixed PDF, JPG and PNG batches. It can return XLSX, CSV or JSON with one row per invoice or one row per line item. Each output row includes its source file and page reference, while Review Needed warnings identify particular results that should be checked against the document.

Use that output as the review layer, not as an assumption that every column and row can be loaded unchanged. Invoice Data Extraction is not a native QuickFile connector, and it does not remove QuickFile's purchase-import restrictions. The destination file still has to match the purchase fields, row structure and nominal-code rules that QuickFile accepts.

A controlled PDF-to-CSV process is:

1. Extract the fields and level of detail required for review.
2. Check Review Needed values against the cited file and page.
3. Decide whether each source invoice can be represented accurately by one purchase row.
4. Copy only the destination fields into a separate QuickFile CSV.
5. Reconcile the source count, review-file count and import-file count before upload.

For recurring batches, the same distinction helps when you automate invoice data entry in Excel. Automation can standardise column order, dates and validation checks, but the source-faithful file should remain intact. It is the audit trail for any consolidation or coding decision made while preparing the destination CSV.

Build and map a purchase CSV for the Data Import Wizard

Open Account Settings, choose Data Import Wizard, and select the invoice import option. A header row that uses QuickFile's field names allows the wizard to match columns automatically; otherwise, map each source column in the preview before saving the import.

Four fields are required for each purchase row:

• Receipt date
• Supplier name
• Description
• Total gross amount

The purchase CSV can also carry currency, exchange rate, supplier reference, payment term in days, VAT total, VAT rate, purchase nominal code, paid date and paid account nominal code. Include an optional field only when its value is known and appropriate. Leaving a field blank can invoke a QuickFile default rather than preserving an empty value.

Those defaults need particular attention. Currency defaults to GBP when omitted. On a VAT-registered account, missing VAT information may use the account's standard VAT rate. A missing purchase nominal code defaults to 5000, general purchases. Without a paid date, the purchase is created as unpaid. When settlement is already present as a bank transaction, import the purchase unpaid and allocate that existing transaction afterwards instead of importing another payment. These behaviours are convenient only when the defaults match the source invoice and the intended accounting treatment.

Supplier names also affect the records created. QuickFile tries to match an exact supplier name to an existing record and may create a new supplier when it finds no match. Before a bulk import of purchases, normalise spelling, trading suffixes and spacing against the supplier records already in QuickFile. Test a small file and inspect the matched suppliers before uploading the remainder.

Enter the VAT rate as a number, such as 20. Do not enter 0.20 or include a percentage sign. Keep VAT rate and VAT total as separate columns so the preview can be checked against the source values.

The current limit is 250 invoices in one import. Divide a larger QuickFile purchase invoice CSV import into controlled batches, give each file an identifiable range, reconcile the number of rows before and after each upload, and check for duplicates across the batch boundaries before uploading.

Do not flatten away VAT or nominal-code meaning

QuickFile does not currently group purchase-import rows into a multiline purchase. The grouping method documented for sales invoices, where rows share an invoice number, has not been implemented for purchase invoices. In a purchase CSV, three rows from one supplier invoice produce three purchases rather than one purchase with three lines.

One consolidated row is defensible when the source invoice can be represented accurately by a single description, gross amount and purchase nominal code, with no material VAT distinction lost. The detailed review file should still preserve the original lines and support the total carried into QuickFile.

Do not flatten an invoice when its lines have different VAT treatments, belong to different nominal categories, or distinguish fixed assets from expenses. A single imported row would conceal information needed for the ledger or VAT review. Keep the source detail and use a supported route that can preserve the accounting treatment, such as creating the purchase manually or processing the document through Receipt Hub and reviewing the purchase entry.

Nominal codes present a separate boundary. The bulk purchase importer looks for codes in QuickFile's purchase range. A nominal code can exist in the Chart of Accounts and still be rejected by that import tool because it belongs to an overhead, expense or fixed-asset range.

Changing the code to make the CSV pass is not a data-cleaning step. If computer equipment should be recorded as an asset, for example, substituting a general purchase code would change the accounts. Use an entry route that accepts the correct classification, or confirm the appropriate treatment with the person responsible for the accounts.

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Use Receipt Hub or direct QuickFile import when native capture fits

Receipt Hub is the native choice when the document itself should lead the workflow. Invoices and receipts can be uploaded directly or forwarded by email. QuickFile also documents mobile capture and Dropbox intake for files collected through those routes.

QuickFile's receipt analysis extracts key accounting information including the transaction date, supplier, invoice number, description, net amount, VAT and gross amount. It then uses the supplier and amount to look for an open purchase. If it finds no match, the tagging form can be prefilled from the extracted data and previous tagging patterns, ready for the user to review and create the purchase.

Two controls matter during QuickFile Receipt Hub invoice processing. If the document does not contain an itemised VAT breakdown, QuickFile may infer VAT at the standard rate and mark it as estimated. That value needs checking against the invoice and the business's VAT treatment. Receipt analysis also currently ignores receipts or invoices longer than five pages, so a longer supplier document needs another route.

The file and the purchase remain separate until they are linked. A Receipt Hub document can be attached to an existing purchase or used as the reference while a new purchase is created. Uploading the file alone does not create a settled accounting record.

When a supplier sends an invoice from another QuickFile account, the invoice preview includes an Import to QuickFile action. The recipient identifies the target account, signs in, confirms the supplier and can override the nominal category before the purchase is created. This avoids rekeying or preparing a CSV for that invoice.

Auto-import is an optional rule, not the starting point. QuickFile offers it after a manual import has established the supplier and nominal-code mapping. The current automated route applies only to new GBP invoices sent after the rule is enabled, and QuickFile states that those invoices are imported within 30 minutes.

Use Receipt Hub for attachment-led processing of individual source documents, direct QuickFile import for invoices delivered through another QuickFile account, and CSV when the source data is already arranged as a controlled table.

Reconcile the document, purchase and payment after import

The supplier document, purchase and payment record different parts of the transaction. The document is the evidence received from the supplier. The QuickFile purchase records what the business owes, together with the invoice date, VAT and nominal coding. The payment records when and how that liability was settled.

Attaching a PDF or receipt image to a purchase does not record payment. If the payment is already present in a bank feed, allocate that transaction to the purchase rather than entering another payment through the import. The purchase date should follow the supplier invoice, while the payment date should follow the movement on the bank account. For missing feed periods or statement files, use the separate workflow to import bank statements into QuickFile before completing the allocation.

After each batch, check:

• The number of purchases created against the rows in the import file
• Supplier matches, especially any new supplier records
• Supplier reference, receipt date and payment term
• Gross amount, VAT rate and VAT total against the source
• Purchase nominal code and any classifications that could not use the bulk route
• Paid or unpaid status, including the account and date for any imported payment
• The supporting file attached to the correct purchase
• Bank-feed payments allocated once, with no duplicate settlement entry

Check every exception and a representative sample of the remaining purchases against the source-file and page references in the review spreadsheet. For a larger batch, reconcile the totals by import file as well as the total number of purchases.

HMRC research on the economic benefits of Making Tax Digital estimated that VAT businesses using fully functional Making Tax Digital software saved 26 to 40 hours per business per year on business finances and record keeping. That estimate is UK bookkeeping context, not a measured saving from QuickFile imports or Invoice Data Extraction.