FAQ

Automatic invoice recognition is an AI-powered OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology that extracts structured financial data from supplier invoices without manual typing. It captures invoice numbers, dates, supplier details, VAT amounts, totals, and references required for accurate posting. As a core component of accounts payable automation, invoice recognition prepares transactions for validation and approval within a governed workflow. By eliminating repetitive data entry and improving consistency, it increases efficiency while strengthening data accuracy and compliance across the finance function.

PaperLess captures key invoice fields, including invoice number, invoice date, supplier information, VAT values, gross and net totals, currency, and reference codes required for posting. The extracted data is standardised and structured before review, reducing manual correction time and improving consistency across different supplier formats. This ensures finance teams can validate invoices quickly while maintaining accurate and reliable financial records.

OCR technology removes the need for repetitive manual data entry, significantly reducing human error in invoice processing. By consistently capturing data from structured and semi-structured invoice formats, it ensures reliable extraction across multiple suppliers. Over time, recognition accuracy improves as patterns are refined, which reduces correction cycles and speeds up invoice preparation. This leads to faster validation, improved consistency, and stronger financial control within accounts payable workflows.

Yes. Extracted invoice data is combined with predefined supplier defaults and coding rules to prepare invoices for approval and posting. By structuring invoice information at the point of capture, the system reduces manual coding effort and ensures transactions are aligned with financial policies. This creates a seamless workflow from invoice receipt through to validation and posting preparation within the accounts payable process.

Invoices processed through automatic recognition are digitally stored and directly linked to their corresponding accounting transactions. This ensures documentation can be retrieved instantly during audits, internal reviews, or financial reconciliations. By centralising invoice records within a structured digital archive, organisations strengthen compliance, reduce administrative workload, and improve transparency across the finance function.

Multiline invoice recognition is an advanced invoice automation capability that captures detailed line-item data from supplier invoices rather than only overall totals. It extracts quantities, descriptions, VAT rates, and individual line amounts required for precise cost allocation. By automating line-level data capture, organisations can allocate expenses accurately across departments, projects, cost centres, or nominal accounts without manually re-keying information. This enhances financial reporting accuracy while maintaining structured validation within accounts payable workflows. Multiline recognition is particularly valuable for businesses processing complex or high-volume invoices that require granular financial control.

The system extracts individual line descriptions, quantities, VAT percentages, unit values, and total line amounts required for detailed accounting allocation. This ensures each component of an invoice can be coded correctly to the appropriate department, project, or cost centre. By capturing structured line data automatically, finance teams reduce manual coding effort while improving reporting accuracy and consistency across complex supplier invoices.

Yes. Based on configured rules and historical supplier behaviour, VAT rates and nominal codes can be assigned automatically to each invoice line. This reduces manual coding decisions and improves consistency across recurring supplier transactions. Automated allocation strengthens financial reporting accuracy and ensures compliance with internal accounting policies while reducing the risk of misclassification.

Yes. By capturing invoice details at the line level, the system reduces allocation errors and eliminates inconsistencies caused by manual entry. This is particularly important for project-based organisations or businesses that allocate costs across multiple departments. Automated line capture ensures financial data is structured correctly before posting, improving reporting reliability and governance.

Organisations handling complex, multi-page invoices or allocating costs across departments and projects benefit significantly from multiline automation. Construction firms, project-based businesses, and companies processing high volumes of detailed supplier invoices gain improved reporting precision and reduced administrative workload. Multiline recognition enables granular control without increasing manual processing time.

Accuracy stays consistent regardless of page count or line-item complexity — a two-page invoice and a twenty-page one are read with the same reliability.

Yes. You can prompt PaperLess AI directly, for example, asking it to group costs by project or site, pull only summary-level totals, or surface specific nominal codes, tax codes, departments, or projects from the invoice.

Sage 50, Sage 200, Sage Evolution, Sage Intacct, Sage Construction, SAP Business One, Xero, and Orderwise.

Invoice approval software is a structured digital system that automates the routing and authorisation of supplier invoices before posting and payment. Instead of relying on manual email forwarding or informal sign-offs, it enforces predefined approval workflows based on financial rules such as department, supplier, cost centre, or value thresholds. By embedding authorisation controls directly into accounts payable processes, invoice approval software reduces the risk of unauthorised payments and strengthens governance. Every approval action is recorded in a full audit trail, ensuring traceability, accountability, and compliance across the organisation.

PaperLess routes invoices automatically according to configured rules defined by your organisation. These rules can be based on supplier, department, project, nominal code, or invoice value thresholds. Approvers receive notifications and can review and authorise invoices digitally via web browser or mobile device. By removing manual forwarding and approval chasing, the system reduces delays while maintaining structured financial control.

Yes. Authorisation hierarchies can be configured to reflect your internal governance structure. For example, lower-value invoices may require only departmental approval, while higher-value transactions can be automatically escalated to senior management. Configurable limits ensure approvals align with financial policy while maintaining efficiency across routine transactions.

Yes. Every action taken during the approval process is recorded with timestamps and user identification. This creates a permanent digital record of who reviewed, approved, rejected, or amended an invoice. A structured audit trail strengthens compliance, simplifies internal reviews, and improves transparency during external audits.

Automated approval ensures that invoices cannot proceed to posting or payment without appropriate authorisation. By embedding financial controls within structured workflows, organisations reduce payment risk, improve visibility over liabilities, and enforce internal governance policies consistently across departments.

Automated purchase order matching is a financial control mechanism within accounts payable automation that verifies supplier invoices against approved purchase orders before posting and payment. It ensures invoice amounts, quantities, and references align with previously authorised procurement commitments. By embedding purchase order validation directly into invoice workflows, organisations reduce the risk of overpayment, duplicate charges, and unauthorised spend. When matching criteria are satisfied, invoices can proceed automatically; when discrepancies are identified, they are flagged for review. This strengthens procurement discipline and improves financial oversight across departments.

When a purchase order reference is detected on an invoice, the system validates it against configured matching rules. These rules may include amount tolerances, quantity checks, or supplier alignment. If the invoice meets the defined criteria, it proceeds automatically within the workflow. If differences are detected, the invoice is flagged for review before posting, ensuring discrepancies are addressed promptly.

Yes. If an invoice satisfies predefined matching thresholds and validation rules, it can be prepared for posting, and the associated purchase order can be closed automatically. This reduces manual intervention and accelerates processing time for compliant invoices, while still maintaining strict financial control and audit traceability.

Invoices with discrepancies such as price differences, quantity variances, or missing references are paused and highlighted for review. This prevents inaccurate postings and unauthorised payments from being processed. Exception handling ensures finance teams focus only on variances while routine transactions flow automatically.

PO matching ensures payments are made only against approved procurement commitments. By aligning accounts payable with purchasing controls, organisations reduce financial risk, improve accountability, and strengthen collaboration between procurement and finance teams.

Automated invoice processing from email converts a shared accounts inbox into a structured accounts payable automation channel. Instead of manually opening attachments, downloading PDFs, and re-entering invoice data, incoming supplier invoices are automatically detected, captured, and processed upon receipt. The system extracts invoice data using OCR technology, applies predefined supplier rules, and triggers appropriate workflows such as approval routing or purchase order matching. By embedding automation at the point of entry, organisations reduce administrative workload while maintaining strict financial governance and complete audit visibility across invoice processing.

PaperLess Company Inbox monitors designated email addresses for incoming supplier invoices. Once received, invoice attachments are automatically captured and processed using OCR to extract structured financial data. Supplier rules and predefined automation logic are applied immediately, triggering approval workflows or purchase order matching where required. This removes manual handling at the inbox level and integrates invoice processing directly into the broader accounts payable automation framework.

Yes. When invoices meet predefined automation criteria, such as matching purchase orders or compliant supplier rules, they can move through workflows automatically. Only invoices that fall outside configured thresholds or contain discrepancies are flagged for review. This exception-based approach allows finance teams to focus on higher-risk transactions while routine invoices are processed efficiently.

Inbox automation eliminates repetitive administrative tasks such as downloading attachments, renaming files, and manually entering invoice data into accounting systems. By automating invoice capture and workflow initiation, finance teams save processing time and reduce the risk of manual error. This improves operational efficiency while maintaining structured financial control.

Yes. Company Inbox operates within controlled access permissions and governed workflows. Only authorised users can review, approve, or manage invoices within the system. By embedding automation within a secure environment, organisations strengthen compliance and protect sensitive financial data.

Pre-approval prevents unauthorised spending and ensures purchasing decisions align with company policy. By validating procurement requests before financial commitments are made, organisations reduce risk and improve visibility over future liabilities.

Purchase order requisition software automates the submission, approval, and conversion of purchase requests before spending commitments are made. Instead of informal email requests or verbal approvals, employees submit structured digital requisitions that follow predefined approval workflows. By enforcing approval before purchase orders are raised, organisations gain real-time visibility over committed costs and prevent unauthorised procurement. PO requisition software strengthens financial governance by aligning operational purchasing activity with budget controls and internal policies. It ensures that spending decisions are authorised before liabilities arise, reducing financial risk and improving accountability across departments.

Requisition approval ensures that spending is authorised before a purchase order is generated. By requiring structured approval workflows, organisations gain visibility over committed costs in advance. This prevents maverick spending, aligns procurement with budget controls, and strengthens financial discipline across operational teams.

Yes. Approval hierarchies can be configured to reflect organisational structure, departmental responsibilities, and monetary thresholds. This flexibility ensures that requisitions are reviewed by the appropriate decision-makers while maintaining efficiency for routine purchases.

Once a requisition is approved, it is automatically converted into a formal purchase order within the system. This eliminates duplicate data entry and reduces the risk of manual errors. The structured transition from requisition to purchase order ensures accurate procurement documentation and improved financial traceability.

Expense management software automates the full employee expense lifecycle, including receipt capture, expense claim submission, approval workflows, reimbursement validation, and posting into accounting systems. Instead of relying on spreadsheets, manual reimbursement tracking, or email-based approvals, it introduces structured digital workflows that enforce financial controls. Employees submit receipts via mobile or web, OCR technology extracts financial data automatically, and claims follow predefined approval hierarchies before posting. This improves visibility over employee spending, reduces reimbursement delays, strengthens compliance, and ensures a complete audit trail for every claim processed.

Employees upload receipts using a mobile app or web interface. The system uses OCR technology to extract structured financial data such as date, supplier, VAT, and total amounts automatically. By eliminating manual typing, receipt capture reduces data entry errors and accelerates expense submission while maintaining accurate documentation for audit and compliance purposes.

Yes. Captured receipts are automatically grouped into structured digital expense claims. This removes the need for manual consolidation in spreadsheets and ensures that claims follow predefined approval workflows. Automated claim creation improves efficiency while maintaining financial oversight.

Expense automation enforces structured approval workflows before reimbursement occurs. Managers gain real-time visibility over employee spending, ensuring policy compliance and preventing unauthorised or inaccurate claims from being processed.

Yes. Mileage rates can be configured within the system to reflect company reimbursement policies. The software automatically calculates reimbursement amounts based on distance and predefined rates, ensuring accurate and consistent mileage processing.

Budget control software is a financial management tool that monitors actual and committed spending against predefined budgets in real time. Instead of relying solely on retrospective reports after month-end, it provides live visibility into financial performance as transactions occur. By tracking both posted invoices and committed costs, such as approved purchase orders, budget control software strengthens forecasting accuracy and cost discipline. It enables finance leaders to intervene proactively when spending approaches defined thresholds, reducing the risk of overspending and improving financial governance across departments and projects.

PaperLess monitors transactions continuously against predefined budget limits. When spending approaches configured thresholds, the system generates real-time alerts via email or in-app notifications. Organisations can also configure the system to block transactions that exceed approved budgets, ensuring that cost controls are enforced automatically before overspending occurs.

Yes. Budgets can be structured to reflect organisational requirements, including supplier, department, project, cost code, or nominal account. This flexibility allows businesses to align budget monitoring with operational structures and reporting needs, improving visibility and financial accountability across teams.

Yes. PaperLess includes committed costs such as approved purchase orders alongside posted invoices when calculating budget consumption. By factoring in future obligations as well as actual spending, the system improves forecasting accuracy and provides a more complete financial picture.

Real-time monitoring allows organisations to identify financial risks before they escalate. Instead of discovering overspending after month-end reporting, finance teams can intervene proactively, maintaining cost discipline and protecting profitability.

Non-accounting document management centralises operational documentation such as contracts, subscriptions, HR records, compliance files, policies, and internal documentation within a structured digital archive. Instead of storing critical documents across shared drives, email folders, or physical cabinets, organisations manage them within a controlled environment linked to their financial workflows. By consolidating accounting and operational documentation within one governed platform, businesses reduce document loss, strengthen permission controls, and improve compliance oversight. Structured metadata, searchable fields, and approval workflows ensure documents are accessible, auditable, and securely managed across departments.

Yes. Access permissions can be configured at both the folder level and the individual user level. This ensures sensitive documents such as HR records or contractual agreements are only visible to authorised personnel. Controlled access strengthens governance and protects confidential business information.

Yes. Automated reminders can be configured for contract renewals, subscription expiries, and compliance deadlines. Notifications can be delivered via email or in-app alerts, ensuring critical dates are not missed and improving operational continuity.

Yes. Non-accounting documents can be routed through structured approval workflows similar to invoice approvals. Each approval action is recorded in a digital audit trail, providing full traceability and strengthening internal governance.

Centralising documents within a structured archive reduces the risk of loss or misplacement. It improves traceability, simplifies audit preparation, and ensures documentation is consistently managed under defined governance policies.

Industry-specific integrations ensure that accounts payable automation aligns with the operational and financial structures unique to specialised sectors such as construction, property development, manufacturing, or project-based environments. Generic automation tools may not reflect job costing, project allocation, CIS requirements, or vertical accounting logic.

By integrating directly with sector-specific systems, AP automation maintains data consistency, supports structured approval hierarchies, and preserves financial accuracy within established workflows. This ensures automation enhances rather than disrupts operational processes, delivering efficiency without compromising governance or industry compliance.

Yes. PaperLess integrates with construction and project-based accounting systems to support job costing, project allocation, and structured invoice approval workflows.

This enables construction finance teams to automate high-volume invoice processing while maintaining strict control over project-level financial data.

Yes. PaperLess integrates directly with Sage Intacct Construction to support invoice automation, secure document archiving, and project-level financial control.

This ensures invoices remain linked to job costing structures and approval hierarchies within the construction accounting environment.

Integrations eliminate duplicate data entry and reduce manual reconciliation between systems.

Invoices remain digitally connected to operational records and accounting transactions, improving accuracy, productivity, and financial transparency.

Construction firms, contractors, property developers, and other project-based organisations benefit most from vertical integrations.

These businesses require structured automation aligned with industry-specific accounting workflows and regulatory requirements.