When you exceed your monthly invoice allowance, credit packs let you process additional PDFs without waiting for the next billing cycle. Credits apply to uploads on the Upload tab across your active profile.
What this guide covers
Buying packs, how credits decrement, and how packs interact with plan limits.
Before you begin
- A Free, Pro, or Business account in good standing.
- Billing permission (Owner) to purchase packs.
Step-by-step: check usage first
- Open Dashboard (/dashboard).
- Read the monthly usage bar (for example "22 of 25 invoices").
- If you are near the cap, decide between a pack and upgrading your plan.
Step-by-step: buy a credit pack
- Go to My plan & services or the usage warning link on Dashboard.
- Choose a credit pack size shown at checkout.
- Pay with card, PayPal, or Account credit if available.
- Credits appear immediately on your balance.
Step-by-step: use credits on upload
- Return to Dashboard and open the Upload tab.
- Add PDFs as usual when monthly allowance is exhausted.
- Each processed invoice consumes one credit automatically.
- Watch the usage bar; it shows plan invoices plus credits applied.
What you should see
- Credit balance on billing overview and checkout screens.
- Uploads succeeding after monthly cap when credits remain.
- Ledger rows for every PDF that consumed a credit.
Tips and common issues
- Credits do not expire while your account is active unless stated at purchase.
- Credits apply to processing only, not to FilePile subscription invoices.
- Heavy months may be cheaper on Pro than many small packs; compare /pricing.
- Failed uploads that never complete should not consume credits; retry from Processing.
Related guides
Tip: Buy one pack before a big migration weekend so bulk uploads never stall mid-queue.
Frequently asked questions
Do credits work on Free?
Yes. Credits add capacity beyond the 25 monthly invoices.
Are credits refundable?
See checkout terms; unused credits typically remain on the account.
Do credits cover team seats?
No. Credits apply to vendor PDF processing only.
Scenario walkthrough
Imagine it is the 28th of the month. You log in at /login, land on Dashboard (/dashboard), and scan the stat tiles: Tracked spend, Estimated tax (if on Business), Account credit, and Open invoices for your FilePile subscription. You open the Upload tab, add any PDFs that arrived today, then switch to Processing until each row shows completed. You check Ledger for amounts and Browse for folder paths. If Business HQ (/account/business) applies to your plan, you open the relevant panel next. Finally you visit /docs if you need a deeper guide.
Glossary (FilePile terms)
- Dashboard: main workspace at /dashboard with Upload, Processing, Ledger, Tasks, Browse tabs.
- Business HQ: owner tools at /account/business including Payment Command Center, Email Invoice Inbox, Spend Budgets, Approval Workflows, Bank Reconciliation, Tax estimates, Executive P&L, and Accounting export/import.
- Profile: separate business archive under one login; see /account/profiles.
- Ledger: searchable table of processed vendor invoices.
- Tasks: review queue for missing fields or billing mismatches.
Keyboard and navigation habits
Use the left sidebar consistently: Dashboard for daily PDF work, Business HQ for payables and reporting, Reminders at /account/reminders for email preferences, Help center at /docs for articles like this one. The Invoice workspace never uses a tab named Process; uploads always start on Upload.
When to contact support
Contact support if a valid PDF fails after three retries on Processing, if team invites never arrive, if billing charges look incorrect on /account/invoices, or if Business HQ panels stay locked after a confirmed upgrade. Include your account email, active profile name, and screenshot of the error row.
Record-keeping reminder
FilePile sorts and extracts PDFs you provide. It does not replace professional tax, legal, or accounting advice. Keep original vendor emails and bank records alongside your FilePile Browse archive for audit readiness.
When packs beat upgrades
If you exceed Free limits once a year, packs may suffice. If you exceed every month or need ZIP exports, upgrade to Pro instead of buying packs repeatedly.
Quick reference card
| Item | Value |
|------|-------|
| Login | /login |
| Register | /register |
| Dashboard | /dashboard |
| Business HQ | /account/business |
| Company | /account/company |
| Reminders | /account/reminders |
| Help | /docs |
| Plans | Free (25/mo), Pro, Business |
| Upload types | PDF only on Dashboard |
| Workspace tabs | Upload, Processing, Ledger, Tasks, Browse |
Keep this table handy when onboarding teammates so nobody searches for a Upload tab that does not exist.