Uploading the same vendor PDF twice clutters your ledger and skews spend charts. FilePile compares new uploads against invoices you already processed and warns you before duplicate files are filed.
What this guide covers
How duplicate detection works, what happens when a match is found, and how to handle legitimate re-uploads.
Before you begin
- At least one invoice already processed in your active profile.
- PDF uploads on the Upload tab only.
Step-by-step: upload as usual
- Open Dashboard (/dashboard).
- Click the Upload tab.
- Drop one or more PDF invoices into the zone.
- FilePile hashes each file and checks invoice number, vendor, amount, and due date against your ledger.
Step-by-step: respond to a duplicate warning
- If FilePile detects a likely duplicate, you see a warning before processing finishes.
- Read which existing invoice it matches (vendor, reference, amount).
- Choose Skip to cancel the new upload if it is truly the same bill.
- Choose Continue only when the file is a corrected revision or a different bill that happens to look similar.
Step-by-step: verify your ledger
- Open the Ledger tab.
- Search by vendor or invoice reference.
- Confirm only one row exists for each real-world bill.
- Remove mistaken duplicates from Tasks or support if a duplicate slipped through.
What you should see
- Fewer double entries in monthly expense charts.
- Tracked spend that matches real vendor totals.
- Clear warning text naming the existing invoice ID when a duplicate is suspected.
Tips and common issues
- Email forwards and manual uploads of the same PDF both trigger detection.
- Different scans of the same invoice usually match; keep the clearest PDF.
- Duplicates do not consume extra credits if you skip them at the warning step.
- Accountants exporting ZIPs see one folder per invoice reference when detection works.
Related guides
Tip: When a vendor resends a "copy" invoice, skip the duplicate and open the original in Browse instead.
Frequently asked questions
Does detection compare file hash only?
FilePile checks hash plus vendor, reference, amount, and due date heuristics.
I revised an invoice; how do I replace it?
Remove the old row if your plan allows, or continue past the warning when the revision is intentional.
Do email inbox forwards skip detection?
No. Forwards run the same checks as manual uploads.
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.
Batch upload discipline
When dragging twenty PDFs at once, read duplicate warnings one by one. Skipping true duplicates keeps Tracked spend aligned with bank outflows without manual ledger cleanup later.
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.