FilePile assigns an expense category to each invoice from product details on the PDF. Categories feed dashboard charts, Tax estimates, and Spend budgets on Business HQ.
What this guide covers
How auto-categorization works on new uploads, viewing categories in Ledger, and the Categorize older invoices backfill on paid plans.
Before you begin
- Free, Pro, or Business plan (auto-tagging on all plans).
- Processed invoices in Ledger for backfill to matter.
Step-by-step: see categories on new uploads
- Upload a vendor PDF on the Upload tab (/dashboard).
- Wait for Processing to show Completed.
- Open Ledger and read the Category column badge.
- Check the Expense categories panel on Dashboard for the pie chart update.
Step-by-step: backfill older invoices (Pro and Business)
- On Dashboard, find the Expense tools card (or sidebar tools area).
- Click Categorize older invoices.
- Wait while FilePile tags ledger rows that lacked a category.
- Refresh Ledger and category charts to see updated badges.
Step-by-step: report a wrong category
- In Ledger, find the miscategorized row.
- Click Report beside the category badge.
- Describe the correct category in the report form.
- Continue working; support reviews miscategorization tickets.
What you should see
- Category badges like Software & SaaS or Hosting on Ledger rows.
- Expense categories pie chart and list updating after backfill.
- Deductible spend by category inside Tax estimates on Business HQ.
Tips and common issues
- Categories come from product name and description text on the PDF.
- Vague line items may land in Other until you upload clearer bills.
- Run backfill once after importing a large historical batch.
- Pair with Monthly expense charts to filter by category.
Related guides
Tip: Backfill categories right after your first bulk upload so charts and tax panels group spend correctly.
Frequently asked questions
Is categorization on Free?
New uploads are categorized on all plans. Bulk backfill requires Pro or Business.
Can I edit a category manually?
Use Report on the Ledger row; there is no manual category editor in the workspace.
Which categories exist?
Common groups include software, hosting, travel, and office supplies based on product text.
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.
Category and budgets link
Set a Spend budget for a category name that matches Ledger badges (for example Software & SaaS) so alerts align with chart filters.
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.