How invoice processing works

What this guide covers

This guide explains the complete lifecycle of an invoice within FilePile. It is designed for users who need to understand how uploaded files move from the pending state to completion, how to handle processing errors, and how the system manages recurring products compared to one-off vendor bills. By following these steps, you will ensure your invoices are processed correctly, categorized accurately, and cleared from your payment queues without manual errors.

Before you begin

You must have an active FilePile plan. The Free plan supports 25 invoices per month, while Pro and Business plans offer higher limits and additional features like recurring gap reminders.
Ensure you have your vendor invoices ready as PDF files. FilePile supports native PDFs and scanned PDFs.
Verify you have the necessary permissions. If you are on a Business plan, ensure your role allows access to the Dashboard and Business HQ.

Step-by-step instructions

Log in to your account by visiting filepile.co/login and entering your credentials.
Open the Dashboard from the left dark sidebar to access the main upload and processing interface.
Click the Process tab located at the top of the Dashboard view. This is the primary zone for managing incoming files.
Drag and drop your PDF invoice files into the central upload area. Alternatively, click the upload zone to open your file browser and select the desired PDFs.
Observe the Pending status. Immediately after upload, files appear in the queue with a Pending label. This indicates the file is waiting in line for the server to analyze the document content.
Wait for the status to change to Processing. During this phase, FilePile extracts data such as the vendor name, invoice date, line items, and total amount. This usually happens within a few seconds.
Check for the Completed status. Once processing finishes successfully, the file disappears from the Process tab queue and moves to the sorted folders.
Navigate to the Browse tab on the Dashboard to locate your processed files.
Locate the specific vendor folder in the list. The system automatically sorts invoices by vendor name.
Click the vendor folder to expand it and reveal the subfolders organized by month.
Click the specific month folder to view the processed invoice inside.
If a file fails to process, it will display an Error status in the Process tab queue.
Click the Retry button next to the failed file to attempt processing again. This often resolves temporary glitches.
If retries fail, ensure the PDF is not corrupted or password protected. Scanned PDFs must be clear and legible for successful text extraction.
Navigate to the Tasks tab on the Dashboard if an invoice processes but requires manual review due to missing fields.
Click on the specific task listed to open the review interface and fill in any missing data points.
Navigate to the Recurring tab on the Dashboard to monitor products that FilePile auto-detects.
Note that FilePile automatically detects recurring products after you upload at least two monthly invoices for the same vendor and product. You do not need to set this up manually.
Upload the current month's invoice for a recurring service when it arrives. This action confirms the payment for that month.
Look for the checkmark in the Recurring products section on the Dashboard. This confirms the system has received the invoice for the current month.
Navigate back to the main Dashboard view to manage payment statuses.
Locate the Upcoming vendor payments card. This card lists individual invoices due in the next 30 days.
Identify one-off vendor bills in this list that you have already paid outside of FilePile.
Click the Mark paid button next to a one-off bill to clear it from the open list. Do not click this for auto-detected recurring products, as the upload itself serves as confirmation.
Open Business HQ from the left sidebar to access advanced payment tracking.
Click the Vendor Payment Command Center panel to view a summary of open bills and total due amounts.
Review the next-30-day outlook displayed in this panel to plan your cash flow based on uploaded invoice due dates.

What you should see

Process Tab: You should see a clear queue of files with status badges labeled Pending, Processing, Completed, or Error. Successful uploads will vanish from this list and appear in the Browse tab.
Browse Tab: You should see a clean directory structure where vendors are parent folders and months are child folders. Inside these folders, you will find the original PDF and often a parsed data file.
Recurring Tab: You should see a list of vendors FilePile has identified as recurring. For the current month, you should see a green checkmark if the invoice has been uploaded, or a grey status if it is still awaited.
Upcoming vendor payments Card: On the Dashboard, you should see a list of due dates sorted chronologically. Recurring products appear in a separate subsection at the bottom of this card showing received or awaiting status.
Vendor Payment Command Center: In Business HQ, you should see a high-level summary of total liabilities and a visual calendar or list of upcoming due dates derived from your uploaded data.

Tips and common issues

Recurring Logic: Remember that you never manually register recurring vendors. Simply upload your invoices consistently. After the second month, FilePile creates the recurring profile automatically.
Payment Confirmation: Do not click Mark paid for recurring products on the Dashboard. The system treats the upload of the monthly PDF as the confirmation of receipt and payment status. Only use Mark paid for one-off bills in the Upcoming vendor payments list that you want to hide from the view.
Scanned PDFs: If you are uploading scanned paper invoices, ensure the scan is high resolution and upright. Blurry or crooked scans often result in processing errors that require manual retries.
Navigation: If you are looking for the Upcoming vendor payments list, ensure you are on the Dashboard (/dashboard). It is not located in Business HQ, although Business HQ has its own Vendor Payment Command Center for broader financial oversight.
Error Handling: If an invoice consistently fails to process after multiple retries, check that the file is a valid PDF. Image files like JPGs or PNGs are not supported unless they are embedded within a PDF.