What this guide covers
This guide is designed for finance teams, business owners, and accountants who manage monthly SaaS subscriptions and service contracts. It explains how to configure your account to automatically detect recurring vendor products and receive email alerts when expected invoices are missing. By following these steps, you will ensure that no recurring bill slips through the cracks during your month-end close process.
Before you begin
To utilize the recurring gap email feature, you must be on the Pro or Business plan. The Free plan does not support recurring gap alerts. Ensure you have the following ready:
- Access to your historical vendor invoices in PDF format.
- Admin or manager access to your FilePile account to configure notification settings.
- At least two previous monthly invoices from the vendors you wish to track. FilePile requires two uploads to auto-detect a pattern.
Step-by-step instructions
Follow these detailed steps to set up your system for recurring bill reminders.
- Log in to your account at filepile.co/login.
- Navigate to the Dashboard from the left sidebar. This is your main hub for tracking uploads and processing status.
- Click the Process tab located at the top of the Dashboard interface. This is where you manage your initial data entry.
- Drag and drop the PDF invoice for a specific vendor from the previous month into the upload zone. You can also click to choose files if you prefer. Ensure the file is a valid PDF, as scanned PDFs are supported but image files are not.
- Wait for the processing queue to finish. You will see a status indicator confirming the file has been successfully sorted and filed.
- Repeat the upload process for the second consecutive month for the same vendor and product. For example, if you uploaded January's invoice, you must now upload February's invoice.
- Once the second invoice is processed, FilePile auto-detects this as a recurring product. You do not need to manually register the vendor or create a profile manually.
- Click the Recurring tab on the Dashboard to view your detected products. You should see the vendor listed here with a status indicating the system expects a future bill.
- Open Reminders from the left sidebar by clicking the link labeled Reminders. This will take you to
/account/reminders. - Locate the section for recurring gap alerts. Ensure your email preferences are toggled on to receive notifications when an expected invoice is missing. This setting is what powers the recurring bill reminders.
- Navigate back to the Dashboard and look at the Upcoming vendor payments card. This card lists individual invoices due in the next 30 days. Below this, you will see a subsection for recurring products showing their received or awaiting status.
- When the next month arrives and the invoice is due, FilePile will check for the upload. If the invoice is not uploaded by the expected date, the system triggers a recurring gap email to alert you.
- To resolve the alert, simply upload the missing PDF via the Process tab on the Dashboard. Uploading the invoice is the only action required to confirm payment for recurring services.
- After uploading, return to the Recurring tab on the Dashboard. You will see a checkmark appear for the current month, indicating the bill has been received and the alert is cleared.
- For a broader view of your payables, click Business HQ in the left sidebar to go to
/account/business. - Open the Vendor Payment Command Center panel. Here you can review open bills, total amounts due, and your 30-day cash outlook based on the due dates extracted from your uploaded PDFs.
What you should see
After completing the setup, you should observe the following behaviors within the interface:
- On the Dashboard Recurring tab, you will see a list of vendors that FilePile has identified as recurring services. Each entry will display the vendor name and the status of the current month's invoice.
- In the Upcoming vendor payments card on the Dashboard, you will see two distinct areas. The top area lists one-off invoices due soon. The bottom area lists your recurring products with clear labels such as "Received" or "Awaiting".
- When a recurring bill is missing, you will receive an email notification stating that a recurring gap has been detected for a specific vendor. The email will prompt you to log in and upload the missing document.
- Within the Vendor Payment Command Center at
/account/business, you will see a consolidated view of your liabilities. The data here populates automatically based on the invoices you upload, without the need for manual data entry.
Tips and common issues
- Do not use Mark Paid for recurring items: You should never click Mark paid on the Dashboard for auto-detected recurring products. The system considers the upload of the current month's PDF as confirmation of receipt and payment. The Mark paid button is strictly optional and intended only for one-off vendor bills in the Upcoming vendor payments list that you wish to clear manually.
- Ensure consistent file naming: While FilePile processes the content of the PDF, uploading clean, readable PDFs ensures accurate auto-detection. If you upload invoices for different products from the same vendor, ensure they are distinct so the system can track them separately.
- Check your plan limits: The Free plan allows 25 invoices per month. If you are managing a large volume of recurring subscriptions, you may hit this limit. Consider upgrading to Pro or Business to ensure uninterrupted recurring bill reminders and higher upload limits.
- Verification of auto-detection: If a vendor does not appear in your Recurring tab after two uploads, check that the vendor name and product details are consistent across both PDF documents. Significant discrepancies in naming can prevent the system from recognizing the pattern.
Related guides
- Uploading invoice PDFs
- Managing the Vendor Payment Command Center
- Understanding Dashboard tabs and views
Why FilePile
FilePile simplifies accounts payable by removing the need for manual data entry and complex setup wizards. Our intelligent auto-detection engine learns your recurring vendor relationships simply by processing your existing PDF invoices. This means you spend less time configuring software and more time managing your business. With recurring bill reminders, you gain a proactive defense against late fees and service interruptions, ensuring your financial operations run smoothly every month.
Getting started with FilePile
Ready to automate your vendor bill tracking? Create an account today to start uploading your invoices and let FilePile handle the rest.