Uploading Bills

Upload vendor invoices and let Readybuild automatically extract key information using OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

Overview

Instead of manually entering bill details, you can upload a PDF or image of a vendor invoice. Readybuild will:

1. Create a new bill with the uploaded file attached
2. Process the document using OCR
3. Extract vendor name, invoice date, and line items
4. Pre-populate the bill form for your review

Supported File Types

Format	Extension	Max Size
PDF	.pdf	10 MB
JPEG	.jpg, .jpeg	10 MB
PNG	.png	10 MB
GIF	.gif	10 MB

How to Upload a Bill

From the Global Billing List

1. Navigate to Billing in the main menu
2. Click the New Bill dropdown button
3. Select Upload Bill
4. Drag and drop your invoice file, or click Choose File to browse
5. Click Upload & Extract Data
6. Wait for processing to complete (up to 60 seconds)
7. Review and complete the extracted data in the bill form
8. Click Save

From a Project

1. Open the project
2. Go to Financials → Billing
3. Click the New Bill dropdown
4. Select Upload Bill
5. The project will be pre-selected after extraction
6. Follow the same upload and review process

What Gets Extracted

When OCR processing succeeds, the following fields are automatically populated:

Field	Description
Vendor	Matched to existing contacts in your system
Invoice Date	Date found on the vendor's invoice
Line Items	Individual items from the invoice
Item Names	Descriptions from each line
Quantities	Qty values for each line item
Unit Costs	Price per unit for each item

Tax amounts found on invoices are typically added as a separate line item.

What You Need to Enter

After extraction, you'll need to complete these fields manually:

Field	Why It's Manual
Cost Codes	Business-specific categorization
Due Date	Payment terms vary by agreement
Project	Unless uploaded from a project

When Extraction Fails

If OCR processing fails:

• The bill is still created with the uploaded file attached
• A warning message indicates extraction was unsuccessful
• The bill form opens for manual data entry
• You can reference the attached document while entering details

Common reasons for extraction failures:

• Poor image quality or low resolution
• Handwritten invoices
• Unusual invoice layouts
• Non-standard fonts or formatting

Tips for Best Results

Document Quality

• Use clear, high-resolution scans (300 DPI recommended)
• Ensure the document is not skewed or rotated
• Avoid shadows or dark edges from scanning
• Make sure text is legible and not cut off

Invoice Format

• Standard invoice layouts work best
• Typed or printed invoices extract better than handwritten
• Ensure line items are clearly separated
• Include column headers (Description, Qty, Price, etc.)

File Preparation

• Convert photos to PDF if quality is poor
• Crop out unnecessary margins or backgrounds
• Keep file size under 10MB
• Use PDF format when possible for best results

Processing Time

• Typical: 10-30 seconds
• Maximum: 60 seconds timeout

If processing takes longer than 60 seconds, the system will time out and the bill will be created without extracted data. You can manually enter the details.

Related Topics

• Creating Bills - Manual bill entry
• Managing Bills - Edit, void, and delete bills
• Understanding Bills - Bill concepts and terminology