Your client emails over forty supplier invoices for the quarter. Each one needs entering — date, supplier, net, VAT, total. Typing them by hand will take half a day.
Invoices aren't bank statements, but the same principle applies: get them into Excel and the workflow opens up.
Single invoice extraction
Convert PDF to Excel on a single invoice pulls headers, line items, and totals into a spreadsheet structure. The first time you do this, take a moment to understand what Flint extracts — supplier details usually as a header block, line items as rows, totals as a footer block. Adjust your downstream workflow to match.
Batch extraction
For multiple invoices, convert each one and consolidate in Excel. A consolidated workbook with one row per invoice (date, supplier, net, VAT, total) is easier to feed into bookkeeping software than per-invoice line detail. You can drop the line-item granularity for management accounts; restore it from the source PDFs if HMRC ever asks.
VAT reconciliation
Once invoices are in Excel, total the VAT column and reconcile against your VAT control account. Discrepancies usually point to either a missed invoice or an invoice with VAT in an unusual place (zero-rated, exempt, reverse charge). Excel makes this analysis routine; PDFs make it tedious.
What to keep in PDF
Always keep the original PDF invoices. HMRC requires VAT records to be retained for six years and the original PDFs are the records. Your Excel extraction is for analysis, not for the audit trail. Store the PDFs in a folder structure that mirrors the Excel index.
FAQ
How accurate is invoice extraction?
For text-layer PDFs from accounting software (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage), very accurate. For scanned paper invoices, accuracy depends on scan quality.
Can I extract line items separately from totals?
Yes — both come through as rows in the Excel output. You can filter or split into separate sheets.
What about handwritten invoices?
OCR struggles with handwriting. For these, manual entry remains the only reliable approach.
Should I delete PDFs after extracting to Excel?
No — keep the originals as your audit-grade record. Excel is your working layer.
Invoice extraction turns a day's typing into an hour's work. Convert your supplier invoices in Flint and reclaim the afternoon.