Forward the email. The invoice files itself.

Every supplier sends invoices as a PDF buried in an email, and someone has to open each one, retype the supplier, the amounts and the GST, work out which job it belongs to, then file it. It is dull, it is slow, and it is the work that piles up until a Sunday night. This automation removes the retyping entirely. You forward the supplier email; AI reads the attached PDF, pulls out the supplier, invoice number, date, GST and total, matches it to the right job, and creates a draft bill in Xero or QuickBooks. One r/automation owner running this exact flow reports it takes supplier invoice processing from 5+ minutes of rekeying down to about 10 seconds per invoice. You stay in control: every bill lands as a draft for you to approve before anything is paid, so the AI never pays a supplier on your behalf. Your real time saved depends on how clean your suppliers' PDFs are, but the principle holds for any trade business drowning in accounts-payable admin.

1. 1

   Trigger

   You forward a supplier invoice email (PDF attached) to your dedicated invoice inbox address.

2. 2

   Action 1

   AI reads the attached PDF and extracts the supplier, invoice number, date, GST and total.

3. 3

   Action 2

   It matches the invoice to the right open job using the supplier and reference details.

4. 4

   Action 3

   A draft bill is created in Xero (or QuickBooks) with the job coded and GST split out, nothing rekeyed.

5. 5

   Outcome

   You open Xero, glance at the draft, and approve it for payment when you are ready.

• r/automation

  'Forward invoice email → workflow extracts data → auto-creates in QuickBooks' — '5+ minutes to 10 seconds per invoice.'

• r/Entrepreneur

  'Looking for an AI-driven solution to automate invoice management — any recommendations?'