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Invoice automation: supplier invoices matched, coded, approved

Every supplier invoice received as a PDF is read, matched to the purchase order and the goods received note, coded, then pushed to accounts for approval. Mismatches are flagged with the reason. Collecting structured e-invoices from your provider is an optional module.

Updated

From

£3,400 ex VAT

Timeline
2 to 4 weeks
Pricing
Fixed price per stage
Describe your projectEstimate my project
A sample screen, for illustration. The companies and data are made up.
PDF invoiceMatchingAccountsPDF invoiceMatchingAccounts

You need this if

  • Accounts re-key invoices line by line into the accounting package.
  • Matching against the purchase order and the goods received note is done by hand, one document at a time.
  • Invoices sit in someone’s inbox waiting for approval while suppliers chase.
  • Some suppliers already send structured e-invoices and the rest send PDFs: two routes to handle.
  • Price or quantity differences are found at the point of payment.

What gets put in place

  • Collection

    PDFs sent to the invoices mailbox land in one queue. With the optional e-invoice module, invoices collected from your e-invoicing provider join the same queue.

  • Reading

    Supplier, invoice number, dates, lines, net amounts, VAT, purchase order number. A structured e-invoice is read directly, with no language model involved.

  • Matching

    Invoice, purchase order and goods received note are compared line by line: quantity, unit price, total.

  • Proposed coding

    Nominal code, cost centre and VAT code are proposed from the purchase order and the supplier’s history.

  • Approval route

    An invoice that matches goes to the named approver, according to your limits. An invoice with a mismatch goes to the buyer, with the reason.

  • Posting to accounts

    Once approved, the invoice is created in the accounting package or the ERP, attachment included. The log records who approved what.

Example: three invoices on the same morning

A typical run with the e-invoice module, for illustration. The company and the data are made up.

  1. 1

    Invoice A, received as a PDF: it matches the purchase order and the goods received note. It goes for approval with its proposed coding.

  2. 2

    Invoice B, received as an e-invoice: the quantity invoiced is 40 pieces more than the quantity received.

  3. 3

    The buyer receives invoice B with the reason for the mismatch and the goods received note alongside; they ask the supplier for a credit note.

  4. 4

    Invoice C: no purchase order number. It is passed to accounts, who link it or handle it as a non-PO invoice.

  5. 5

    Approved invoices are posted to accounts. Payment is still released by you.

How it runs

  1. Specification

    We take 50 recent invoices from your main suppliers, with their purchase orders and goods received notes, and write down your rules: tolerances, approval limits, chart of accounts.

    2 to 3 days

  2. Build

    Collection, reading, matching and approval route, on a test environment connected to a test company.

    1 to 2 weeks

  3. Pilot

    Real invoices go through the workflow alongside the usual entry. We compare the coding and the mismatches found.

    3 to 5 days

  4. Launch

    Go-live, training for accounts and approvers. One month of fixes against the specification is included.

    1 to 2 days

Durations to scale, using the longest stated

What the price covers

This is an automation project applied to purchasing. The starting price covers one invoices mailbox, reading, matching against the purchase orders and goods received notes in one ERP, one level of approval and posting to accounts. The specification here is a short scoping of 2 to 3 days, included in the price; no audit is needed for a single process. The final price is fixed at the end of it.

Estimate my projectSee pricing

Supplier invoices: reading, matching, approval
from £3,400 ex VAT
Collecting e-invoices from your e-invoicing provider
from £800 ex VAT
Approval route with several levels
from £800 ex VAT
Audit and roadmap (optional), deducted from the first project we build for you
£1,650 ex VAT
Maintenance
from £390 ex VAT a month

Payment, for each stage

30%
on order
70%
on accepted delivery

E-invoicing: what is changing, and what we do not replace

CountryWhat has been decidedSource
United KingdomE-invoicing to become mandatory for all VAT invoices from 2029; standards and roadmap still being set.GOV.UK
IrelandFrom 1 November 2028, large corporates must issue e-invoices for domestic B2B sales, and all businesses must be able to receive them.Revenue
FranceAll businesses must be able to receive e-invoices since 1 September 2026; SMEs must issue them from 1 September 2027.Service Public
BelgiumStructured e-invoices are mandatory between VAT-registered Belgian businesses since 1 January 2026.efacture.belgium.be

Structured e-invoices travel through an e-invoicing service provider: a Peppol access point, or in France a state-approved platform. Vernline is not an e-invoicing provider and does not replace one. You choose yours; your accounting software vendor or your accountant can point you to one.

Our work starts once the invoice has arrived: collecting it from the provider, matching it to your purchase orders and goods received notes, organising approval. The provider hands you a valid invoice; it does not know whether you actually received the 400 pieces billed. PDFs will keep arriving for some time yet, so both routes will run side by side. We do not give tax advice; your accountant remains the reference on your obligations.

What the matching checks

CheckWhat is comparedIf it does not agree
SupplierVAT number and bank details, against the supplier recordFlagged to accounts: by default, a person approves any new bank details.
Purchase orderPO number, items, unit pricesSent to the buyer, with the line that differs.
Goods receivedQuantities invoiced and quantities receivedSent to the buyer or to stores, according to your rule.
Totals and VATLine sums, rates, totalSent to accounts.
DuplicateSame supplier and same number, or same amount on a nearby dateHeld, with the original invoice alongside.

You set the tolerances, for example a price difference accepted below a certain amount. An invoice within tolerance goes for approval; the workflow does not release payments, which stay with you.

What accounts still do

  • They handle non-PO invoices and those the workflow cannot link.
  • They approve new suppliers and any change of bank details.
  • They keep control of payment: the workflow stops at approved for payment.
  • They adjust the coding rules when the chart of accounts or the cost centres change.
  • They answer suppliers and follow up disputes: the workflow gives them the status of each invoice, not the reply.

During the pilot we record the share of invoices matched with no intervention, the mismatches found by type and the coding corrected. Those figures, measured on your invoices, decide whether it goes live, and for which suppliers first. The same principle applies on the sales side to sales order entry.

Accounts payable automation: bespoke, your accounting package or specialist software?

OptionFits whenLimit
Invoice capture in your accounting packageSimple invoices, no matching against purchase ordersReading and entry; little control over quantities and prices
Specialist accounts payable softwareHigh volumes, several companies, standard approval routesSubscription; matching against your ERP still to be set up
Bespoke workflowPurchases raised on purchase orders in the ERP, matching and approval rules of your ownNeeds purchase orders and goods received notes kept properly in the ERP
If most of your invoices are overheads with no purchase order, use the invoice capture in your accounting package: the matching, which is the point of this project, would have nothing to compare. The specification tells you which case you are in. To compare invoices with your other processes first, see the AI review.

Frequently asked questions

How much does invoice automation cost?

From £3,400 ex VAT for reading, matching against purchase orders and goods received notes, one level of approval and posting to accounts. The price is fixed at the end of the specification.

How long before it is live?

2 to 4 weeks, pilot included. The timing depends mostly on access to purchase orders and goods received notes in the ERP.

Is Vernline an e-invoicing provider or a Peppol access point?

No. We are not an e-invoicing provider and do not replace yours. We handle invoices once they have arrived: matching, coding, approval, posting.

Will it work with our accounting package or ERP?

Yes, through an API, a file import or a connector, whether you run Sage 200, Access Dimensions, Pegasus Opera, Odoo or SAP Business One. The specification first checks that purchase orders and goods received notes can be reached.

What happens if an invoice is misread?

A reading error usually makes the totals check or the match against the purchase order fail, and the invoice then goes for a manual check. By default, nothing is posted to accounts without approval.

Who owns the system?

The workflow runs in n8n on a server in the European Union, in your name, with your accounts; rights in it pass to you as each stage is paid. One month of fixes against the specification is included, then maintenance is monthly, from £390 ex VAT, no lock-in.

Read next

Start with a fixed-price audit

In one to two weeks you know what to build, in what order and in what price range. The audit fee is deducted from the first project we build for you.

£1,650 ex VAT 1 to 2 weeks See a sample report

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