Overview
Fergus reads your supplier invoices and credit notes for you. Send PDFs in by email, or drag and drop PDFs and photos onto the Supplier Docs page. Fergus reads the invoice number, date, job reference, line items and totals, so you only need to check the details and assign the document to a job.
You can drag and drop a photo of a paper invoice or credit note, as well as a PDF. This is handy for counter dockets and invoices that arrive by post.
If your supplier isn't in Fergus, use the Generic PDF Invoice Reader. It reads any supplier's invoices just as well as the suppliers we integrate with.
In this article we'll cover:
What file types you can use
How to receive invoices by email
How to drag and drop a PDF or photo
What Fergus reads for you
How to check and fix the details
Assigning and sending to your accounting software
What file types can I use?
How it arrives | File Types |
Drag and drop on the Supplier Docs page | PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG and HEIC (the default iPhone photo format). Up to 20MB per file. CSV and TXT files still work for suppliers that send them. |
Email to your unique Fergus address | PDF (and CSV for suppliers that send CSV). Photos sent by email aren't read, so drag and drop them instead. |
Option 1: Receive invoices by email
Go to Settings → Integration Centre. Under the Productivity section, click Generic PDF Invoice Reader.
Click the Enable button.
Your unique Fergus email address will appear. Click Copy to copy it, or click Send request to supplier to open a pre-filled email you can send to your supplier.
Ask your supplier to send all future invoices and credit notes as PDF attachments to that address.
Documents sent to that address appear on your Supplier Docs page, ready to check and assign. To see what's been received, open the Log tab.
You can also forward supplier emails to the same address yourself.
💡 Note: Email accepts PDF and CSV attachments only. Photos sent by email aren't read, so drag and drop them instead.
⚠️ Please Note: For security reasons, Fergus recommends you don't share or publish your unique email address with anyone other than the supplier.
Option 2: Drag and drop a PDF or photo
Go to the Supplier Docs page
Drag one or more PDFs or photos onto the page. You can mix PDFs and photos in one go, as long as they're all from the same supplier.
Pick the supplier from the list. If your supplier isn't listed, choose Generic PDF Invoice Reader at the top of the list.
You'll see "Uploaded! Please refresh the page after several seconds to see them". Refresh the page after a few seconds, and the documents appear in your list, ready to check and assign.
💡Tips for a good photo:
Lay the invoice flat in good light.
Fit the whole page in the frame, including the totals.
Keep it in focus.
What Fergus reads for you
Several invoices in one file. If a PDF holds more than one invoice or credit note, Fergus creates a separate document for each one.
Credit notes. Fergus spots credit notes from the wording on the page, or from a negative or bracketed total, even when the supplier uses its normal invoice layout.
Dates. Fergus works out whether the supplier writes dates day-first (NZ, AU, UK) or month-first (US) and saves the date correctly.
Prices including tax. If the supplier prints prices including GST, VAT or sales tax, Fergus works out the price before tax for each line.
Quantities. Fergus uses the quantity supplied, not the quantity ordered or backordered.
Job reference. Fergus looks for your order or job number, however the supplier labels it (for example "Your Order No", "PO Number" or "Customer Reference").
Item codes. Fergus reads the supplier's product code for each line, where one is printed.
Check and fix the details
Fergus does most of the reading, but we recommend checking a document before you assign it. Click the ⋮ menu next to the document on the Supplier Docs page and choose Edit to open the Edit Existing Invoice window.
You can change the supplier, the type (Invoice or Credit Note), the invoice number, job reference and date, and any line item, including its Item Code.
For step-by-step instructions, see Edit a supplier invoice or credit note.
Assign and send to your accounting software
Once the details are right, assign the document to its job as usual. If you sync supplier documents to Xero or MYOB, the original file is attached to the bill, including photos. MYOB doesn't accept HEIC photos or files over 3MB, so Fergus converts those to a smaller JPG before sending.
Fergus doesn't sync supplier bills to QuickBooks Online.
How accurate is it?
In testing, Fergus read about 96% of fields correctly. It's very good, but not perfect, so always check the details before you assign a document.
Thanks for taking the time to read our article. If you have any questions, please get in touch via support@fergus.com