Invoices that readthemselves
Invoices arrive in dozens of formats and all have to end up in the same box. Retyping them is exactly the kind of work a computer does better than a person: consistently, every time, without flagging at the end of the afternoon.
Does this sound familiar?
- 01Every supplier uses a different layout, so there is little to standardise with a template.
- 02Amounts and VAT lines are retyped, and typing goes wrong at some point.
- 03Invoices sit in the inbox until someone has time to process them.
- 04Working out afterwards where an amount came from takes longer than entering it did.
What you get.
- Invoices picked up from the inbox and read automatically
- Supplier, invoice number, date, amount, VAT and line items in a structured table
- Recognition that also works for suppliers you have not had before
- A review step where uncertain fields are flagged, so you only look at what needs attention
- Export or connection to your accounting, as a second phase
Operating it yourself says more than a description.
Pick a sample invoice and watch the supplier, the amount, the VAT and the line items appear in a structured table. This is a demo on sample data, not client work.
Demo · prepared in advance · illustrative · no live model
Installatiebedrijf De Vries B.V. Ambachtsweg 12, 3812 NR Amersfoort Chamber of Commerce (KvK) 61234567 · VAT NL823456789B01 INVOICE Invoice number: 2026-0417 Invoice date: 3 June 2026 To: Bakkerij Tussen de Molens, Veenendaal Description Amount ------------------------------------------------ Replacement boiler Remeha Tzerra € 1,845.00 Installation labour (6 hours) € 390.00 Commissioning and hydraulic balancing € 95.00 Removal of old boiler € 45.00 ------------------------------------------------ Subtotal € 2,375.00 VAT 21% € 498.75 Total € 2,873.75 Payment within 14 days to NL00 RABO 0123 4567 89.
Illustrative demonstration with examples prepared in advance. No live AI call and no API key needed; the answers are fixed and contain no invented figures or names.
Four steps, in this order.
I sit in
I look at a cross-section of your real invoices, including the messy ones.
I build alongside
The reading runs separately from your accounting and writes nothing into it.
We measure what is right
A period running alongside your current way of working, so you see how often it gets it right and where it does not.
Only then connect
Once the recognition proves reliable, and only then, it goes into your books.
Lead time: one to three weeks, depending on how much your invoices vary.
n8n · Python · Anthropic · OpenAI · PostgreSQL · IMAP/mail-in
What people ask me about this.
Q1What if the model gets it wrong?
It happens, which is why I build it so that you see it. Fields the system is unsure about are flagged for review. In the first phase it also runs alongside your current way of working, so you can measure the reliability yourself before anything depends on it.
Q2Do my invoices go to an American company?
That depends on what we agree. There are three routes: a cloud model with a data processing agreement, a model hosted in the EU, or an open model that runs entirely on your own server. The last option is technically perfectly feasible for this kind of work. We decide what fits up front and put it in writing.
Q3Does this also work with paper invoices?
Yes, provided they are scanned. A scan or a photo is usable for this technique, although recognition on a straight scan is more reliable than on a skewed photo.
Q4I only get a few per week. Is it worth it?
In the end, yes. You build it once, and after that it works just as well at five invoices a week as at fifty: if your volume grows or a peak comes along, it simply keeps up without anyone having to step in. At low volumes it just takes longer to pay for itself, and then the honest question is whether this is the first thing we should start with. My starting point is that at almost every company there are at least ten hours of repetitive work per week to be saved, provided we choose the right projects. That is why I first look with you at where those hours really are. If it is not your invoices, I say so, and we start with something that pays off sooner. This can always be added later.