Kofax invoice processing is a search usually made from one of two seats. Either you are buying accounts payable capture software and comparing enterprise suites, or you are a supplier whose invoices are being read by a client's capture system and keep getting rejected. This article covers both briefly, then answers the second question in depth: how do you format the invoices you send so a large client's automated processing accepts them first time? We do not describe any vendor's product. We cover the job and how to set your invoices up on the levelpartner.ai platform.
If you are the buyer
Enterprise capture suites are built for high volume, many entities and complex approval rules. For a firm of 10 to 250 staff, the honest question is whether you have that problem. Check these points before you start a procurement:
- Your monthly supplier invoice volume, counted, not estimated.
- How many of those arrive as paper or images rather than PDFs.
- Whether your accounting system already imports e-invoices.
- The internal time a setup project needs, not just the licence.
- Who will maintain extraction rules when suppliers change their layouts.
If you receive under a few hundred invoices a month, a simpler capture approach usually wins. The guides to what invoice OCR does and processing invoices after they are read set out that path.
If you are the supplier
This is the more common situation for agencies, consultants and brokers selling to large organisations. Your client's accounts team runs automated capture. Your invoice goes into a mailbox, a machine reads it, and anything it cannot match is returned or held. You never see the rejection; you just see a late payment.
The causes are nearly always the same: a missing purchase order number, a supplier name that does not match their records, several invoices in one email, or a layout the machine reads poorly.
What a machine-friendly invoice looks like
- One invoice per email, as a PDF attachment, not an image.
- Your legal entity name exactly as registered with the client.
- The client's purchase order number in a clearly labelled field near the top.
- Invoice number, date and due date in labelled fields.
- Net, tax and gross shown separately, with tax registration numbers.
- No decorative backgrounds or text placed over images.
Before you start
- The client's supplier requirements, usually in a supplier guide or onboarding pack.
- Their purchase order number for the work.
- The exact accounts payable email address they want invoices sent to.
- A payment processor connected in Payments, if they will also pay by card.
How to set up client-ready invoices
- Go to Payments, then Invoices & Estimates, click Settings and open Business Information.
- Enter your legal entity name exactly as on the client's supplier record, then click Save.
- Open Title, Terms and Layout and click Customize Layout.
- Show the Invoice Number, Issue Date and Due Date on the Layout tab.
- On the Labels tab, keep the Tax and Subtotal columns visible.
- Check the live preview, then click Save changes.
- Open Billing Custom Fields, click +Add Custom Field, select your purchase order field and click Save.
- Add the client's accounts payable email address to their contact record.
- Send a test invoice to yourself and check the PDF opens with selectable text.
- Send the first live invoice and ask your client contact to confirm it was accepted.
Suppose a consultancy's first four invoices to a new insurer client are each held for three to six weeks. The insurer's capture system cannot find a purchase order number, and the legal name does not match the supplier record. Adding a purchase order field and correcting the registered name removes both reasons for rejection. From then on, invoices would be expected to clear approval and be paid on the client's standard terms. The details are hypothetical.
What it replaces and the time it takes
Machine-friendly invoice settings replace resubmissions, phone calls to unknown accounts teams and payments arriving two months late. Setting them up takes about 20 minutes, and because they live in the invoice settings they apply to every invoice you send, not just one client's.
The mistake most people make
Sending invoices to your day-to-day contact rather than the accounts payable address. Your contact forwards it, the forward strips the attachment or adds a second document, and the machine rejects it. Send directly to the address the client specifies, and copy your contact if they want visibility.
When this is overkill
Small clients who pay by card from a link do not need any of this. A standard invoice and a pay button is enough. Fill in the purchase order field only where the client runs formal accounts payable processes, and leave it empty for everyone else.
Troubleshooting
Invoices are acknowledged but never paid. They are probably held as exceptions. Ask your client contact for the accounts payable query line and quote your invoice number.
The client says the PO is missing, but it is on the invoice. It may be inside an image or in small print. Put it in a labelled text field near the top.
The PDF text cannot be selected. It was exported as an image. Download it from the platform rather than printing to PDF from a screenshot.
Your company name is rejected. The name on the invoice differs from your supplier record. Ask the client to confirm the exact registered name they hold.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a client uses automated invoice processing?
Ask for their supplier guide. Most large organisations publish one with invoice requirements, a dedicated invoice mailbox and rules on PO numbers.
Should every invoice include a PO number?
Only where the client issues them. For those clients, an invoice without one is usually rejected automatically.
Can I send several invoices in one email?
Avoid it for clients with automated capture. One invoice per email is the safest rule.
Will a branded invoice design cause problems?
Heavy design can. Plain layouts with labelled fields read best. Keep your logo and colours, drop background images. The guide to a simple invoice layout shows the essentials.