How to import invoices from a ZIP file

Check the archive before importing invoices

A ZIP is a container, so its contents matter as much as its filename. Some supplier exports contain PDF bills; others contain spreadsheets or structured invoice data. BillTuck accepts PDF, JPEG, and PNG documents. It does not turn an accounting database export or a spreadsheet of invoice rows into bill records.

If you want to inspect the contents first, open a copy in Files. Tapping a ZIP creates a folder containing its files, as explained in Apple's ZIP guide. Keep the original archive available so you can select it in BillTuck and compare the import result with its contents.

Check file sizes and available import access

The current ZIP limits are 200 MB for the source archive, 200 MB for the total extracted documents, and 1,000 archive entries. Each document can be up to 20 MB. A small compressed file can expand into much more data, so its download size alone does not tell you whether the full batch will fit.

The current preview includes three free document imports. Each document admitted from a ZIP counts toward that allowance. Check the app's available import access before preparing a larger batch. A ZIP containing several bills is still several document imports, even though you select only one archive in Files.

Read the import summary before retrying

Use BillTuck's Files import action and select the ZIP. After the batch finishes, read the counts for admitted, skipped, ignored, and failed documents. These explain what happened to the contents. A summary with fewer admitted documents than archive entries can be expected when folders or unsupported files are present.

BillTuck reports incomplete or damaged entries and leaves the source ZIP unchanged. If documents were skipped because the import allowance was reached, they remain in that source archive. Avoid immediately importing the whole ZIP again: the documents already admitted may then need duplicate review.

Review each bill after the batch is saved

A completed ZIP import means the supported files were captured. The bill details still need processing or review in the main app. Open BillTuck and check Imports for documents that need attention. Automatic extraction can fill the provider, invoice date, invoice number, total, and currency; compare the fields with the original when reviewing them.

The archive's folder names do not determine the final expense month. A file inside September may contain an August invoice. BillTuck groups completed expenses by the confirmed invoice date, so the same ZIP can correctly populate several months and providers.

Resolve exceptions in a smaller second pass

Compare any failed or skipped filenames with the archive contents. If a damaged document cannot be opened in Files, obtain a fresh copy from the source before trying it again. When only one or two files need attention, importing those files individually makes their status easier to follow than repeating the entire batch.

For possible matches, use the duplicate bill review guide before keeping both records. Finally, inspect the months covered by the batch. Only completed bills enter totals, so resolve missing dates and other review items before generating a report for that period.

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