What columns should an invoice spreadsheet have?

Use two sheets. Invoices: vendor, invoice number, invoice date, due date, subtotal, tax, fees, total, status and the original file name. Line items: vendor, invoice number, date, item code, description, quantity, unit, unit price and line amount.

Can Excel convert a PDF invoice to a spreadsheet?

Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows can import tables from text-based PDFs via Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF. It works best on consistent, text-based PDFs, and less well on scans, photos or layouts that differ by vendor.

How do I check that extracted invoice data is correct?

Check that quantity × unit price equals each line amount, that the lines add up to the subtotal, and that subtotal plus tax and fees minus credits equals the total. Anything that doesn't reconcile needs a look at the original.

PaperChore › Guides › Invoices

How to turn supplier invoices into a spreadsheet

By the PaperChore team · Updated Oct 15, 2026

The short answer

Use two tables: an Invoices sheet (one row per invoice: vendor, invoice number, date, due date, subtotal, tax, total) and a Line items sheet (one row per line: invoice number, vendor, item code, description, quantity, unit, unit price, amount). Get the data in by typing, by Excel's import tools, or with an invoice reader. Then run three checks: quantity × unit price = amount, lines add up to the subtotal, and subtotal + tax + fees = total.

Why two tables

An invoice is a header (who, when, how much in total) plus a list of lines. If you squeeze both into one row, you can't sort by item or see what you pay per case of tomatoes over time. Keep them separate and link them by vendor + invoice number.

Invoices sheet	Line items sheet
Vendor Invoice number Invoice date Due date Subtotal Tax Fees/delivery Total Status (unpaid/paid) File name of the original	Vendor Invoice number Invoice date Item code (SKU) Description Quantity Unit (case, lb, each) Unit price Line amount

Format money columns as numbers, not text, and dates as real dates. Put each sheet in an Excel table (Ctrl+T) so formulas and filters follow new rows.

Three ways to get the data in

Type it. Honestly fine for a handful of invoices a month, and you'll notice things as you go. Type the header first, then lines.
Use Excel's import tools. For text-based PDFs with consistent tables, Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows can pull tables out of PDFs (Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF). It struggles with scanned pages, photos and invoices whose layout changes from vendor to vendor.
Use an invoice reader. Tools that read PDFs and photos and output rows save the most time when you have many vendors or paper invoices. Whatever you use, insist on the checks below and keep the original file.

The three checks

Line math: in the line items sheet add =ROUND(F2*H2,2)-I2 (quantity × unit price minus amount). Anything not 0 needs a look. Discounts and catch-weight items (priced by actual weight) are common reasons.
Lines vs subtotal: on the invoices sheet, =SUMIFS(LineItems[Line amount],LineItems[Vendor],[@Vendor],LineItems[Invoice number],[@[Invoice number]])-[@Subtotal] should be 0.
Footer math: subtotal + tax + fees − credits = total. If it doesn't add up, you probably missed a line, a fuel surcharge or a credit.

Units are where it goes wrong

The same item can be billed per case one week and per pound the next. Always record the unit next to the unit price, and don't compare prices across different units. That's the most common cause of "price increases" that aren't real.

Getting it into your accounting software

Most accounting tools can import bills from a CSV with columns like vendor, bill number, date, due date, account and amount. Check your software's import template first and match its column names exactly. For QuickBooks Online in the US, bill import from a spreadsheet requires the Advanced plan.

A routine that sticks

One folder (or email label) for incoming invoices.
Name files vendor_invoice#_date.pdf.
Enter or import weekly, run the checks, then mark invoices paid in the status column so nothing gets paid twice. See how to catch duplicate invoices.

Common questions

What columns should an invoice spreadsheet have?: Use two sheets. Invoices: vendor, invoice number, invoice date, due date, subtotal, tax, fees, total, status and the original file name. Line items: vendor, invoice number, date, item code, description, quantity, unit, unit price and line amount.
Can Excel convert a PDF invoice to a spreadsheet?: Excel for Microsoft 365 on Windows can import tables from text-based PDFs via Data > Get Data > From File > From PDF. It works best on consistent, text-based PDFs, and less well on scans, photos or layouts that differ by vendor.
How do I check that extracted invoice data is correct?: Check that quantity × unit price equals each line amount, that the lines add up to the subtotal, and that subtotal plus tax and fees minus credits equals the total. Anything that doesn't reconcile needs a look at the original.

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