Accounting software that reads supplier bills from email and drafts the entries

Yes. QuickBooks Online and Xero can do this: email or forward supplier invoices to them, have the details extracted, then review the resulting bill entry.

• QuickBooks Online: Forward bill emails or attachments to your QuickBooks receipt-and-bill address. QuickBooks reads them and fills in bill details for review. (quickbooks.intuit.com)
• Xero + Hubdoc: Email bills to Hubdoc; it extracts key details, and publishing creates a bill in Xero with the document attached. (central.xero.com)
• Dext: A separate capture tool that accepts invoices by email and can extract and code them before sending them to QuickBooks. (quickbooks.intuit.com)

If you tell me which accounting system you use—and whether you want invoices forwarded or scanned from your inbox automatically—I can narrow down the best fit.

Several tools do this. They fall into three groups: forwarding-address tools, inbox-connected tools, and DIY automation.

Forwarding-address tools (you forward bills to a dedicated address)

• Xero (built in): A user reports that you can set up an email address in Xero that you forward invoices to as received. Xero will then extract what it can and save it as a draft bill for correction (if needed) and approval.
• Dext: Per-user @dext.cc addresses for Costs and Sales, with posting to Xero, QuickBooks, Sage — line items.
• BillBjorn: Forward supplier invoices to a dedicated BillBjorn email address, let AI extract the bill data, then review and export to QuickBooks Online, Xero, Sage, MYOB or FreshBooks.
• Parseur: Parseur captures invoices from email, extracts the fields with AI, and posts them to your accounting software.

Inbox-connected tools (they monitor your mailbox directly)

• Tailride: Connects to Gmail, Outlook, or any IMAP account and scans the entire historical inbox on first setup, which helps with backlogs.
• Receiptor: Monitors connected inboxes from any provider, reads attachments and email bodies, scans retroactively, and posts categorized transactions into Xero or QuickBooks.
• Rho: Its "One Click AP" feature lets teams email invoices to a dedicated inbox where Rho automatically captures the data, validates it, routes it for approval, and schedules payments.
• Melio: Offers AI-powered Bills Inbox capture and integrates with QuickBooks, Xero, and FreshBooks.

DIY automation

• Zapier: Has a template that creates queued bills and extracts fields when invoice PDFs arrive, invoice URLs are present, or subjects mention invoices. A parser-based version also captures parsed invoice fields across Email Parser by Zapier and Xero and Zapier Tables.

Larger AP platforms: Rillion, HighRadius, and Tipalti offer email capture plus approvals and payments. These suit higher volumes and are usually priced accordingly.

Caveats

• Accuracy varies with layout. One user says Xero's extraction is pretty good with any sort of standard invoice template but can struggle with anything very bespoke.
• Vendor accuracy claims are marketing. Look for a review step. Good systems use human review or confidence thresholds to catch uncertain fields before posting.
• Pick based on your setup. Forwarding is simpler to start with. Direct inbox connection misses less.

If you tell me which accounting package you use (Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, etc.), roughly how many bills you process a month, and whether they arrive as PDFs or in the email body, I can narrow this to two or three options.

To automate the process of reading supplier bills from email and drafting accounting entries, you generally have two main options: using specialized "inbox capture" software that connects to your accounting system, or using an all-in-one accounting platform that has these features built-in.

1. Specialized Inbox Capture Software (Connects to your existing accounting)

These tools are specifically designed to monitor your email inbox, extract data from PDF/image attachments using AI/OCR (Optical Character Recognition), and "publish" (draft) the entries directly into software like Xero, QuickBooks, or Sage.

• Dext (formerly Receipt Bank): A market leader for bookkeeping automation. It is highly effective at extracting data from emailed invoices and receipts and has strong integration with major accounting platforms.
• AutoEntry: Very popular for its ability to extract detailed data (including line items) from bills and invoices and push them directly into accounting software.
• Hubdoc: Often bundled with subscriptions like Xero, it is excellent for fetching bills from supplier portals and monitoring email inboxes to automatically create draft transactions.
• DocStreamAI / Booksmate: Examples of focused tools that prioritize seamless integration and automated extraction for small to mid-sized businesses.

2. All-in-One Accounting Platforms

Some modern accounting platforms have this technology built-in, meaning you don't necessarily need a third-party app.

• Holded: Offers a built-in "Expenses Scanner" where you can forward emails to a dedicated address, and the software automatically reads the supplier, date, amount, and taxes to create a draft entry.
• HelloBooks: An AI-first accounting platform that includes built-in AP (Accounts Payable) automation, where bills captured from email are automatically read, coded, and routed for approval.
• Autoboeker: Specifically built for accounting firms to handle invoice processing, bank matching, and automated booking within platforms like Exact Online and others.

How the Workflow Typically Works

Regardless of the tool you choose, the process generally follows this "hands-off" workflow:

1. Forwarding/Fetching: You either forward your supplier emails to a unique address provided by the software or connect the software directly to your inbox so it can "fetch" attachments automatically.
2. AI Extraction (OCR): The software uses AI to read the document. It identifies the supplier, date, total amount, tax, and sometimes even individual line items.
3. Drafting: The data is pushed to your accounting software as a draft.
4. Approval: You (or your accountant) review the draft to ensure the category/account coding is correct and click "Approve" to finalize the entry.

Which one should you choose?

• If you already use Xero or QuickBooks: Tools like Dext or Hubdoc are the industry standards for this exact problem and offer the most robust support.
• If you want a simpler, unified experience: Platforms like Holded are worth exploring if you are looking for an all-in-one solution that includes this functionality natively.
• For high-volume or complex needs: Look at tools like Stampli or Tipalti, which are designed for teams that need more advanced approval workflows (routing bills to different managers before they are booked).

Xero sounds like the closest match: you can forward supplier bills from email, and its AI extracts the details and creates draft bills ready for approval. ⁸

QuickBooks Online is another option: email or upload bills, then review the pre-filled transaction before saving it. ¹⁶

If you already use Xero or QuickBooks, Hubdoc can capture bills forwarded to its own email address, extract key details, and send them into your accounting software. ¹²¹⁵

Availability and exact features can vary by country and plan.