# How to get line items (not just totals) from supplier invoices into Xero

Check whether your capture method reads the header (supplier, date, total) or each line. Header-only means you key the lines in Xero by hand. A line-level method puts every line, with its own account and GST code, on the draft bill.

## Short answer

1. Run one real invoice with five or more lines through your capture method.
2. Count the lines on the draft bill in Xero. One line for the total means header only.
3. If lines are missing, add them by hand, one per printed row.
4. For a repeat fix, use a tool that reads every line and codes each one.

## Before you start

You need one supplier invoice with several lines. Pick one with mixed GST, such as a trade supplier bill with GST-free and taxable items. You also need a way to get it into Xero: your Xero inbox address, an upload or a capture app.

"Header" means the top of the invoice: supplier, number, date and total. "Line items" are the rows: what was bought, how many, the price and the tax on each row.

## The manual way in Xero

1. Open the draft bill in Xero. Go to Business > Bills to pay and open the draft. For a new bill, choose New bill.
2. Compare the lines on screen with the printed invoice. A bill with one line and the full total was captured at header level.
3. Add one row per printed line. Fill in the description, quantity, unit price, account and tax rate.
4. Set the amounts to match the invoice: tax exclusive, tax inclusive or no tax. Check the setting before you start.
5. Check the bill total against the printed total. Fix any gap before you approve.

Limits of this way:

- You type every line. A 14-line invoice is 14 rows of data entry.
- The account on each row comes from your memory or from Xero's contact default.- A mistake in a tax rate on one row changes your BAS numbers. See the ATO's [GST guidance](https://www.ato.gov.au/businesses-and-organisations/gst-excise-and-indirect-taxes/gst) for what counts as taxable, GST-free and input taxed.

## The Pulsify way

1. Forward the invoice to your company's Pulsify address or upload it. Photos from a phone work too.
2. Pulsify reads every printed row as its own line. It does not summarise.
3. Each line gets an account from how that supplier's bills were coded before in Xero. Each line gets a tax code from the GST rate printed on that line.
4. Review the lines on screen. Edit anything you want to change.
5. Approve. The bill is created in Xero with the invoice file attached.

Pulsify reports 99% accuracy on extraction. You still see every line before it goes to Xero.

## Worked example

Example Plumbing Supplies sends a 6-line invoice. Amounts below are before GST.

| Line | Description | Amount | GST |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Copper pipe 15mm x 10 | $220.00 | 10% |
| 2 | Pipe fittings x 40 | $132.00 | 10% |
| 3 | Valves x 6 | $330.00 | 10% |
| 4 | Sealant x 12 | $99.00 | 10% |
| 5 | Delivery | $55.00 | 10% |
| 6 | Export parts (GST-free) | $429.00 | 0% |

The invoice total is $1,348.60. Header-only capture gives one line for $1,348.60 in one account. Line capture gives six lines. GST is $83.60, which is 10% of the $836.00 on the five taxable lines. One line at one rate would get this wrong. If it assumed 10% on everything, GST would be $126.50.

## Common mistakes

- Trusting the total. A bill can match the invoice total and still have the wrong GST.
- Collapsing a discount into a line. Keep discounts as their own line so the unit price still multiplies to the line amount.
- Testing with a one-line invoice. Test with the messiest bill you get each month.

## Next step

[Try an invoice](https://app.pulsify.tech/sign-up) and compare the lines to your own manual entry. See also [Getting invoices in](/guides/get-invoices-in/) and [automated line-item coding](/automated-line-item-coding/). For mixed GST bills, read [coding mixed GST and split invoices](/blog/automated-line-item-coding-mixed-gst-split-invoices-xero-myob/).

## Common questions

### Does Xero read line items from a bill?

Xero's own capture reads bill details and attaches the file. Test it on a multi-line invoice and count the lines on the draft. If it gives one line for the total, you will need to add the other lines by hand.

### Why do line items matter if the total is right?

Each line can need a different account or GST code. One line for the whole total puts every dollar in one account. Your reports and your BAS then need fixing later.

### Can I code every line automatically?

Pulsify codes each line with an account and GST code learned from how that supplier's bills were coded before. You review the lines, then approve. The bill is created in Xero.

Source: https://www.pulsify.tech/how-to/get-line-items-not-just-totals-from-supplier-invoices-into-xero/ (last checked 2026-10-19)