How to import supplier bills into MYOB

Short answer

1. Back up your file.
2. Make sure each supplier has a card.
3. Prepare a comma-separated file with one row per bill line.
4. File > Import/Export Assistant > Import data > Purchases.
5. Match the fields, import, then check the bills.

Before you start

You need MYOB AccountRight on the desktop. You need your chart of accounts and tax codes at hand. You need the supplier cards set up. Know whether your bills are Service or Item purchases, since MYOB uses a different layout for each.

The manual way in MYOB

1. Make a backup of your company file.
2. Open AccountRight. Go to File > Import/Export Assistant.
3. Choose Import data and click Next.
4. For the data type choose Purchases. Pick the type that fits your bills, Service purchases or Item purchases. Choose comma as the separator and match cards by Card ID or name.
5. Select your file. Match each column in the file to a MYOB field in the list of available fields.
6. Run the import with one test bill first. Check the result in your purchases list.
7. If it looks right, import the full file.

The limits: every supplier must already exist as a card. A missing linked account for purchases stops the import with an error, and you fix it in Setup > Linked Accounts. The import loads data and nothing else, so the PDFs are not attached. MYOB Business, as far as we could find, has no equivalent tool.

The Pulsify way

For bills that arrive as PDFs, there is no file to build.

1. Connect your MYOB company file to Pulsify. Pulsify syncs your suppliers, accounts, tax codes and jobs.
2. Forward each supplier invoice to your Pulsify address or upload it. Pulsify reads every line and codes it to an account and tax code.
3. It checks for duplicates, changed bank details and ABNs.
4. After approval, Pulsify creates the bill in MYOB as an open bill with the PDF attached.

Pulsify creates Service or Item bills in MYOB, depending on the invoice. If your company uses a required Category on bills, the bill needs one before it can be sent.

Worked example

Example Plumbing Supplies moves 40 open bills into MYOB from an old spreadsheet.

Task	Time by file import	Time with PDFs through Pulsify
Create 6 missing supplier cards	15 minutes	15 minutes
Build the file, 40 bills at 3 lines	Rebuild 120 rows	Not needed
Match fields and test	20 minutes	Not needed
Check totals	30 minutes	Review exceptions only

The file route works when the data already sits in a spreadsheet. When you only have the PDFs, 120 rows means retyping 120 lines before MYOB sees a single bill.

After the import

Run the Purchases report and compare the total with the total in your source file. A small difference usually means a tax code applied to one line differently from the others. Check the supplier balances against the suppliers’ own statements for the three largest suppliers. If they agree, the load is sound. Keep the original file and a note of what you imported and when, so the next person knows where the opening bills came from.

Common mistakes

• Importing before the supplier cards exist. The import stops or attaches bills to the wrong card.
• Skipping the backup. A bad import is hard to unpick.
• Mixing Service and Item bills in one file. Keep each type in its own file.

Next step

Try an invoice with a PDF from your own supplier. Or book a call to find out how customers have saved hours per week after switching.

The connect Xero or MYOB guide shows the setup in a few minutes.