Xero tips to streamline your business…
Automate Bill Entry Into Xero – In 10 Minutes!
If you’re still manually typing bills into Xero, you’re wasting hours of your life — and probably introducing
errors along the way. Luckily, Xero gives us some brilliant tools to speed up (and even automate) the
whole process. In this post, I’ll show you how to set up Email-to-Bills and Outlook rules so your
supplier invoices go straight into Xero as draft bills. It takes less than 10 minutes to set up and will
save you hours every month.
Step 1: Find Your Xero “Email-to-Bills” Address
1. Log into Xero.
2. Go to Business → Bills to Pay.
3. Click Automate bill entry (top-right).
4. Copy the unique Email-to-Bills address for your organisation.
Step 2: Forward an Invoice to Xero
• Open your email inbox and find a supplier invoice with a PDF attached.
• Forward it to your Xero bills email address.
• Xero will automatically create a Draft bill.
■ Pro tip: Save that address as a contact (e.g. “Xero Bills”) so you can forward with two clicks next time.
Step 3: Review and Approve
Back in Xero, you’ll see the draft waiting. Xero does the heavy lifting by recognising the supplier, pulling
in the key details, and placing the PDF right next to the bill screen for easy checking.
Step 4: Fully Automate with Outlook Rules
Take it a step further so you don’t even have to forward invoices manually.
In Outlook:
1. Open Rules (add it to your toolbar if needed).
2. Create a rule: When email is from [Supplier Email] → Forward to [Your Xero Bills Address].
3. Save. From now on, invoices from that supplier will land in Xero automatically.
Step 5: Approve in Bulk and Reclaim Your Time
Invoices will now stack up as drafts. Hop into Xero, review them quickly, then approve in bulk. Less
typing, fewer mistakes, more time back.
Why This Matters
• Save hours by ditching manual data entry
• Reduce errors — let Xero read the invoices for you
• Stay organised — everything in one place, ready to approveIt only takes 10 minutes to set up — and it pays you back every month.
Watch the Full Tutorial – Click Here ■
Want to see how it’s done step by step? Watch the walkthrough on our site.
■ Need help setting up Xero bill automation? At Polar Bookkeeping, we specialise in making Xero run
smoothly for UK small businesses. Get in touch today
