How to Submit an Invoice in BILL (Bill.com): Supplier Guide

To submit an invoice in BILL (formerly Bill.com), use the invitation or network connection from your customer, confirm the customer and your supplier profile, choose the customer's invoice submission action, enter or upload the invoice, verify the invoice number, date, due date, amount, and PO reference, attach the matching PDF, and send it. Then monitor the invoice in your BILL account and follow up with the customer's AP contact if it remains unapproved or is returned.

BILL workflows are configured by the paying customer. Some customers invite vendors into the BILL network, while others collect invoices through a dedicated AP inbox or their own intake process before BILL approval. Follow the method in the buyer's invitation or PO rather than assuming every BILL customer exposes the same supplier screen. For the broader control checklist, see the procurement portal invoice submission guide.

First identify the BILL workflow your customer uses

The product is now branded BILL, but many buyers and suppliers still call it Bill.com. The name change does not alter the basic supplier task: send an invoice into the customer's AP workflow and provide the information their approval and accounting rules require.

Your submission path may be one of these:

• BILL network invitation: the customer invites your company to connect, and you manage the relationship from your supplier account.
• Invoice entry or upload: the connected experience lets you create an invoice record and attach the original PDF.
• Customer AP inbox: the buyer gives you a specific email address that feeds their BILL inbox, where AP codes and approves the document.
• Buyer-owned intake form or portal: the customer collects invoice data elsewhere and then routes it into BILL.

Do not send the same invoice through multiple methods. A portal upload plus an AP-inbox email can create duplicates, and duplicate review delays payment even if one copy is valid.

Connect to the customer and verify your supplier profile

1. Open the invitation from the buyer. Verify the sender and customer name before following the link. If your company already has a BILL account, sign in with the account your finance team controls instead of creating a duplicate profile.
2. Confirm the customer relationship. Make sure the customer shown in BILL is the legal entity named on the PO or contract.
3. Review your company details. Confirm legal name, business address, remit-to address, tax information, and the email used for invoice questions.
4. Review payment setup separately. If the customer pays you through the BILL network, complete payment details through the authenticated onboarding flow. Invoice submission and payment setup are related but distinct: a correct invoice can still wait if the payment profile is incomplete.
5. Add the right teammates. Use a shared finance-owned account and role-based access where available. Avoid tying invoice history to a salesperson or former employee.

If you cannot see the customer after accepting the invite, stop and ask the buyer to confirm which email or supplier profile they connected. Creating another account rarely fixes a relationship attached to the wrong identity.

How to submit the invoice step by step

1. Select the correct customer. If your account has several customers, verify the customer legal entity before creating anything.
2. Start a new invoice or use the customer's upload action. The wording can differ by relationship and account experience. Follow the buyer-provided path.
3. Enter the invoice number exactly. Use the number from your accounting system, including leading zeros or prefixes. It must be unique for the customer.
4. Enter invoice and due dates. Use the contractual invoice date and calculate the due date from agreed payment terms. Do not shorten the term in the portal to accelerate payment.
5. Enter the amount and currency. The portal record, attached PDF, PO, and contract should agree. If tax or credits change the gross amount, ensure the component amounts reconcile.
6. Add the PO or customer reference. Enter the buyer's PO, department, project, location, or requester exactly where instructed. A reference hidden only in the PDF may not route the invoice correctly.
7. Attach the invoice PDF and evidence. Use the final invoice—not a quote, statement, or draft. Add timesheets, delivery proof, or acceptance documents if required.
8. Review for duplicates and submit. Search your invoice list before sending if there was a prior attempt. Save the confirmation and note the submission date.

If the customer instructed you to email an AP inbox instead, send one invoice per message unless their policy says otherwise, use the required subject format, and attach a machine-readable PDF. Put the PO and invoice number in both the invoice and the email subject. Keep the sent message as your submission evidence.

How to track a BILL invoice

Status labels depend on what the customer shares and how the invoice entered their workflow. Treat them as stages:

A sent status is not proof of approval. If you used the buyer's AP inbox and do not have portal visibility, ask the buyer to confirm the invoice ID and approval owner rather than resending the PDF.

Common BILL rejection or delay causes

• Wrong intake channel: the invoice was sent to a general employee instead of the customer's connected workflow or AP inbox.
• Duplicate submission: the same invoice was uploaded and emailed, or resent while the original was still being processed.
• Missing or invalid PO: the customer requires a PO, but it is absent, closed, exhausted, or belongs to another entity.
• Invoice-PDF mismatch: entered totals, dates, or invoice numbers differ from the attachment.
• Missing coding reference: no requester, department, project, or location is present to route the invoice.
• Incomplete supplier setup: legal, tax, remit-to, or payment information is awaiting review.
• Unsupported document: a quote, statement, pro forma invoice, or password-protected file was supplied instead of a final invoice.
• Approval not started: the invoice arrived but the buyer has not recorded a receipt or assigned the approver.

Troubleshooting BILL invoice submission

The customer does not appear in your account

Confirm which email and supplier profile the buyer invited. Ask them to resend or reconnect the invitation to the finance-owned account. Do not build a second profile until the buyer confirms the first relationship is unusable.

You cannot find an invoice submission action

The customer may use an AP inbox or buyer-owned intake rather than supplier entry. Return to the invitation, PO, or supplier instructions and ask the buyer which channel starts their approval workflow.

The invoice was sent but the customer cannot find it

Provide the invoice number, customer legal entity, amount, submission timestamp, recipient or portal confirmation, and attachment filename. Ask the buyer to search their inbox and confirm the internal invoice ID. Do not immediately resubmit.

The invoice is approved but payment is not moving

Confirm the due date, payment method, supplier payment profile, and whether a payment was scheduled or merely approved. Ask for remittance detail when payment is released.

The invoice was returned

Read the buyer's reason before changing the invoice. Fix your record if the invoice is wrong; ask the buyer to update the PO or relationship if their source record is wrong. Use a new invoice number only when the buyer's correction policy requires it.

If the customer uses another portal

Do not reuse BILL instructions for a different network. Use the supplier guide for Coupa, SAP Ariba, or Tipalti. The cross-platform checklist is in the procurement portal guide.

When to automate BILL and other portal submissions

Manual entry is reasonable for low volume. It becomes fragile when the same AR team has to use BILL for one customer, Coupa for another, Ariba for a third, and email-only intake for the rest. Procurement portal automation can match invoices to buyer requirements, submit through the correct channel, and monitor status without replacing the buyer's controls. Implementation details are in the procurement portal docs.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bill.com now called BILL?

Yes. The company and platform use the BILL brand, while many customers and supplier instructions still say Bill.com. They refer to the same platform in this context.

Do I need a BILL account to send an invoice?

It depends on the customer's workflow. A network invitation may ask you to sign in or create a supplier profile. Other customers accept invoices through a dedicated AP inbox or another buyer-owned intake method. Follow their instructions.

Can I email an invoice to a BILL customer?

Only when the customer gives you an approved AP inbox or explicitly accepts email. Sending the invoice to an employee's ordinary inbox may not put it into BILL or start approval.

Why can I not see my customer in BILL?

The connection may be attached to a different email or supplier profile, or the invitation may not be complete. Ask the customer's AP team to confirm the connected supplier identity and resend the invitation if needed.

Why is my BILL invoice still pending?

It may be waiting for coding, PO matching, a goods or service receipt, buyer approval, or supplier-profile review. Ask the buyer which step and owner currently hold it.

Should I upload and email the same invoice?

No, unless the buyer specifically instructs you to do both. Multiple copies create duplicate detection and manual review. Submit through one approved channel and keep the confirmation.

Can I change a BILL invoice after sending it?

Correction options depend on the relationship and buyer workflow. If the invoice is already in approval, contact the buyer before resubmitting. They may return it, ask for a corrected invoice, or require a credit-and-rebill process.

How do I know when a BILL invoice will be paid?

Look for approval, scheduled-payment, or payment status shared in the relationship. If the customer does not expose it, ask AP for the approved amount, due date, and expected payment date.