Upload Invoice PDF to Form: Extract, Validate & Ledger Log

Upload an invoice PDF, get parsed fields instantly—supplier, totals, VAT, dates, and a ledger-ready row

This n8n workflow lets you upload a single PDF invoice via an n8n Form. It extracts the invoice text, parses common invoice metadata (including currency, net/VAT/gross totals and key dates), validates the math, and returns the detected results as a JSON response—ready for review or downstream processing.

What this workflow does

• Receives a PDF through an n8n Form trigger (path: read-one-invoice).
• Applies parsing settings such as dateOrder and a defaultCurrency fallback to match your invoice formats.
• Selects the uploaded file from the form submission and standardizes it into a binary field for processing.
• Extracts text from the PDF using n8n’s built-in PDF text extraction.
• Parses and validates invoice fields including supplier, invoice number, invoice/due dates, currency, and net/VAT/gross totals.
• Checks totals consistency by validating that net + VAT matches the total.
• Returns results to the form with a human-readable summary plus a `CSV`-formatted ledger row, delivered as JSON.

Use cases

• Turn inbound invoice PDFs into structured data for finance workflows without manual transcription.
• Validate that VAT and totals match before logging entries in your ledger.
• Provide a simple, self-serve “invoice read” experience for SaaS operations teams using n8n Forms.
• Test and refine invoice parsing rules by adjusting dateOrder and defaultCurrency.

Technical details

• Implemented with n8n nodes including Form Trigger, if, set, code, PDF text extraction, data table, and sticky note.
• No credentials, API keys, or AI models required.
• Requirements: your PDF must include a readable text layer—scanned/image-only invoices may not extract correctly. The workflow saves no files.