How to Email Receipts to BILL.com
The complete guide to BILL.com's custom inbox email address, prerequisites, accepted file formats, troubleshooting, and how to automate invoice forwarding.
Last updated: March 2026
In This Guide
- 1. What Is BILL.com?
- 2. The BILL.com Receipt Email Address
- 3. Prerequisites: Before You Email Invoices
- 4. Step-by-Step: How to Email an Invoice to BILL.com
- 5. File Formats and Size Requirements
- 6. Vendor Direct-Send Feature
- 7. All Invoice Submission Methods
- 8. Common Issues and Troubleshooting
- 9. Automate It with Expensent
- 10. Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is BILL.com?
BILL.com (formerly Bill.com, now branded as BILL) is a leading cloud-based financial operations platform designed for small and midsize businesses. It automates accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR), and spend management workflows, helping businesses streamline how they pay and get paid.
Founded in 2006, the platform has grown to serve over 400,000 businesses and processes billions of dollars in payments annually. BILL.com integrates with major accounting systems including QuickBooks, Xero, Sage Intacct, Oracle NetSuite, and Microsoft Dynamics, making it a central hub for financial operations.
One of BILL.com's core features is its email-based invoice intake. Each organization gets a unique inbox email address where invoices can be sent directly. The platform uses AI and OCR technology to extract key data from these documents, routing them through customizable approval workflows before payment.
The company rebranded from "Bill.com" to "BILL" in 2022, but the email inbox format and core functionality remain unchanged. Throughout this guide, we use "BILL.com" as this is the most commonly searched term.
2. The BILL.com Receipt Email Address
Unlike some expense management tools that use a single global email address, BILL.com assigns each organization a unique custom inbox email. This email follows a specific format:
Your BILL.com inbox email format:
[company]_invoices@bill.com
Where [company] is your organization's unique prefix (8-40 characters)
How the Prefix Works
Each BILL.com organization is assigned a unique prefix between 8 and 40 characters long. The prefix is alphanumeric and may include underscores. For example, if your company name is "Acme Corp," your inbox email might be acmecorp_invoices@bill.com or acme_corp_invoices@bill.com. The exact prefix is set during account creation and can be found in your BILL.com dashboard.
One Address Per Organization
Each BILL.com organization has exactly one inbox email address. Unlike some tools that provide per-user addresses, BILL.com uses a shared organizational inbox. Any team member with access to the BILL.com account can view invoices sent to this address. This makes it easy to centralize invoice collection—anyone in your company (or your vendors) can send invoices to the same address.
Where to Find Your Address
Log into BILL.com and navigate to Settings > Accounts Payable > Inbox. Your unique inbox email address is displayed on this page. You can copy it directly from there. If you have administrator access, you may also find it under the organization settings.
Important: Verify your exact inbox email address in your BILL.com dashboard before forwarding any invoices. A single typo in the prefix will cause invoices to bounce or be lost.
3. Prerequisites: Before You Email Invoices
Before sending your first invoice to BILL.com via email, make sure these requirements are in place.
Active BILL.com Subscription
BILL.com is a paid platform. You need an active subscription with Accounts Payable features enabled to use the inbox email feature. Free trial accounts may have limited inbox functionality. Confirm your subscription is active and your organization's AP module is set up before attempting to email invoices.
Administrator or AP Access
To find your inbox email address, you need access to the BILL.com settings. Typically, this requires an Administrator, Accountant, or AP Clerk role. If you don't have access to the Settings page, ask your BILL.com administrator for the inbox email address.
Know Your Exact Inbox Email
The inbox email must be exactly correct—there is no fuzzy matching. Sending an invoice to acme_invoices@bill.com when your actual address is acmecorp_invoices@bill.com will result in a bounced email. Copy the address directly from your BILL.com dashboard to avoid typos.
Invoices Must Be Attachments
BILL.com processes file attachments from incoming emails. While BILL.com's AI is capable of extracting data from various document types, the invoice must be attached as a file (PDF, image, Word doc, etc.) rather than embedded solely in the email body for reliable processing.
4. Step-by-Step: How to Email an Invoice to BILL.com
Once you have your inbox email address, here's how to send an invoice to BILL.com:
Find your inbox email address
Log into BILL.com and go to Settings > Accounts Payable > Inbox. Copy your unique email address (e.g., yourcompany_invoices@bill.com). Save it as a contact in your email client for easy access.
Verify the email format
Double-check that your inbox address ends with _invoices@bill.com. The prefix should be 8-40 characters, alphanumeric with possible underscores. If it looks different, confirm with your BILL.com administrator.
Forward or compose with the invoice attached
Option A: Forward the original email. If you received an invoice email with a file attachment (PDF, image, Word doc), forward the email directly to your BILL.com inbox address. Make sure the attachment is included in the forward.
Option B: Compose a new email. Create a new email to your BILL.com inbox address and attach the invoice file. The subject line can be anything—BILL.com reads the attachment, not the email subject.
Check your BILL.com Inbox
Log into BILL.com and navigate to Payables > Inbox. Your invoice should appear within a few minutes. BILL.com's AI will automatically extract key fields:
- •Vendor name — matched to existing vendors or flagged as new
- •Invoice number — for tracking and duplicate detection
- •Amount and due date — pre-filled for approval
5. File Formats and Size Requirements
BILL.com supports a wider range of file formats than most AP tools. Here's what you can send:
Accepted Formats
- •PDF — Best for invoices (recommended)
- •Word (.doc / .docx) — Document files
- •Excel (.xls / .xlsx) — Spreadsheet files
- •PNG — Image files
- •JPG / JPEG — Image files
- •GIF — Image files
- •TXT — Plain text files
Maximum: 20 MB total per email
Not Supported
- •Files over 20 MB — Too large
- •ZIP / RAR archives — Compressed files
- •Executable files — .exe, .bat, etc.
- •Password-protected files — Cannot be read
These will be rejected or ignored
PDF Is the Best Format
While BILL.com accepts many file types, PDF consistently produces the best OCR results. PDFs preserve the original invoice layout, making it easier for BILL.com's AI to extract vendor names, amounts, invoice numbers, and due dates accurately. If you have a choice of format, always go with PDF.
6. Vendor Direct-Send Feature
One of BILL.com's most powerful features is the ability to give your inbox email address directly to your vendors. Instead of you receiving invoices in your personal email and forwarding them to BILL.com, vendors can send invoices straight to your BILL.com inbox.
How It Works
Share your [company]_invoices@bill.com address with each vendor and ask them to send invoices directly to it. Many vendors allow you to configure a "billing email" or "AP email" in their customer portal.
- Invoices arrive in BILL.com without any manual forwarding
- AI extracts data automatically as invoices come in
- Works with any vendor who sends invoices by email
- No middleman—invoices go from vendor to your AP workflow directly
Limitation: Vendor direct-send only works for vendors who send invoices as email attachments. Vendors that embed invoices in the email body (HTML) or use their own portal for invoice delivery won't benefit from this approach. You'll still need to download and forward those manually—or use a tool like Expensent to automate it.
7. All Invoice Submission Methods
Email forwarding is just one way to get invoices into BILL.com. Here are all the available methods:
Email Forwarding
Forward invoice emails to your [company]_invoices@bill.com address. The simplest method for ad-hoc invoices. Works best when the invoice is a file attachment (PDF, image, etc.).
Vendor Portal Upload
Upload invoice files directly through the BILL.com web interface. Go to Payables > Enter Bill and drag-and-drop or browse for files. Useful for invoices you have as downloaded files rather than emails.
Mobile App Scanning
Use the BILL.com mobile app to snap a photo of a paper invoice. The app uses your phone's camera and OCR to capture the invoice data. Ideal for physical invoices received by mail or handed to you in person.
Third-Party Integrations
BILL.com connects with many third-party tools that can automatically push invoices into the platform. This includes accounting software (QuickBooks, Xero), procurement tools, and automation platforms. Tools like Expensent can also automatically forward invoice emails from your inbox to BILL.com.
Vendor Direct-Send
As covered above, give your inbox email to vendors so they send invoices directly to BILL.com. This is the most hands-off approach for recurring vendor relationships.
8. Common Issues and Troubleshooting
If your invoices aren't appearing in BILL.com, work through these checks:
Invoice not appearing in Inbox
Most common cause: wrong email address. Double-check the exact prefix by going to Settings > Accounts Payable > Inbox in BILL.com. Even a single character difference will cause the email to bounce. Also check your email's Sent folder to confirm the email was actually sent successfully.
Wrong email format or prefix
The email must end with _invoices@bill.com. Common mistakes include omitting the underscore, misspelling the prefix, or using @bills.com instead of @bill.com. Copy the address directly from your BILL.com dashboard.
File too large (over 20 MB)
BILL.com rejects emails larger than 20 MB total. If your invoice file is too large, try compressing the PDF (many free online tools can do this), reducing image resolution, or splitting a multi-page document into separate emails. Check the file size before sending.
Duplicate invoice detection
If you accidentally send the same invoice twice, BILL.com may flag it as a potential duplicate during the approval process. However, duplicate detection is not foolproof. If you see a duplicate in your Inbox, delete the extra copy before it enters the approval workflow. To avoid duplicates, keep a record of which invoices you've already forwarded.
5.Processing delay
Invoices typically appear in the BILL.com Inbox within 1-5 minutes. During peak times or with large files, processing may take longer. If the invoice hasn't appeared after 15 minutes, verify the email address and check if you received a bounce-back message.
6.Account or subscription issues
If your BILL.com subscription is expired, suspended, or the AP module is not enabled, the inbox email may not function. Contact your BILL.com administrator or check your billing status in Settings to confirm your account is active.
9. Automate It with Expensent
While BILL.com's vendor direct-send works for some vendors, many invoices still arrive in your personal email inbox. Manually forwarding each one to BILL.com takes time and creates gaps. Expensent automates the entire process.
Connect your email
Link your work email using secure OAuth—we never see your password. Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP supported.
Set your BILL.com inbox address
Enter your [company]_invoices@bill.com address as your forwarding destination.
Done. Invoices flow automatically.
When a new invoice arrives that you've set to auto-forward, it goes straight to BILL.com automatically.
Why Expensent + BILL.com Is Better Than Manual Forwarding
- Catches invoices vendors won't direct-send — Not every vendor will update their billing email. Expensent picks up the rest.
- Zero manual effort — No more forwarding individual emails throughout the month
- AI-powered detection — Recognizes invoices from any vendor, not a fixed list
- Complete capture — Every invoice is filed, nothing falls through the cracks
- Paper receipt capture — Built-in phone camera scanner turns paper receipts into forwarded documents
- AI price extraction — Automatically reads amount, currency, and recipient from PDF invoices
- Fine-grained control — CC your team, add vendor notes, filter by attachment type, skip $0 invoices, or block unwanted senders
- 5-minute setup — Connect once, done forever
Want to see how the integration works in detail? See the BILL.com Integration Page →
10. Frequently Asked Questions
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