How to Parse Invoices Automatically Using PDF.co and Zapier
This tutorial shows how to automatically extract structured information from invoices added to a Google Drive folder.
Prerequisites
You will need:
- A Zapier account
- A PDF.co account
- A Google Drive folder for incoming invoices
Step 1: Create the Google Drive Trigger
Create a Zap and select:
- App: Google Drive
- Trigger event: New File in Folder
Connect your Google Drive account and select the folder where incoming invoices will be stored.
Test the trigger with a sample PDF invoice. When using Google Drive with PDF.co, map the returned File value rather than a preview-page link.
Step 2: Add the AI Invoice Parser
Add another step:
- App: PDF.co
- Action: AI Invoice Parser
Connect your PDF.co account by signing in and authorizing Zapier.
The AI Invoice Parser automatically recognizes different invoice layouts, so a Document Parser template or template ID is not required.
Step 3: Configure the Parser
In Source PDF URL, map the PDF file returned by the Google Drive trigger.
Test the action. PDF.co will process the invoice and return structured data that may include:
- Invoice number
- Invoice date and due date
- Supplier and customer details
- Line items
- Subtotal, taxes, and total
- Currency and payment information
The exact fields depend on the information available in the invoice. See the PDF.co AI Invoice Parser documentation for output details.
Step 4: Send the Extracted Data to Another App
Add an action that uses the parsed invoice data. For example:
- Create a row in Google Sheets
- Create a record in Airtable
- Send the invoice details to accounting software
- Notify a team member when an invoice is received
- Store the JSON response in a database
Map the required values from the PDF.co response into the destination fields.
Step 5: Test and Publish
Test the complete Zap with an invoice from the monitored folder. Confirm that PDF.co extracts the expected information and that the destination app receives the mapped values.
Publish the Zap when the test succeeds.
Conclusion
The Zap now monitors Google Drive for new invoices, extracts their contents with PDF.co’s AI Invoice Parser, and sends the structured information to the next application in the workflow. Because the parser recognizes varying invoice layouts automatically, no extraction template needs to be created or maintained.
