The simplest way to use Sterling is to forward supplier invoices to your unique Sterling email address. Sterling reads the invoice, finds (or creates) the supplier in Xero, codes the bill correctly, and files it as a Draft with the original PDF attached.
The workflow at a glance
You email the invoice PDF to your Sterling address.
Sterling reads the invoice — supplier name, reference number, date, due date, amounts and line items.
Sterling checks Xero for an existing supplier contact and for prior bills with the same reference (duplicate detection).
Sterling codes the bill — selecting the right GL account from your Chart of Accounts and the correct tax rate.
Sterling files the bill in Xero as a Draft with the PDF attached and a History & Notes entry explaining its choices.
You review and approve in Sterling or directly in Xero.
Screenshot: Sterling processing task showing the activity log (evidence E10a).
Step‑by‑step
1. Forward the invoice
Send the email (with the invoice PDF attached) to your Sterling email address. If you haven't set-up an Email account for Sterling (using Google Workspace or Microsoft Exchange), then you can find your unique email under Skills → Email Forwarding.
Most customers connect a shared mailbox like [email protected] that the team are already used to emailing.
2. Sterling creates a run
A new run appears under Tasks → "File Invoices in Xero" (or whatever you've called your AP Task) within seconds of the email arriving. Open it to watch Sterling work through the invoice in real time, or let Sterling run in the background and ping you when needed.
3. Sterling checks Xero and builds the draft
Before filing, Sterling runs through a checklist:
Reviewed invoice details — confirms it read the supplier, reference, date and totals correctly.
Checked supplier history — looks up the supplier in Xero and checks recent bills to avoid duplicates and inform coding.
Researched coding basis — examines prior bills from the same supplier to pick a consistent GL account.
Created supplier contact (if needed) — if the supplier isn't already in Xero, Sterling creates a new contact from the invoice details.
Created draft bill — files the draft with the line items coded and the PDF attached.
You can see every step with timestamps in the task's activity log.
4. Filing completes
When Sterling is done, the task is marked Completed with a summary: the amount filed, the GL account used, the tax rate, the PDF attached, and the minutes saved compared with manual filing.
Where it appears in Xero
Find filed bills under Business → Bills to pay in Xero. Open any bill to see:
Supplier, date, reference and totals matching the PDF
Line items coded to the correct GL accounts (e.g. General Expenses 429)
The correct tax rate (e.g. 15% GST on Expenses)
The original PDF attached
A History & Notes entry explaining Sterling's coding rationale
What Sterling will never do
Approve bills for you. Sterling always files as Draft — a human approves in Xero.
Pay suppliers or reconcile bank transactions. Sterling doesn't move money or touch your bank feed.
Delete Xero records. If you disconnect Sterling, it soft‑deletes its own copy of your data. Xero is untouched.
Post the same bill twice. Sterling uses the invoice reference to detect duplicates and will skip rather than create a second bill.
Good to know
Drafts are fully editable. If Sterling's coding isn't perfect, edit the draft in Xero before approving. Sterling learns from your corrections for that supplier.
Everything is auditable. The History & Notes entry on every filed bill records what Sterling did and why.
Multi‑organisation support. If you have multiple Xero organisations connected, Sterling routes the invoice to the correct one based on the email it was forwarded to.
Need help with a specific filing? [email protected] — include the task or bill reference.