Guides
Document work, explained properly
How to rename files by what is inside them, get data out of invoices, read scans and photos, and file the results. Every guide gives the free and manual methods first, including the ones that mean you do not need us.
How to rename PDF files based on what is inside them
If the PDFs have a text layer, a short PowerShell or Python script does it for free. If they are scans, you need something that can read an image. If the layout varies between suppliers, you need something that understands the document rather than matching a position.
How to get invoice data into a spreadsheet without typing it
If you use Xero or QuickBooks, their built in capture already does this and it is included in your subscription. Use that. Everything below is for people whose job is not invoices, or whose documents never reach an accounting system.
How to rename scanned documents automatically
A scan is a photograph of a page, not text. Nothing can read it until you either run OCR to add a text layer, or use a tool that reads the picture directly.
Batch rename files by invoice number
If the invoice numbers follow a consistent pattern and the PDFs have text, a short script does it free. The parts people get wrong are duplicates, illegal characters, and having no way back.
Pulling GST and totals off Australian tax invoices
A valid Australian tax invoice must show the supplier's ABN, the GST amount or a statement that the total includes GST, and the words Tax Invoice. Those are reliable. The total is not, because the largest number on the page is often a subtotal.
How to get data off photos of receipts
Photos fail for four reasons: thermal paper fading, shadows, perspective and creases. Fixing how you take the photo helps more than any software choice.
How to file invoices into folders automatically
Pick one structure and never mix two. Financial year then quarter suits Australian businesses, because it matches how you will actually be asked for things.
Free ways to rename PDFs in bulk, and where they stop
Bulk Rename Utility and PowerShell handle names and dates. PyMuPDF handles contents. Nothing free handles many different document layouts well, and that is the line.
Xero Hubdoc alternatives, and whether you need one at all
The job Hubdoc did now sits inside Xero as Smart Document Capture, and it is included in the Australian plans, though the cheapest plan lists basic extraction only. Try that before you buy anything, because for most small businesses it removes the reason to look elsewhere.
What to do when OCR gets the numbers on your invoices wrong
Fix the page first, because a low resolution, crooked or black and white scan is the usual cause of a misread digit. Then check every number that can be checked, such as subtotal plus GST equalling the total, and look at invoice numbers yourself, because no arithmetic can tell you one of those is wrong.
How to keep invoice records the ATO will accept at BAS time
Keep a legible copy of every invoice and receipt for at least five years, in English, stored so it cannot be quietly changed, and hold a valid tax invoice before you claim GST on anything over $82.50. A clear scan or photo counts, so once you have one you can throw the paper away.
How to rename files by the date inside the document, when every supplier writes it differently
Find the date by its label, such as Invoice Date, rather than taking the first date on the page, convert it to year, month, day, and flag any date like 03/04/2026 where the day and month could be swapped instead of guessing. For a small folder, doing it by hand with the file open is still the fastest reliable method.
How to reconcile a supplier statement, and why it is not an invoice
A supplier statement is a summary of your account with that supplier, not a tax invoice, so never enter it as a bill and never claim GST from it. To reconcile it, list your own bills, credit notes and payments for that supplier over the same period, tick off every line that appears on both, and the lines left over are what you chase.
How to get CVs into a shortlist spreadsheet
For your next ad, ask for the details you shortlist on in the application itself, through screening questions or a form that writes straight to a spreadsheet, so there is nothing to extract. For a pile you already have, typing six or seven columns by hand is fine for a few dozen CVs, and a free parser such as Affinda's handles bigger piles, as long as you are comfortable uploading applicants' personal details to it.
How to rename and file scanned court documents by matter number
If your practice management software can scan straight into a matter, use that and there is nothing to rename. Otherwise, name each document at the moment you scan it, because that is when you know which matter it belongs to, and if you automate it, only accept a matter number that exists in your list of open matters.
We also built a free tool for this job. Once is on the tools page, and every guide above tells you the free ways to do it first.