File Vendor Invoices by Company and Date - AI Prompts | Sortio
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File Vendor Invoices by Company and Date

Accounts payable workflows depend on two things: a consistent filename so the same document can be found a year from now, and a per-vendor folder so historical spend with each supplier is visible at a glance. This prompt combines both. It extracts the invoice date, vendor name, and total amount from the content of each invoice, renames the file to a canonical YYYYMMDD - Vendor Name - $Amount format, and drops the renamed file into a folder named after the vendor. The result is a finance archive that is sortable by date inside each vendor folder, searchable by vendor across the archive, and immediately legible without opening any file.

Last updated: 5/12/2026
3 prompts included

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Prompts

Canonical Rename and Per-Vendor Routing

Rename each invoice to YYYYMMDD - Vendor Name - $Amount based on the content. Sort into folders named after each vendor.
Expected result: Every invoice is renamed in a uniform date-prefixed format that includes the vendor and the dollar amount, then placed inside a folder bearing the vendor name. Sorting any vendor folder by name produces a chronological list of invoices.
Folder structure after:
Vendors/
  Acme Office Supplies/
    20260112 - Acme Office Supplies - $342.18.pdf
    20260208 - Acme Office Supplies - $187.50.pdf
    20260314 - Acme Office Supplies - $912.04.pdf
  Cascade Cloud Hosting/
    20260101 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
    20260201 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
    20260301 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1450.00.pdf
  Northstar Logistics/
    20260115 - Northstar Logistics - $4280.75.pdf
    20260220 - Northstar Logistics - $3915.20.pdf
  Pinewood Print Shop/
    20260206 - Pinewood Print Shop - $612.00.pdf

Per-Vendor by Year

Inside each vendor folder, add a year subfolder so invoices are grouped by calendar year. Keep the canonical YYYYMMDD - Vendor - $Amount filename.
Expected result: Each vendor folder contains one subfolder per year of activity, with the dated invoices inside. This makes annual reconciliation and year-end vendor totals straightforward.
Folder structure after:
Vendors/
  Acme Office Supplies/
    2025/
      20251006 - Acme Office Supplies - $245.00.pdf
      20251118 - Acme Office Supplies - $402.55.pdf
    2026/
      20260112 - Acme Office Supplies - $342.18.pdf
      20260208 - Acme Office Supplies - $187.50.pdf
  Cascade Cloud Hosting/
    2025/
      20251201 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
    2026/
      20260101 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
      20260301 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1450.00.pdf
  Northstar Logistics/
    2026/
      20260115 - Northstar Logistics - $4280.75.pdf
      20260220 - Northstar Logistics - $3915.20.pdf

Paid vs Unpaid Status Split

After renaming, route each invoice into Vendors/<Vendor>/Paid or Vendors/<Vendor>/Unpaid depending on whether the invoice content shows a paid stamp, paid date, or zero balance. Keep the canonical filename.
Expected result: Open accounts payable is visible at a glance: every vendor folder has a Paid subfolder for the archive and an Unpaid subfolder for what still needs to be processed.
Folder structure after:
Vendors/
  Acme Office Supplies/
    Paid/
      20260112 - Acme Office Supplies - $342.18.pdf
      20260208 - Acme Office Supplies - $187.50.pdf
    Unpaid/
      20260314 - Acme Office Supplies - $912.04.pdf
  Cascade Cloud Hosting/
    Paid/
      20260101 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
      20260201 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1200.00.pdf
    Unpaid/
      20260301 - Cascade Cloud Hosting - $1450.00.pdf
  Northstar Logistics/
    Paid/
      20260115 - Northstar Logistics - $4280.75.pdf
    Unpaid/
      20260220 - Northstar Logistics - $3915.20.pdf

Customization Tips

  • If you prefer ISO dates with separators, change the format to YYYY-MM-DD. Sortio will follow whichever format you specify exactly.
  • Drop the dollar sign or include the currency code (USD, EUR, GBP) in the filename if you receive invoices in multiple currencies.
  • Add the invoice number to the filename ("YYYYMMDD - Vendor - INV1234 - $Amount") for easier reconciliation against accounting software.
  • For 1099 contractors, route by contractor name instead of vendor and add a separate Tax Forms subfolder for W-9s and 1099s.
  • If you receive vendor statements in addition to invoices, add a sibling Statements folder under each vendor so monthly statements do not mix with line-item invoices.

Troubleshooting

Problem:

The vendor name is not detected because the invoice uses a parent company name.

Solution:

Provide a mapping in the prompt.

Steps:

  1. 1List known aliases, for example "Cascade Cloud Hosting, also appears as Cascade Holdings LLC".
  2. 2Merge any incorrectly created folders manually.
  3. 3Re-run the sort.

Problem:

The amount in the filename is incorrect because the invoice has multiple totals (subtotal, tax, total).

Solution:

Specify which total to use.

Steps:

  1. 1Add "Use the grand total or amount due, not the subtotal" to the prompt.
  2. 2Re-run the sort.

Problem:

Some invoices have no date in their filename or content.

Solution:

Fall back to the file modification date.

Steps:

  1. 1Add "If no invoice date is found, use the file modification date as YYYYMMDD" to the prompt.
  2. 2Re-run the sort.

Problem:

Recurring monthly invoices from the same vendor all look identical after renaming.

Solution:

Include the invoice number or billing period.

Steps:

  1. 1Adjust the filename format to "YYYYMMDD - Vendor - Period - $Amount" where Period is something like "March 2026".
  2. 2Re-run the sort.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Sortio read the inside of each PDF invoice to extract date, vendor, and amount?

Only when content-based sorting is enabled. For invoice routing this is typically worth enabling. Pair it with Offline mode if invoices contain sensitive financial information and you do not want them sent to the cloud.

Can Sortio handle scanned (image-based) invoices?

Scanned invoices need to be OCRed first so Sortio can read the text. Most modern scanners and tools like Preview on macOS or Adobe Acrobat can produce searchable PDFs. Once OCRed, Sortio extracts vendor, date, and amount the same way it does for text PDFs.

Will this work alongside accounting software like QuickBooks or Xero?

Yes. Sortio organizes the underlying files. Once the filename includes the date, vendor, and amount, attaching invoices to entries in QuickBooks, Xero, or Bill.com is much faster, and audits become trivial.

Related Glossary Terms

accounts payableinvoice managementvendor filingrename invoice pdfsap automationper vendor folder structure

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