Invoice Parsing API - Extract Structured Data from Any Invoice

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What It Does

Upload an invoice in any of 8 supported formats (DOC, DOCX, PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, TIFF, TIF), and the API extracts and structures the entire document into a comprehensive data object. We're talking seller and buyer details, full financial breakdowns with tax calculations, individual line items, payment terms, logistics info, e-invoice metadata, and reference numbers — all neatly organized and ready for your systems.

And yes, it handles scanned invoices and flattened PDFs where the content is images rather than selectable text. Because in the real world, invoices aren't always pixel-perfect.

Real-World Use Cases

Automated Accounts Payable

Feed invoices directly into your AP workflow. The API extracts vendor details, amounts, due dates, and line items — eliminating manual data entry and reducing processing time from minutes per invoice to seconds.

ERP & Accounting System Integration

Pipe structured invoice data straight into your ERP (SAP, Oracle, NetSuite, QuickBooks, Xero — you name it). No more reconciliation headaches, no more "which field maps to what" conversations. The data comes out clean and consistent every time.

Spend Analytics & Vendor Management

Aggregate invoice data across your entire vendor base to spot spending trends, negotiate better terms, and identify cost-saving opportunities. When every invoice is structured data, building dashboards and running analyses becomes trivial.

Expense Management & Compliance

Automate expense report validation by parsing receipts and invoices. Cross-reference extracted data against company policies, flag anomalies, and maintain a clean audit trail — all without human intervention.

Multi-Currency & Cross-Border Operations

The API extracts currency information, exchange rates, VAT/GST/SST IDs, and country-specific tax details. Perfect for businesses operating across borders that need to handle invoices in multiple currencies and comply with regional tax requirements.

Invoice Verification & Fraud Detection

Compare extracted invoice data against purchase orders, delivery receipts, and contracts. Automatically flag discrepancies in quantities, pricing, or vendor information before payments go out.

How It Works

Like all SharpAPI endpoints, Invoice Parsing follows a simple two-step async pattern:

Step 1: Submit your invoice file via a POST request to /api/v1/invoice/parse. You'll receive a job ID and status URL.

Step 2: Poll the status URL until the job completes. The result contains the full structured invoice data.

curl --location 'https://sharpapi.com/api/v1/invoice/parse' \
--header 'Accept: application/json' \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
--form 'file=@"invoice.pdf"' \
--form 'language="English"'

The response includes over 100 individual data fields organized into logical sections: document metadata, invoice details, references, e-invoice data, seller/buyer information, financials with tax breakdowns, line items, payment terms, and logistics data.

Why This Matters

Manual invoice processing costs businesses an average of $15–$40 per invoice when you factor in labor, errors, and delays. At scale, that adds up fast. By automating the extraction step, you're not just saving time — you're eliminating the single biggest source of AP errors and freeing your team to focus on work that actually requires human judgment.

Get Started

The Invoice Parsing endpoint is available now on all SharpAPI plans. Check out the details of Invoice Parsing for detailed request/response schemas, supported languages, and integration guides.

Your invoices aren't going to parse themselves. Well, actually — now they will.

Integrate faster with SharpAPI SDKs. Ready-to-use client packages for PHP, Laravel, Node.js, Python, Flutter, and .NET are available on GitHub. Browse Invoice Parsing SDKs →