Process Your First Invoice

This tutorial walks you through the complete invoice processing lifecycle in Cadense — from capture to payment reconciliation.

Prerequisites

• A Cadense workspace (sign up)
• At least one vendor invoice (PDF, image, or email attachment)

Step 1: Capture an Invoice

Cadense supports multiple invoice capture methods:

• Email forwarding: Forward invoices to your workspace's dedicated inbox
• Direct upload: Drag and drop PDF or image files into the invoice dashboard
• API upload: Send invoices programmatically via the REST API

Navigate to Invoices in your workspace sidebar, then click Upload Invoice or check your connected inbox.

Step 2: AI-Powered Extraction

Once captured, Cadense's OCR engine automatically extracts:

• Vendor details: Name, address, tax ID
• Line items: Description, quantity, unit price, total
• Payment terms: Due date, early payment discounts
• Amounts: Subtotal, tax, total, currency

Review the extracted data in the invoice detail view. Cadense highlights confidence scores so you can quickly verify accuracy.

Step 3: Smart Categorization

Cadense suggests GL codes and expense categories based on:

• Historical vendor patterns
• Line item descriptions
• Your organization's chart of accounts

Accept suggestions or override manually. The system learns from your corrections over time.

Step 4: Approval Routing

Configure approval workflows based on your organization's policies:

• Amount thresholds: Route high-value invoices to senior approvers
• Department rules: Auto-assign based on cost center
• Vendor tiers: Fast-track trusted vendors

Approvers receive notifications and can approve directly from email or the Cadense dashboard.

Step 5: Payment Processing

Once approved, process payments through integrated payment rails:

• Stripe: ACH transfers, wire payments, card payments
• Manual: Export payment files for your bank

Cadense tracks payment status and automatically updates invoice records.

Step 6: Bank Reconciliation

Connect your bank accounts via Plaid to enable automatic reconciliation:

1. Navigate to Settings → Bank Connections
2. Link your accounts through Plaid's secure flow
3. Cadense matches bank transactions to processed invoices
4. Review and confirm matches in the reconciliation dashboard

Next Steps

• Set up email capture for automated invoice ingestion
• Configure approval workflows for your team
• Connect Stripe for payment processing
• Integrate with your accounting system (QuickBooks, Xero, NetSuite)