At a glance
Automatic supplier matching is available for accounts payable invoices.
Circula uses the VAT ID extracted from an invoice via OCR to automatically fill in the correct supplier.
Matching only works if the VAT ID on the invoice matches a saved VAT ID in the supplier settings.
If no matching VAT ID is found, accountants continue to select the supplier manually.
📌 Overview
When processing accounts payable invoices, accountants previously had to search for and select the correct supplier manually. This can be time-consuming when working with many invoices and increases the risk of accidentally selecting the wrong supplier.
With automatic supplier matching, Circula can automatically fill in the supplier as soon as a reliable match is found. To do this, Circula uses the VAT ID extracted from the uploaded invoice via OCR.
The VAT ID is better suited as a unique identifier per legal entity than matching based on the supplier name. Supplier names can appear differently on invoices, for example due to abbreviations, legal suffixes, typos, or OCR errors. An incorrect match can create additional correction work and, in the worst case, lead to a payment being routed to incorrect bank details.
❗️Important
Circula does not match suppliers based on their name. Automatic matching is based exclusively on an exact VAT ID match.
🛠️ How it works
Add the VAT ID to the supplier
To allow Circula to automatically match a supplier, the VAT ID must be saved for the respective supplier.
You can add the VAT ID in the following places:
in the “Suppliers” tab under “Settings”
(see Suppliers Feature)directly when creating a supplier while processing the invoice
(see step 3 b)in bulk via the supplier import during onboarding
Upload the invoice
Upload the accounts payable invoice in Circula as usual. Circula then reads the VAT ID from the invoice via OCR.
Check the automatic match
If the extracted VAT ID matches a saved VAT ID for a supplier, this supplier is automatically entered in the respective supplier field.
Review the automatically filled information before continuing to process the invoice.
📝 Note
If no VAT ID is detected on the invoice or no saved VAT ID matches, no supplier is entered automatically. In this case, select the supplier manually.
💡 Tip
VAT IDs can also be added in bulk via the supplier import during your onboarding.
This allows automatic supplier matching to work from the beginning, without having to add suppliers one by one later. Please contact your Customer Success Manager for this.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Why doesn’t Circula match based on the supplier name?
Matching based on the supplier name is more prone to false positives. Names can be written differently on invoices, for example due to abbreviations, legal suffixes, typos, or OCR errors.
An incorrect supplier match can lead to a payment being routed to incorrect bank details. This is why Circula uses the VAT ID as a unique and more stable identifier.
What happens if the invoice does not contain a VAT ID?
In this case, no supplier is matched automatically. Select the supplier manually.
This can happen in certain countries or for certain invoice types where a VAT ID is not mandatory on the invoice.
What happens if the VAT ID does not match any saved supplier?
If the extracted VAT ID does not match any saved VAT ID, no supplier is entered automatically. In this case, select the supplier manually.
Can I add VAT IDs for multiple suppliers at once?
Yes. The VAT ID can be included in the supplier import during onboarding.
Does matching also work without a saved VAT ID for the supplier?
No. Automatic matching is based on comparing the VAT ID on the invoice with the VAT ID saved for the supplier. Without a saved VAT ID, there is nothing to match against.
Do you still have questions?
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