What AI import does#
You upload a PDF invoice, Margly reads it for you and fills in:
- Supplier name
- Invoice number
- Issue date
- Invoice currency
- Individual items with name, quantity, price excl. VAT, VAT rate, and price incl. VAT
- Suggested category for each item (logistics / shipping / packaging / marketing / operations / payroll / returns / other)
- Total amount excl. VAT and incl. VAT
You just review the recognized data, optionally fix it, and save. No manual retyping of data from a paper invoice into Excel.
What invoices the AI can handle#
- Text-based PDF (invoice you received from the supplier directly as PDF by email) — that's the main target case
- Invoices in languages: Czech, Slovak, English, German, Italian (and other foreign languages)
What the AI cannot handle:
- Scanned PDF as an image without a text layer — Margly doesn't do OCR, so it needs a PDF from which text can be extracted directly. If you get the error "PDF does not contain extractable text" or "PDF contains too little text" on save, you have a scan without a text layer.
- Password-protected PDF — decrypt it before uploading.
What's not possible: technical limits:
- File size: max 10 MB.
- Format: PDF only.
Procedure#
Open Cost import
In the left menu click Cost import. A page opens with the Cost import card and three tabs: PDF, AI Excel, Manual.
Select the PDF tab and upload an invoice
On the PDF tab you'll see the info on top about exhausted limit (e.g., "3 / 5 PDF imports this month"). Below it is the upload zone — click it or drag and drop one PDF invoice into it. Margly accepts one file at a time.
Wait for data recognition
Margly uploads the PDF, extracts text from it, and sends it to AI. The message "Analyzing invoice…" with a spinner is shown. It typically takes a few to several dozen seconds — depending on the size of the invoice and the current load of the AI service. The maximum time is 2 minutes, then Margly ends the request.
Review and edit the recognized data
Margly displays a form with "Review and edit the recognized data:" — at the top the section Currency and exchange rate, further down individual items.
Currency: if AI couldn't unambiguously recognize the currency from the invoice, the field stays empty — select the currency manually. If you are an e-shop in a different currency, Margly immediately shows you the ECB rate and conversion.
Items: check especially the total amount, VAT rate, and category for each item. By clicking a cell you can rewrite it.
Save
Click the save button. Margly saves the items to costs for the chosen month and immediately reflects them in the dashboard and margins.
Monthly import limit#
PDF and AI Excel share one monthly limit — the AI extracts the same thing, just from a different file type, so they count together.
| Plan | AI invoice imports / month (PDF + AI Excel combined) |
|---|---|
| Starter | 5 |
| Professional | 20 |
| Business | 50 |
| Enterprise | unlimited |
| Trial (14 days) | 50 (same as Business) |
Reset on the 1st day of the month in the timezone of your business country. Margly sends a warning at 80 % of the limit, and at 100 % of the limit blocks further import and sends an email to the account owner. If you need more, write to support@margly.io.
Common problems#
"PDF does not contain extractable text" / "PDF contains too little text"#
The uploaded PDF is a scanned image without a text layer. Margly doesn't do OCR.
What to do:
- Request from the supplier a PDF directly from the accounting system (text-based).
- If you have a scan, convert it to a searchable PDF with a text layer (e.g., in Adobe Acrobat: Tools → Enhance Scans → Recognize Text).
"File is too large"#
The invoice is larger than 10 MB.
What to do:
- Compress the PDF (Adobe Acrobat, Smallpdf, ILovePDF).
"Only PDF format is supported"#
You uploaded another format (e.g., JPG, PNG, DOCX).
What to do:
- For Excel / CSV files use the AI Excel tab (guide).
- For images: print them to PDF (File → Print → Save as PDF).
Wrong currency#
The AI couldn't unambiguously recognize the currency from the invoice — the field stays empty and Margly shows you a currency selection. Margly never automatically fills in the e-shop's default currency to prevent wrong recording of a foreign invoice (e.g., an EUR invoice accidentally saved in a CZK e-shop).
What to do:
- Select a currency from the offering. Margly loads the ECB rate at the date of the invoice.
Reverse charge#
AI is instructed to evaluate reverse-charge invoices (typically intra-EU invoices without VAT with a note "Reverse charge", "NI art.41", "Exempt") as 0 % VAT and amount_with_vat = price_without_vat. Sometimes it can make a mistake and apply the standard rate.
What to do:
- Check the VAT rate for individual items and, if needed, manually set it to 0 %.
AI service outage#
If OpenRouter (AI provider) has a temporary outage, Margly retries 2× (with delays of 3 and 6 seconds) and then returns an error like "Service is temporarily overloaded" or "Analysis took too long".
What to do:
- Try uploading the invoice again in a few minutes.
- Anti-abuse limit: max 30 extractions per hour per e-shop (sufficient for normal use).
What's next#
- AI import from Excel — if you have costs in a spreadsheet, not in PDF
- Manual cost entry — for one-off small items without an invoice
- Understanding margins — how imported costs flow into net margin