How Email Ingestion Works in Sumext
Time required: 3 minutes setup · Available on: Team and Firm plans
Email ingestion gives your organisation a unique inbox address. Any invoice forwarded or sent to that address is automatically extracted and added to your review queue, with no manual upload needed.
Your Unique Inbox Address
Every Sumext organisation gets a unique email address in this format: your-org-name@inbox.sumext.com.
Find yours at Settings → Email Ingestion → Your Inbox Address.
Step 1: Find Your Inbox Address
Sign in to app.sumext.com. Go to Settings → Email Ingestion. Copy your unique inbox address.
Step 2: Three Ways to Use It
Option A - You forward invoices: When a supplier sends an invoice by email, forward it to your Sumext inbox address.
Option B - Supplier sends directly: Share your inbox address with suppliers so invoices appear automatically.
Option C - Set up an email rule: In Gmail or Outlook, create a rule that forwards invoice, receipt, or bill emails to your Sumext inbox.
Step 3: What Happens After
- Sumext extracts the invoice within 30-60 seconds.
- You receive a WhatsApp notification if enabled.
- The invoice appears in the Costs → Review queue.
- Review, confirm account, and submit to Xero.
Supported Email Formats
- ✓ PDF attachment in email
- ✓ Image attachment (JPG, PNG)
- ✓ Word document attachment
- ✓ Multiple attachments in one email, each processed separately
Not supported: invoices in email body text, encrypted PDFs, or password-protected PDFs.
WhatsApp Notifications
Go to Settings → Notifications, enter your WhatsApp number with country code, and toggle email ingestion alerts on. You will receive a message within 60 seconds of each invoice arriving.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can multiple people share the same inbox address?
Yes. The inbox address is shared across your organisation. All team members see invoices that arrive via email ingestion.
What if a spam email arrives?
Only emails with valid file attachments are processed. Plain text emails and newsletters are ignored.
Can I have multiple inbox addresses?
One inbox address per organisation on Team plan. Multiple addresses are on the roadmap for Firm plan.
How long until an invoice is processed after arriving?
Typically 30-60 seconds. During high traffic periods, up to 3 minutes.
Can I see the original email?
The attached files are extracted and stored. The email body is not stored.