How to import invoices into Sage 50

Sage 50 Accounts imports purchase invoices as audit trail transactions with the transaction type PI, from a CSV or Excel file, using the data import under File > Import. Sage supplies an Audit Trail Transaction FULL template for the file, and each invoice is recorded as a ledger transaction, since Sage says the Invoices and credits module cannot be imported into.

This guide covers the template, the fields a purchase invoice needs, the steps as Sage documents them, and what the import still leaves for your team. It is written for Sage 50 Accounts in the UK, and everything about Sage 50 here comes from the Sage UK knowledgebase, checked on 16 October 2026.

Can you upload invoices to Sage 50?

Yes, as transactions. According to Sage’s list of what you can import, audit trail transactions can be imported, and PI (purchase invoice) and PC (purchase credit) are both accepted transaction types. The same article lists what cannot be imported: the Invoices and credits module, the Purchase order module, purchase payments (PP), which go in as payments on account (PA) and are allocated by hand, and purchase discounts (PD), which go in as purchase credits.

So the import records each invoice as a transaction against the supplier’s account. It does not create a purchase order or an invoice document in Sage 50.

Where is the Sage 50 import invoices template?

In Sage 50 Accounts, go to File, select Import, then select here on the Welcome window to reach the import templates. The one for purchase invoices is Audit Trail Transaction FULL template.xls. Each column carries a tip, compulsory fields are shaded blue and optional fields yellow.

You can save the finished file as Excel (.xls or .xlsx) or CSV. Sage’s import file format rules say every row or line is one record, the columns can be in any order because you map them during the import, and the Excel option only works with a compatible version of Excel installed.

Which fields does a purchase invoice need?

Sage’s list of audit trail data fields sets out what each column holds. For a purchase invoice:

• Transaction Type: PI for an invoice, PC for a credit.

• Account: the supplier’s account reference, up to 8 characters. It must already exist in Sage 50.

• Nominal Code: up to 8 characters, and it must already exist.

• Net: the net amount, with up to 8 digits and 2 decimal places.

• Exchange Rate: 1 for base currency transactions. For foreign currency invoices, enter the foreign currency values and the base to foreign exchange rate.

• Optional: Department (0 to 999), Date (DD/MM/YYYY, and a blank date takes the current program date), Reference (30 characters), Details (60 characters), T/C (T0 to T99, and a blank takes T0) and Tax (a blank imports as 0.00).

• Extended fields include Ex.Ref, Project Reference and Cost Code Reference. On a PI, a project reference needs a cost code and a cost code needs a project reference.

A text value longer than its field is cut to fit with no error shown, so check long references before you import.

How to import invoices into Sage 50

1. Build the file from the Audit Trail Transaction FULL template, then close Excel and any other software used to create it.

2. Make sure every other user has logged out. Sage describes data import as an exclusive program area.

3. On the menu bar, go to File, then select Import.

4. Select Backup to back up your data, then select Next when it finishes. Sage warns that an import cannot be reversed, and the way back is to restore that backup.

5. In the Data type window, select the audit trail transactions data type, then select Next.

6. In the Data source window, select the format of your file. If the first row holds headings, select the First row contains headings checkbox.

7. Select Browse, choose the file and select Open. If the file has several worksheets, choose the right one from the dropdown, then select Next.

8. Complete the Imported Field column to link each Sage field to a column in your file. Compulsory fields show an asterisk. Load Map and Save Map let you reuse a mapping.

9. Select Next, check the summary, then select Import or Finish. The imported transactions appear in the Record Imported pane. Select Close.

If the wizard finds a problem, such as an invalid format, no data imports and an error message names the issue. In Sage 50 Accounts v28.1, Sage’s knowledgebase also describes an Audit Trail transactions - Grouped data type, which places transactions with the same account reference, date and reference under one header transaction.

Steps checked against Sage’s help on 16 October 2026.

What a manual import still leaves to your team

The import is a fast way to post data that is already clean, such as a batch from another system. For day to day supplier invoices, most of the work happens before the file exists.

• Someone still reads each invoice and types the supplier, date, reference, net, tax code and VAT into the template.

• Nominal codes and departments are chosen by whoever builds the file. The import needs the codes to exist already, which says nothing about whether they are the right ones for that invoice.

• Purchase order matching happens outside the file, because the import does not reach the Purchase order module.

• Approval also has to happen before the row is added, in whatever process your team uses today.

• Problems surface at import time, after the keying is done, and a long reference can be shortened without warning.

• The audit trail field list has no field for the invoice document, so plan how the PDF will be kept with the transaction.

How to automate invoices into Sage 50

The automated route covers the same ground with the keying taken out: capture, coding and approval, then posting through the integration.

Stratas connects to Sage 50 through a direct API. Your team forwards invoices by email, approvers approve with one click from anywhere, and invoices post to Sage 50 without anyone rekeying them. Stratas extracts invoice data with 89% field-level accuracy.

Credit notes and debit notes are identified and posted to the correct Sage transaction type. Invoices can be queued and posted in batches to match your current routine, or posted individually in real time. Stratas supports Sage 50 Accounts v24 and later, including Sage 50 Accounts Plus, Professional and Sage 50cloud Accounts. If you are on an older version, talk to us and we will advise on the best path. Our guide to invoice approval workflows covers how approval routing is usually set up.

The details are on our Sage integration page. If part of your group runs Sage 200, our guide to importing purchase invoices into Sage 200 covers its supplier transactions import.