Distinguish invoice details from a payment notification
Open the message and read it in full. Does it contain text labelled as an invoice, with a description of the purchase, the supplier, the buyer and the amount? Or does it merely confirm payment and point to a customer account? The subject line “Invoice” alone does not tell you what is inside.
If the email links to a document in a portal, look for it there. If the details are in the message itself, preserve the whole email and agree how to hand it over. Neither the subject nor the amount tells you whether the document is sufficient for your accountant; explain what you have available.
Illustrative example: a supplier sends an email with an invoice reference, a service description and an amount, without an attachment or download link. A colleague checks only the attachments and records the invoice as missing. A note saying “details are in the email body; agreeing a format with the accountant” more accurately describes what you have and what still needs doing.
Keep the message, including who sent it and when
Leave the original email in the mailbox. In your document list, record the mailbox, supplier, subject and date received so that you or a colleague can find it again. If you prepare documents together, agree who will save the message and who will handle any request to the supplier. A note saying “invoice in email” will not help much when searching.
To save a copy outside the mailbox, use your email application’s download or save-message function. Check the saved file for the complete text and header details: sender, recipient, date and subject. Open it in the tool you normally use for business documents. Until you have verified that it contains the right message and everything needed, do not rely on it as your only copy.
A screenshot or an amount copied into a spreadsheet may help you keep track, but it does not replace the whole email. A crop may leave out the buyer, a purchase note or text below the screen. Before handing it over, also read any quoted replies so that older, unrelated correspondence is not sent with the document.
In Outlook, the version matters
How you save a message depends on the email application and its version. Microsoft distinguishes new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook and Outlook on the web. In new Outlook, open the message and choose More actions → Save as; on the web, choose More actions → Download. In classic Outlook, save it through File → Save As. Menu labels and layouts may vary; select your version in the help documentation.
Check which format the message was saved in. Renaming the extension does not turn an EML or another file into a PDF. If you use another email application, look in its help for instructions on saving the original message. The related reading includes a specific Gmail guide. In every case, agree with your accountant before sending that they can open the file.
Source for this section: Microsoft: saving an Outlook message as a file or PDF
Ask your accountant what they can use
Describe what the message contains and ask which format your accountant needs. They may want the original email as a file, a readable copy of its contents or a separate PDF from the supplier. If you send an email file, also check which format they can open, so that it does not come back with a request to rework it.
Adapt this sample message to the actual purchase.
Fill in the supplier, purchase and date. Keep the statement about retaining the message only if you have actually done so.
Label a printed PDF as a copy of the email
If your accountant needs a PDF from the supplier, printing the email will not meet that request: it creates a copy of the message, not a new invoice issued by the supplier. If you agree to provide that kind of copy, you can create it using your email application’s print function. The linked Microsoft help explains printing to PDF in Windows.
Open the saved PDF and check every page. Check the complete text, any table data, and the sender, recipient, date and subject. The print layout may differ from what you see in the email; creating the file does not by itself mean that everything needed has been preserved.
State in the filename and covering message that this is a copy of the email made by printing. Keep the original message too. Do not add missing supplier details to the copy; put your explanation separately in the covering message. Agree with your accountant whether they can work with the copy.
Source for this section: Microsoft: saving an Outlook message as a file or PDF
Request a separate PDF with a reference to the original purchase
If you need a separate PDF, tell the supplier which purchase it relates to and that the details arrived only in the email body. Give the actual order number or another reference you already have. Do not invent a new invoice number. If you are unsure whether the supplier intended the message as an invoice, ask them to clarify that too.
Once you have agreed with your accountant, you can use this sample text:
Use the details from the original message. Do not include passwords or full payment-card details.
While waiting for a reply, add “PDF requested from supplier” to the document record, along with the name of the person handling the request. When the PDF arrives, open it and compare the purchase and buyer with the original email. Then send it through the agreed channel. If your accountant already received the original message, tell them that the PDF relates to the same purchase.
Finally, ask your accountant to confirm that they received and opened the agreed document. That way, you know it has not simply remained in your mailbox or downloads folder.