Guide · Document collection
Receipt capture for bookkeeping firms: stop retyping receipts
Retyping receipts is slow, and chasing them is slower. This guide shows how to set up receipt capture with the tools that come with QuickBooks Online and Xero, give every client the same simple routine, and review what comes in without losing control of the books.
Choose one route per client
A client should have one way to send receipts, not three. Pick the route that matches the client's software and stick to it.
Forward by email.
Best for receipts that already arrive by email, such as subscriptions and online orders.
Photo from a phone.
Best for paper receipts, taken on the day.
Supplier sends it directly.
Best for regular bills, by giving suppliers the capture address.
Receipt capture in QuickBooks Online
Set up the forwarding address
Go to All apps, then Accounting, then Receipts, and select Forward from email. Create the client's forwarding address, which ends in @assist.intuit.com, and confirm it.
Choose who can send
From the same Receipts page, select Manage forwarding email and turn on each user who should be able to forward receipts and bills. Users need at least standard permissions with access to vendors.
Send one receipt per image
Each image or file should hold one receipt. QuickBooks Online reads details such as the date and amount, and the receipt waits on the Receipts page to be reviewed, categorized or matched to a bank transaction.
Receipt capture in Xero with Hubdoc
Use the organisation's email address
Each Hubdoc organisation has its own email address. Clients can email receipts and bills to it, and Hubdoc creates a separate document for each attachment. For a multi-page PDF that holds several receipts, adding a split tag to the subject line makes each page its own document.
Let suppliers and email rules do the work
Give suppliers the Hubdoc address so bills go straight in, and set up forwarding rules in the client's email for regular senders.
Review, then publish
Hubdoc reads the details from each document and publishes it to Xero, where you match it during reconciliation. Supplier rules help code regular suppliers the same way each time.
Give every client the same routine
Send it the day you get it.
Receipts are easiest to capture when they're new.
One receipt per photo.
A clear, flat photo of each receipt.
Add a note when it isn't obvious.
For example, who the meal was with or what the purchase was for.
Don't send the same receipt twice.
If unsure, ask before resending.
Common mistakes
Too many routes.
Receipts end up in email, chat and a shared folder, and some get missed.
Skipping the review.
Captured details still need a check before they're posted.
Not turning on users.
In QuickBooks Online, a user who isn't switched on for forwarding can't send receipts.
Several receipts in one photo.
Each one should be captured separately.
Questions
Do I still need receipts if the bank feed shows the transaction?
The bank feed shows the payment; the receipt shows what was bought. Agree with each client and their tax preparer which receipts to keep.
Should clients send receipts to me or to the software?
To the software, through one agreed route. It saves you forwarding them yourself.
What about paper receipts?
Ask clients to photograph them on the day, before they fade or get lost.
Want receipt capture set up for your clients?
The Bank feeds and automated receipt capture Fix Pack connects bank feeds and configures rules for your clients, and sets up receipt capture with a simple client routine.
See how much time retyping and chasing receipts takes.
The free Snapshot takes about 3 minutes and works from your own answers.