Catch receipts from your phone

Filters handle the receipts that arrive by email every month. Your phone handles the rest: the paper receipt from lunch, the hotel invoice, the parts receipt from the hardware store. Send it before you leave and it's filed before you get home.

First, save your catch address as a contact called Receipts. Every tip below assumes you can type "rec" and pick it.

Receipt emails

In the Gmail app, Apple Mail or Outlook, open the receipt, tap Forward, type "rec", and send. If your mail app asks whether to include attachments, choose Include. The PDF is what we file.

Paper receipts

You'll get the best results from a scan rather than a plain photo. A scan is a flat, cropped PDF that reads cleanly.

• iPhone: in the Notes or Files app, choose Scan Documents, scan the receipt, then Share → Mail → "rec".
• Android: in the Google Drive app, tap the camera icon to scan, save it as a PDF, then share it by email.

A photo works too: lay the receipt flat in good light, fit the whole thing in frame, then Share → Mail → "rec".

One receipt per email. ExpenseCatcher files one receipt from each email (plus its matching invoice, if you've chosen to keep both in Settings). Send three receipts as three emails.

File types and iPhone photos

ExpenseCatcher reads PDF, JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF and HEIC files. iPhones save photos as HEIC by default; those are converted to JPEG as they arrive, so the copy in your Drive opens on any computer. If a photo comes out misread, because it's crumpled, blurry or cut off, correct it under Catches, or scan it again as a PDF.

Receipts inside apps

Ride-hailing, delivery and marketplace apps usually email a receipt as well. Check the email address on your account and let a Gmail filter pick it up. If an app only shows the receipt on screen, look for Download or Share and send the PDF to "rec". A screenshot also works if there's no other way.

Check what was caught

Open Catches in ExpenseCatcher to see each one: what was read, where it was saved, and the row in your sheet. If something was misread, such as a total or a date, correct it there. The fix is written back to your sheet.

Make it a habit

• Send it before you put the receipt away. Ten seconds at the counter beats an hour in March.
• Use a separate catcher for anything you'll claim back. Receipts – Reimbursable keeps those apart from the start.
• When you send a photo or scan, write the purpose in the subject, such as "client lunch, Acme". The subject has its own column in your sheet. (A forwarded receipt email keeps its original subject.)