Capture with the mobile app
Use the camera in the mobile app to photograph a receipt. Place it on a flat dark surface in good light, and keep all four corners in view. The app reads the vendor, date and amount, and creates a draft entry or stores the image in a receipts inbox. Review the draft before accepting, since reading mistakes happen.
Email and upload methods
You can forward emailed receipts to a unique inbox address assigned to your company, or upload files from your computer. Subscription receipts and online orders work well this way. Name or tag documents consistently, and avoid sending anything that is not a receipt, such as personal files, to the same address.
Match receipts to bank transactions
When a receipt and a bank feed item correspond, QuickBooks can suggest a match. Accept it only if the date and amount line up. A match moves the document onto the transaction, so you do not have two entries for the same cost. If the receipt includes tax or a tip, check the total against the card charge.
Attach to bills, invoices and journal entries
Supplier invoices, contracts and approvals can be attached to bills or to customers. Give large purchases supporting documents, like a quote, an invoice and proof of payment. For asset purchases, keep the invoice and the serial number. The attachment size and file type may be limited, so compress large files.
Retention and privacy
Keep records as long as tax and legal rules require, and check the current guidance from the IRS or your adviser. Digital copies are usually acceptable if they are legible and retrievable. Remove sensitive information when you can, such as full card numbers, and limit who can open the attachments. Back up your records outside of the accounting software, because access can change if you cancel a plan.
Build a short habit: photograph the receipt before leaving the register, add a note about who was at a meal and why, and clear the receipts inbox every Friday. A weekly ten-minute pass keeps the file reconciled and makes year-end calm.
What an auditor tends to ask for
Examiners usually want to see the receipt or invoice, proof of payment and the business reason for the cost. Meals, travel, gifts and vehicle expenses attract the most attention. A short memo like client lunch with the name and topic costs nothing at the time and saves a long search later.
Small cash expenses are easy to forget. Photograph the receipt or write the amount, date and purpose in a note on the same day. For a lost receipt, record what you can: bank or card statement, a copy from the vendor, or a written explanation. Some missing documents can be replaced by vendor copies. Do not invent a receipt. Keep a pattern of reliable records, and treat gaps as exceptions.
Worked example with numbers
You photograph an $86.40 fuel receipt in the mobile app. QuickBooks creates a draft expense. You assign it to vehicle fuel and confirm the vendor. When the bank feed brings in the same $86.40 charge, you match it to the draft rather than adding a second expense. The receipt stays attached to the matched transaction.
Without the match, you end up with two expenses of $86.40, overstating costs by $86.40 and leaving a feed item uncategorized. At scale, 50 receipts a month can easily produce a few duplicates.
Mistakes that cost money
Accepting drafts without matching to the feed creates duplicates. Letting receipts pile up unreviewed destroys the point of capture. Blurry photos are not valid backup. Attaching one receipt to several transactions makes audits confusing.
Check your work
Filter for transactions with no attachment above your chosen amount, and chase those first.
Common questions
Do I need to keep paper receipts after scanning?
Often not, if the digital copy is clear and complete, but ask your tax adviser about your situation.
What details should a meal receipt include?
The date, place, amount, who attended and the business purpose. Write the last two on the receipt or in a memo.
This guide is general information, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Rules, fees and due dates change; check with the IRS, the NJ Division of Taxation or a licensed professional for your situation.