Are you starting to become buried in the amount of receipts you’ve got? Short of building a fort with them (which sounds awesome and you should seriously consider doing it!) there is an alternative. You can upload your receipts, take a picture or scan them in to create a digital copy enabling you to bin those receipts that are threatening to take over and make you join them in some sort of receipt cult! The only receipts that you have to keep in their original form are ones that show tax that isn’t VAT – for example, bank interest certificates, or dividend vouchers.

Let’s take a look at the different ways you can save your receipts depending on what software programme you’re using:

Xero

• Webpage: Using your phone you can log into Xero on Chrome or Firefox, go into your files section and click the “take photo” button. On your computer you can upload your receipts directly into the files section.
• Email: Every Xero account has a unique email address you can send your receipts to and it will store them in your files. To find it go into your files section and look in the top right hand corner. Simply email your photos to that address and Xero will save them in your files for you. Any emails you get with attached receipts you can also send there and Xero will store the receipt for you.
• App: Click the 3 dots next to your business name and go to your files inbox. Then click the 3 dots again and choose either take photo or choose file. This will upload your receipt into the files and you can sort out where it goes later. Of course if you want to add all the details straight away you can instead click on purchases then click the + symbol to add a receipt. You’ll see the image of a camera that will allow you to take a photo and then add all the details for it straight away.

QuickBooks

• Webpage: In the banking menu select the receipts tab. You can then upload your receipts directly.
• Email: Go to the receipts tab and register the email address you will be sending your receipts from. Then you can email your receipts to receipts@quickbooks.com and QuickBooks will try to get the details from it. The receipt will then be in the “for review” section in the receipts tab.
• App: In the menu you need to select the receipt camera. You can then take a photo of your receipt and it will upload it to the receipts tab.

Apps

There are a number of different apps that you can also use to upload your receipts. Some are cleverer than others and you will need to do your research to see if it’s what you’re looking for but here are some suggestions below:

• Hubdoc
• Receipt Bank
• AutoEntry
• Expensify

Now you know different ways you can store your receipts digitally you can shred all of those pesky receipts. Here are some suggestions for alternative uses for them: packing materials, make papier mache, use it as stuffing for a scarecrow, turn it into new paper, make a kneeling pad for the garden and use it for the stuffing. Let me know if you think of anymore!