Business Receipt Tracker for Small Businesses & Contractors
Every business receipt answers four questions later: who you paid, when, how much, and why. ScanMyReceipt captures those answers from the receipt itself, keeps the original image with them, and lets you pull out a clean record whenever your bookkeeper, a client or tax season asks.
Available now on iPhone. Android coming soon.
What is a business receipt tracker?
A business receipt tracker is an app or system that captures each business receipt, records who was paid, when, how much and why, and keeps the original image with those details. You can then search, total and export your expenses whenever a bookkeeper, client or tax authority asks for proof.
It sits between a shoebox and full accounting software. It doesn't run payroll or reconcile your bank, but it makes sure every expense has its proof attached and can be found in seconds.
How to track business receipts in 4 steps
The routine that works is the one done at the point of purchase, not in a panic at quarter-end.
1. Scan the receipt the day you get it
Photograph paper receipts before they fade or disappear into a glove box. For emailed or in-app receipts, save a screenshot and pick it from your gallery so paper and digital receipts end up in the same library.
2. Check the details OCR fills in
ScanMyReceipt reads the merchant, date, total, tax, payment info and line items when they're on the receipt. A quick glance to confirm the date and total is all most receipts need; anything wrong can be edited, and the image stays attached.
3. Add a category, tags and a note
Pick one category for the type of expense and add tags for the client, job or project. If the business purpose isn't obvious from the merchant, add a one-line note while you still remember.
4. Export at month or quarter end
Choose a date range, narrow by category or tags if you need to, and export receipts as PDF, CSV, Excel or ZIP for your bookkeeper or your own review. For a fuller routine, including who should capture receipts on a team, see our guide on how to keep track of receipts for your business.
What to capture with every business receipt
These are the fields that make a receipt useful months later. The first five usually come straight off the receipt, and ScanMyReceipt fills them in when they're printed on it. The last three come from you: the category, a note for business purpose, and tags for client or project.
| Field | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Merchant | Shows who you paid. It's the first thing you search for and what a reviewer checks against your bank statement. |
| Date | Puts the expense in the right month, quarter and tax year. |
| Amount | The total you paid, which is what ends up in your expense totals. |
| Tax | Sales tax, VAT or GST shown on the receipt, which some businesses track separately. |
| Payment method | Which card or account paid, so you can match receipts to statements. |
| Category | The type of expense (Office, Travel, Software…), which drives your totals and reports. |
| Business purpose | Why the purchase was for the business. A note like "client lunch, Q4 planning" is hard to reconstruct months later. |
| Client / project | Who the cost belongs to, for rebilling or job costing. |
Shoebox vs spreadsheet vs receipt tracker app
All three can work. The difference is how much effort each receipt takes and how likely you are to have the proof when you need it.
| Shoebox | Spreadsheet | Receipt tracker app | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time per receipt | Seconds to drop it in, but sorting and adding up happens later, all at once | A minute or more to type each one in | Seconds: snap it and check the filled-in fields |
| Search | Dig through paper by hand | Search what you typed, but the receipt image lives somewhere else | Search by merchant, amount, category, item, tags or notes, with the image attached |
| Export | Photocopy or scan the stack when someone asks | Already a spreadsheet, without the receipt images | PDF, CSV, Excel or ZIP with images, filtered by date, category or tags |
| Risk of loss | High: thermal paper fades, and boxes get misplaced or damaged | Medium: the numbers survive, the proof may not | Lower: the image is saved on your phone and synced to your account |
Who it's for
Built for freelancers, self-employed professionals, 1099 workers, contractors, and small businesses. If your main problem is scattered receipts and missing expense records, rather than running a finance department, ScanMyReceipt fits the job.
- Contractors and tradespeople buying materials and fuel across several jobs, who tag each receipt by job.
- Owner-operators who handle their own books and want receipts ready before the accountant asks.
- Small teams where one person looks after receipts. Each ScanMyReceipt account is individual, so the person who scans also exports; there are no shared libraries or approval workflows.
Scanning a lot of receipts for one business? The receipt scanner for small businesses page compares plans and other apps.
How long to keep business receipts
In the US, the IRS default is to keep records that support your return for 3 years. It's longer in some cases: 6 years if you leave out income worth more than 25% of the gross income on the return, 7 years for a bad-debt or worthless-securities deduction, at least 4 years for employment tax records, and indefinitely if you don't file or file a fraudulent return. The full list is on the IRS record-keeping page, and we explain each case in our retention guide (linked below).
ScanMyReceipt helps you organize and manage receipt records. It does not determine whether an expense is deductible and does not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for advice about your specific situation.
Pricing
Every plan includes every feature: OCR, categories, tags, search and all export formats. Plans differ only in how many receipts you can scan each month. Billing is through Apple or Google.
- Free: $0 · 20 scans a month
- Pro: $4.99 / month · 200 scans a month (or $39.99 / year)
- Business: $12.99 / month · 1,000 scans a month (or $99.99 / year)
For tax-time exports by year or quarter, see the tax receipt scanner.
Compare plansWhere your receipts live
- On your phone first. New receipts save on your device right away and sync later, so the library and search work offline. Reading a new receipt (OCR) needs a connection.
- In your account. Your login, receipt details and receipt images are stored with Supabase. PowerSync keeps your phone and your account in sync.
- OCR only reads the receipt. Receipt images are sent to Google Gemini only to extract fields such as merchant, date, total, tax and line items.
- Subscriptions. Billing is handled by Apple or Google, with RevenueCat tracking which plan you're on.
- Yours to take or delete. Export everything as a ZIP of images and spreadsheets at any time. Your data is kept until you delete your account in Settings → Delete account.
Providers may process data in the United States or other countries. Details are in the privacy policy and the account deletion guide.
FAQ
Is this only for large businesses?
No, it's the opposite. ScanMyReceipt is built for sole proprietors, contractors and small businesses that want simple receipt records, not enterprise expense management with approvals and policies.
Can my bookkeeper use the exports?
Yes. CSV and Excel exports have one row per receipt with date, merchant, category, tags, payment, currency, subtotal, tax, tip or extras, total, note and image file name. The Excel file adds totals by category and month and a line-items sheet. PDF works for review, and ZIP bundles the original images with the spreadsheets.
Does it connect to my bank?
No. ScanMyReceipt tracks expenses from the receipts you scan or upload. It doesn't connect to bank accounts, import card transactions or replace bookkeeping software.
What kinds of expenses can I track?
Any purchase you have a receipt for: supplies, software, fuel, meals, equipment, travel and other business spending. Capture the receipt, give it a category and tags, and it stays searchable.
Can I use ScanMyReceipt outside the US?
The app reads receipts in your local currency, and exports keep a currency column with totals grouped by currency. It doesn't apply any country's tax rules, so it won't calculate or file GST, VAT or sales tax returns. Check local requirements with your accountant.
Related pages
Ready to stop losing receipts?
Scan it once. Find it whenever you need it.
Scan. Organize. Find. Export.
Available now on iPhone. Android coming soon.