How to Organize Receipts for Your Accountant
Written by Darshan Thakor, founder of ScanMyReceipt · Published · Updated
Accountants bill for time, and sorting a shoebox takes a lot of it. Hand over organized records and you spend the meeting on decisions instead of a scavenger hunt. Here's how to prepare, with a checklist to work through before you send anything.
Start by asking what they want
Before tax season, ask your accountant a few questions. Five minutes now saves a week of back-and-forth in March.
- Which period do you need: the calendar year, your fiscal year, or specific months?
- Which format: a spreadsheet, a PDF report, the receipt images, or all three?
- Do you want everything, or only some categories?
- How should I send it: email, a shared folder, or your client portal?
ScanMyReceipt exports CSV, Excel, PDF or ZIP, so you can match whatever they ask for. The receipt export page compares the formats.
Use categories your accountant will recognize
Plain, consistent categories beat clever ones. Office, Travel, Meals, Software and Fuel are easy for anyone to map to a tax form. A category you invented in February and abandoned by June isn't.
Use tags for the second dimension, such as a client, a project or a property, and keep categories for the type of expense.
Add the context only you know
A receipt shows what you paid and where. It doesn't show why. The IRS notes that supporting documents should show the business purpose of an expense; see its guidance on records. Add a short note wherever the reason isn't obvious:
- Meals: who was there and what was discussed.
- Travel: the trip's business purpose.
- Mixed carts: which items were for the business.
- Large purchases: what it is and when you started using it for work.
Check for gaps and errors
- Spot-check a dozen receipts. Is the merchant right, the date sensible, and the total the same as on the image?
- Look at monthly totals. A month with far fewer receipts than usual often means a stack you forgot to scan.
- Compare with your card statement. Chase the business purchases with no receipt, starting with the largest.
- Remove duplicates. The same receipt scanned twice inflates your totals.
- Categorize the leftovers. Make sure every receipt in the period has a category.
The accountant hand-off checklist
| Check | Done when |
|---|---|
| Period agreed | You know exactly which dates to export |
| Format agreed | You know whether they want a spreadsheet, a PDF, images or a ZIP |
| Receipts complete | Monthly totals look normal and large card charges have receipts |
| Totals checked | A sample of totals matches the receipt images |
| Categories consistent | No uncategorized receipts; the same expense always gets the same category |
| Notes added | Meals, travel, mixed carts and large purchases have a business purpose |
| Duplicates removed | Each receipt appears once |
| Export filtered | The file covers only the agreed period and categories |
| Images included if needed | ZIP export, or a PDF with a page per receipt |
| Gaps explained | A short note lists anything missing and why |
Send a filtered export
In ScanMyReceipt, open Export, choose the date range, narrow by category or tags if needed, and pick a format. For most accountants, a ZIP works well: it contains the CSV, Excel workbook and PDF report, plus an Images folder with every receipt image named by date, merchant and total.
If your accountant works in spreadsheets, see what's in the file in our guide to exporting receipts to Excel. After the hand-off, keep your records for as long as the rules require; our guide on how long to keep business receipts has the IRS table.
Sources
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.