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How to Scan Receipts

Best practices for scanning receipts and maximizing OCR accuracy.

Basic Scanning Steps
  1. Open Receipt.help and tap the camera icon
  2. Place receipt on a dark, flat surface
  3. Ensure good lighting (natural light works best)
  4. Hold camera directly above receipt (not at an angle)
  5. Make sure all four corners are visible
  6. Tap to capture when edges are highlighted in green
  7. Review extracted data and make any corrections
Do This
  • Flatten crumpled receipts before scanning
  • Use natural daylight when possible
  • Place receipt on dark background (desk, table)
  • Clean your camera lens
  • Scan receipts same day (before ink fades)
Avoid This
  • Don't scan on white or light backgrounds
  • Don't shoot at an angle (camera must be perpendicular)
  • Don't use flash (causes glare)
  • Don't crop edges - include full receipt
  • Don't wait weeks to scan (thermal paper fades)
Handling Faded or Damaged Receipts

Thermal receipts (like gas stations, grocery stores):

These fade quickly. Scan them immediately after purchase. If already faded, try:

  • Increase brightness on your phone before scanning
  • Use the flash if the receipt is very faint
  • Manually enter data if OCR can't read it

Crumpled receipts:

Flatten under a book for 10 minutes, or iron on low heat with a thin cloth over the receipt.

Long receipts (CVS-style):

Fold the receipt to show only the important parts (merchant, date, total, items purchased). You can scan multiple times if needed.

What Receipt.help Extracts
  • Merchant name: e.g., "Starbucks", "Office Depot"
  • Date: Transaction date
  • Total amount: Final amount paid (including tax)
  • Payment method: Cash, card, etc.
  • Line items: Individual products or services (when visible)
  • Tax amount: Sales tax (when shown separately)

Note: You can always edit any field if OCR misreads something. The extracted data is a starting point, not a final record.

Alternative: Email Receipts

Many merchants send email receipts. You can forward these to Receipt.help:

  1. Go to Settings → Email Receipts to find your unique email address
  2. Forward any receipt email to that address
  3. Receipt.help will extract data from the email and create an expense

Works great for: Online purchases, software subscriptions, digital services, hotel bookings, flight confirmations.

Pro Tips
  • Scan daily: Make it a habit to scan receipts at the end of each day. Takes 2 minutes and prevents lost receipts.
  • Use the widget: Add Receipt.help widget to your phone home screen for one-tap scanning.
  • Batch scanning: Have a stack? Scan them all at once. Receipt.help processes each as a separate expense.
  • Don't stress perfection: OCR is 90-95% accurate. You can always edit. The main goal is capturing the image.