Receipt Scanning

Automatically extract expense data from receipt images and PDF invoices using AI-powered OCR.

INFO

Receipt scanning is available on every plan, with a monthly cap on the number of scans: 3 on Free, 30 on Starter, and 200 on Pro. The cap resets on the first of each calendar month.

Overview

Instead of manually entering every expense, take a photo of a receipt or upload a PDF and let MyCompanyDesk extract the details automatically.

Supported formats

• Images — JPEG, PNG, WebP
• PDF — PDF invoices and receipts

• Maximum file size — 50MB

The scanner only handles receipts with positive amounts. Credit notes, return receipts and other documents with a negative total are rejected with a message; add those manually as an expense with a negative amount.

File size note

The scanner accepts files up to 50 MB, but the receipt attached to the created expense is capped at 10 MB. If you scan a file larger than 10 MB, the expense is still created, but the receipt is not attached and a warning tells you to upload it manually on the expense. Reducing the file size before scanning also prevents this.

How to scan a receipt

1. Go to Expenses > Scan Receipt
2. Upload your receipt file (drag and drop or click to browse). The scanner takes one file at a time.
3. Optionally open the advanced options and choose the extraction mode:
   • Single: extract one expense from the receipt
   • Multiple: extract multiple line items from the same receipt (the default)
4. Wait for processing (a few seconds)
5. Review the extracted data:
   • Date
   • Amount
   • Supplier name
   • Description / items
6. Edit any fields that need correction
7. Click Confirm to create the expense(s)

Extraction modes

Single mode

Best for simple receipts with one total:

• Restaurant bills
• Gas station receipts
• Single-item purchases

Extracts: date, total amount, supplier, description.

Multiple mode

Best for itemized receipts or invoices:

• Office supply orders with multiple items
• Supplier invoices with line items
• Shopping lists

Extracts: individual line items with descriptions and amounts.

Advanced settings

The scanner has an advanced options panel:

• Instructions: add free-text context to help the AI (e.g., "This is a Dutch receipt from Albert Heijn")
• Extraction mode: single expense or multiple line items (default: multiple)
• Category: limit extraction to one expense category, or leave it on any category
• Filter tags: keyword tags; only items matching the tags are extracted
• Price range: a minimum and maximum amount; items outside the range are skipped
• Attach receipt: whether the original file is attached to the created expense (on by default)

Scanning limits

Receipts and invoices with too many line items to process in one pass are rejected with a "too many lines" message. If you see this, split the document into smaller parts (for example, one page or a smaller group of line items at a time), or enter the expenses manually.

Tips for best results

• Good lighting — Take photos in well-lit conditions
• Flat surface — Place the receipt on a flat surface
• Full receipt — Make sure the entire receipt is in frame
• Clear text — Ensure text is legible and not blurry
• One receipt per scan — Scan receipts individually for best accuracy

After scanning

Once confirmed, the expense is created with:

• All extracted data pre-filled
• The original receipt attached as a file
• Category suggestions (if AI suggestions are enabled)

When the scanner resolves a supplier country (for example, a foreign supplier or a matched Dutch KVK number), the review card also shows a VAT treatment selector. The scanner proposes a default based on the supplier and amount, but you can change it before confirming. This matters for reverse-charge purchases from another EU country and for non-EU import expenses.

You can edit the expense afterward like any manually created expense.

Currency and duplicate bookings

The scanner recognises when a document is in a currency other than euro. In that case the review card shows the original amount with its currency and a separate field where you enter the euro amount as your bank converted it. The foreign-currency lines cannot be confirmed until the euro amount is filled in. If the document is already in euro, the card shows "This is just euros" and the flow stays unchanged.

When the scanner thinks a receipt was already booked, it shows a warning with the date, supplier and amount of the existing expense. You can open that expense or choose to book the receipt again anyway if the warning is wrong. The check is a soft guard, not a hard block; it only prevents accidentally entering the same receipt twice.

The scanner can also recognise your own sales invoices and warn that the document looks like a sales invoice rather than an expense. That warning does not block you; you can still continue if it is a return or a correction.

Permissions

The receipt scanner is gated by the same page permission as the Expenses page. A team member needs Read access to Expenses to open the scanner, and Create access to confirm a scanned receipt into a new expense. Members without the Create permission still see the scanner, but cannot finish the confirmation. This applies whether the receipt is uploaded from the Expenses page or created through a shared photo flow.

Scanning several receipts

The uploader takes one file at a time. To process several receipts, scan them one after another; each scan counts once towards your monthly cap. For a receipt or invoice that contains multiple items, use the Multiple extraction mode to create several expenses from a single scan.

Tips

• Scan receipts as soon as you receive them — don't let them pile up
• Check the extracted amount carefully, especially for receipts with multiple currencies
• Enable AI suggestions for automatic categorization after scanning
• Keep the original receipt file attached for tax audit purposes
• For receipts in a foreign currency, always check that the euro amount matches your bank's conversion
• Unsure about a duplicate-booking warning? Open the existing expense to verify