Expense receipt routing — Snap a receipt and it's coded, matched and filed for the bookkeeper
Expense receipt routing collects receipts from staff by text, email or a shared folder. It reads the vendor, date and amount, matches the receipt to the card charge, and suggests a category or job. The bookkeeper reviews the coding instead of chasing paper at month-end.
By Julia Ja, Owner
Receipts matched to card charges
Texted in by staff| Receipt | Total | Coded to |
|---|---|---|
| Supply store, 11:20 | $184.62 | Job: Elm St |
| Gas station | $71.10 | Fuel · truck 2 |
| Hardware store | $23.48 | Asked: which job? |
Each receipt is attached to its card charge. When the job is unclear, the employee gets one quick question.
Send to the bookkeeperWhy it matters
The problem it solves
Receipts are easy to lose. They end up in truck cabs, wallets and jacket pockets, and nobody thinks about them until the bookkeeper asks.
At month-end, card charges sit uncategorized and reminders to staff get ignored. Without receipts, costs can't be billed to the right job or backed up at tax time.
Example · illustrative
A landscaping crew lead's Wednesday
- At 11:20 am a crew lead buys irrigation parts at a supply store with the company card.
- He snaps the receipt and texts it to the receipts number.
- A minute later he gets a reply asking which job it was for, with three active jobs to pick from.
- He picks the one on Elm Street.
- That evening the bookkeeper sees the receipt attached to the card charge and coded to that job.
How it works
How expense receipt routing works
- Starts whenA staff member texts a receipt photo or forwards an emailed receipt
- 1Step 1Read the receiptVendor, date, total and tax are read from the photo or email.
- 2Step 2Match the chargeThe receipt is attached to the matching card transaction. If none is found, it's marked for reimbursement.
- 3Step 3Code itA category and job are suggested from past receipts. When it's unclear, the employee gets one quick question, like which job.
- A person decidesReviewThe bookkeeper checks the coding, and a manager approves reimbursements and anything outside policy.
Before · by hand
- Receipts live in trucks, wallets and pockets.
- The bookkeeper chases staff for missing receipts at month-end.
- Card charges sit uncategorized for weeks.
With expense receipt routing
- Receipts are captured the day the money is spent.
- Each receipt is attached to its card charge in the books.
- A charge with no receipt gets a reminder to the person who made it.
What we build
The parts of expense receipt routing
Your systems
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
- Google Drive
- Microsoft 365
- Slack
- Twilio
What we build
1Receipt intake
A text number, email address or shared folder where staff send receipts without installing anything.
2Receipt reader
Reads vendor, date, total and tax from photos, PDFs and emailed receipts.
3Card charge matching
Finds the matching card or bank transaction in your accounting software and attaches the receipt to it.
4Coding and questions
Suggests a category and job from past receipts, and asks the employee one short question when it isn't sure.
5Missing receipt reminders
Reminds the cardholder when a charge still has no receipt after the time you set.
Your team decides
- The bookkeeper reviews coding and the final books.
- Managers approve reimbursements and anything outside policy.
Industries it fits
What expense receipt routing looks like in each industry
Roofing & general contractors
A crew lead texts a hardware store receipt and is asked which job it was for. The cost shows up in that job's totals, so the project manager sees it before the next invoice.
Everything for roofing & general contractorsYour industry isn’t listed, or works differently? Describe it and get an answer in a minute.
Getting started
What you need first
We go through these with you in the audit, before anything is built.
Before we start
4 things to have ready- Accounting software with card and bank feeds connected, such as QuickBooks Online or Xero.
- A list of active jobs, projects or grants, if receipts should be coded to them.
- Your expense policy: what needs approval, what's reimbursable, and when a missing receipt gets a reminder.
- A bookkeeper or office person who reviews the coding.
How a rollout runs
- 1See how receipts arrive todayWe look at who spends, on which cards, and where receipts end up, so intake fits how staff already work.
- 2Set up intake and coding rulesWe set up the text number or email address and write coding rules from your past categorized charges.
- 3Connect feeds and the job listWe connect the accounting software's card feeds and your job or project list, so matching and job questions work.
- 4Pilot with a few spendersA few staff send receipts first. We check matching, coding and the questions they get before everyone joins.
- 5Roll out and add remindersEveryone starts sending receipts, and missing-receipt reminders turn on once the basics are steady.
What to measure
How to know it's working
Weekly report · expense receipt routing
IllustrationCard charges with a receipt attached
The main sign it's working. Gaps show who needs a reminder or easier intake.
Receipts coded without changes
Shows whether the suggestions match how the bookkeeper would code them.
Uncategorized charges at month-end
This is the pile the automation is meant to clear.
Billable costs added to invoices
Shows whether job and client tags are reaching billing.
Questions sent to staff
Too many means the rules need work. Staff start ignoring questions they get too often.
We measure the baseline before building, so the change can be compared afterwards.
When it’s not a fit
- If card feeds aren't connected to your accounting software, there's nothing to match. Set that up first.
- Staff still have to send the receipt. If the team won't text a photo, reminders alone won't fix it.
- It doesn't replace an expense policy. Rules for what's allowed and reimbursable must come from you.
Tool or custom build
Do you need a custom build?
Option A · a ready-made tool
An off-the-shelf tool may be enough
Expensify, Dext and spend card programs like Ramp capture receipts and match them to charges. If all spending runs through one card program, its built-in tool is often enough.
Option B · built around your systems
When a custom build is worth it
A custom build makes sense when receipts must be coded to jobs or grants from another system. It also fits when staff should text instead of using an app, or charges come from several cards and banks.
Not sure which fits?
What it typically costs
Typical ranges as of October 2026. Not a quote.
Ready-made tool, set up by us
An existing platform on your own account, configured for your business.
- Setup, one timepaid to Lorryn
- $1,000–$2,000
- Tool subscriptionpaid to the provider
- $25–$100 / month
Fits when your process matches what the platform already does.
Custom build
Built around how you work, with no platform subscription. You own it.
- Build, one timebasic version to full version
- $2,000–$9,000
- Running costshosting and usage, on your accounts
- ~$5–$25 / month
Fits when your systems, rules or exceptions don't match a ready tool.
Optional Automation Care: $125 · $250 · $375 / month
1, 2 or 3 hours of support a month, with monitoring and alerts included. Without it, you run it yourself after handover.
Typically works with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Google Drive, Microsoft 365.
Booking into or writing to your field-service, practice or shop software adds up to $500 to the ready-made tool (often a built-in feature) and $500–$1,500 to a custom build.
Your price depends on volume, the systems involved and how many exceptions need a person. Our team confirms a fixed price before any work starts.
Proof and who stays in charge
Who does what
The automation does the routine steps. A person makes the call.
- 1Read the receiptAutomated
- 2Match the chargeAutomated
- 3Code itAutomated
- 4ReviewA person
FAQ
Questions about expense receipt routing
Usually not. They can text a photo or forward an email to a set address.
Most can still be read. If the total or vendor isn't clear, the employee or bookkeeper gets a quick question.
Yes, if the card transactions flow into your accounting software. The receipt is matched to the charge there.
Yes. Receipts paid on a personal card are marked for reimbursement and wait for a manager's approval.
Duplicates are caught by vendor, date and amount, and the second copy is set aside for review.
They're attached to the transaction in your accounting software or saved to your own cloud folder. Access follows the permissions you already use.
Yes. Changes to your category or job list update the choices staff see. Past receipts keep their coding unless the bookkeeper changes it.
Related use cases
Often built together
- Billing & paymentsBank and payment reconciliationMatches bank deposits and processor payouts to invoices and flags what doesn't line up.
- Intake & documentsDocument data extractionReads invoices, forms, photos and handwritten notes and turns them into clean data for your systems.
- Billing & paymentsSupplier invoice processingReads supplier invoices from email, matches them to orders, and drafts bills in your accounting software.
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