SlipGuide
How to organize receipts for your small business and your accountant
The simplest way to organize receipts is to capture each one on the day you get it, keep everything in one table with the same columns, and close each month with one file for your accountant. A shoebox works until tax time; a table works all year. Here's a routine that takes a few minutes a week.
Capture receipts on the day
Receipts get lost, and the ink on thermal paper fades.
How to do it: Photograph or scan each receipt before it goes in your pocket. How to keep receipts from fading
Keep one table for everything
One list with the same columns beats folders full of photos.
How to do it: Use columns for date, merchant, category, tax and total. How to set up an expense spreadsheet
Use a short list of categories
A short, fixed list is easier to use the same way every time.
How to do it: Ask your accountant which categories they want, and stick to them.
Record the tax separately
Your accountant may need the tax amount, not just the total.
How to do it: Add a tax column, and one per rate if your receipts show more than one VAT rate.
Keep business and personal apart
Mixed receipts take the longest to sort out later.
How to do it: Use a separate card or account for business spending if you can.
Note what each expense was for
A merchant name doesn't always explain the purchase.
How to do it: Add a short note, like “client lunch” or “printer ink”.
Close each month
A monthly routine stops receipts from piling up.
How to do it: Pick a day each month to check the list, fix anything marked and export the month.
Keep records as long as you need to
How long depends on your country and your situation.
How to do it: Check the official guidance before you throw anything away. How long to keep receipts
Snap a receipt, get a row
Slip reads the merchant, date, VAT and total from a receipt photo into a table and marks anything worth checking. At month end it exports CSV, Excel or PDF with the photos.
How to do it: Start with the free receipt plan on this site to see your columns, tax rates and month-end file. Get my receipt plan
Your receipts, one clean table. Answer six quick questions and see your receipt plan: your columns, your tax rates and a clean month-end export.
Get my receipt planAvailability: Slip is an iPhone app on pre-order. Plans start on launch day, with a full refund any time before launch.
Questions
What's the best way to organize receipts?
Capture each one on the day, keep them in one table with the same columns, record the tax separately and close each month with one export.
How do I organize receipts for my accountant?
Ask which categories and file format they want, keep the same columns every month and send one file a month with the receipt images.
Is this tax advice?
No. It's a general record-keeping routine. Check what you need to keep with your accountant or your tax authority.
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Updated October 12, 2026