If you’ve ever spent hours digging through drawers or inboxes trying to find a missing receipt, you’re not alone.
Receipts are essential for accurate bookkeeping and tax deductions — but they’re easy to lose.

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📱 1. Go Digital — Immediately

Take a photo or scan receipts the moment you get them using apps like Google Drive, Dropbox Scan, or Microsoft Lens.
For email receipts, create rules to automatically forward them to your receipts folder or accounting app.

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🗂 2. Create a Simple Folder System

├── Operations
├── Accounting              
│   ├── Invoices
│   ├── Receipts
│   │   ├── 2025-09
│   │   ├── 2025-10
│   │   ├── 2025-11

File naming format: YYYY-MM-DD_supplier_purpose.jpg

Example:
2025-11-04_Officeworks_printer-paper.jpg

It’s simple, searchable, and chronological — everything you need at tax time.

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🔖 3. Add Quick Tags or Notes

If your tool allows tags or categories, add:

• Expense category (Supplies, Travel, Meals, etc.)
• Payment method (Card, Cash, Bank Transfer)
• Tax deductible? Yes/No
• Project or client name (if applicable)

Even one or two small tags make searching 10× faster when you need a specific record.

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⚙️ 4. Automate Receipt Storage

Automation keeps you consistent without extra work.

• Email automation: forward all emailed receipts to receipts@yourdomain.com, which routes them to a cloud folder or accounting app.
• Zapier / Make integration: set up workflows like:
  • “When a new receipt email arrives → Save attachment to Google Drive → Add entry to Google Sheets.”
• Bank feed automation: connect your business card to accounting software. It will import transactions automatically and let you attach receipts later.

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💵 5. Don’t Forget Cash Purchases

Cash purchases are the easiest to lose track of — so build a habit:

1. Ask for a printed receipt every time.
2. Take a photo immediately and upload it to your folder.
3. If a receipt isn’t available, write one manually: date, merchant, amount, purpose, and your signature.

A quick photo log is better than no record at all.

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📆 6. Do a Monthly Receipt Check

Set aside 15–30 minutes each month to:

1. Review all transactions in your bank and card statements.
2. Match each one with a saved receipt.
3. Flag any missing receipts in a “Missing Receipts” sheet.
4. Categorize and archive for your accountant or tax return.

Doing this regularly prevents last-minute chaos and saves hours during tax season.

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☁️ 7. Keep Your Data Safe

Digital receipts are only reliable if they’re backed up.

• Use cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive) with automatic sync.
• Turn on version history to recover deleted files.
• Export a zipped backup of all receipts at the end of each quarter.

Most tax offices require you to retain receipts for 5–7 years, so a cloud backup is worth its weight in peace of mind.

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✅ 8. Upgrade When You’re Ready

When your business starts growing, you’ll want a system that can automatically match receipts to purchases, link invoices, and generate financial reports.

That’s where SAVANNAAH can help.
Our platform brings your sales, purchases, and receipts together in one place, so you can focus on running your business — not chasing paperwork.

👉 Try SAVANNAAH and turn your pile of receipts into organised, searchable data.

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“You don’t lose receipts when they live in the cloud — you lose them when they live in your pocket.”