Choosing the Best Receipt Software: 5 Criteria to Consider

· Write a comment · Categories: Receipt Scanning Software · Tags: , , ,

It’s easy to get organized when you have the right tools. Receipt software can help you eliminate paper clutter by digitizing your receipts and storing electronic copies of those receipts on your computer or in the cloud. But how can you choose the best receipt software for your needs and budget?

While there are dozens of different receipt scanning options available, many of them are complicated, expensive, or just plain confusing.

Here’s what to look for when choosing receipt scanning software to get organized:

  • User-friendly – Great receipt software is easy to use and has an interface that allows you to hit the ground running. This means that from the first receipt you scan, you can easily see how your info is stored, organize and categorize each receipt, and pull up individual receipts by amount, date, or company.
  • Powerful – The best receipt software will give you a powerful interface for scanning and storing receipts. You’ll have lots of storage space, enhanced security, and be able to scan/upload stacks of paper receipts quickly.
  • Integrated – The receipt scanning software you choose should offer lots of different integrations. Once you scan and upload receipts, you’re going to need to extract the information from those receipts and use it to complete your taxes, create budgets, or track spending. Make sure the software you choose offers integrations with QuickBooks, Evernote, and all of your most-used apps.
  • Flexible– There are many different ways to digitize receipts, so your receipt software should offer flexible scanning options. Whether you want to scan stacks of paper receipts using your scanner at home or quickly upload a receipt using your smartphone on the go, the software you choose should be able to do both.
    The Neat system is useful if you want to do the scanning yourself. But if you want more flexible receipt scanning, Shoeboxed is a great option because you can digitize your receipts from anywhere – at home, from your phone, or by outsourcing the job entirely using the Shoeboxed Magic Envelope. This option lets you dump all of your receipts into a big envelope, which gets mailed to Shoeboxed and scanned into your account by their team.
  • Secure – In the age of identity theft, security is more important than ever in online applications. But it’s especially important to consider when you’re looking for the best receipt software. Since receipts contain personal information like your name, credit card number, and where you shop, it’s crucial to choose software with enhanced security to protect your sensitive information.

Once you have found receipt scanning software that is user-friendly, powerful, integrated, flexible, and secure, make sure the price is right. Choosing a subscription-based software solution is usually the most cost-effective way to go, because it lets you pay based on how many receipts you scan or how much storage you need. A receipt scanning service like Shoeboxed starts at just $9.95/month – not bad when you consider how much time, energy, and money gets wasted searching for lost receipts!

Armed with the right receipt software, you’ll be able to get organized and go paperless faster than you ever thought possible.

How to Go Paperless in 3 Easy Steps

· Write a comment · Categories: Receipt Scanning Software · Tags: , , , , ,

Having you been staring at piles upon piles of paper clutter in your home or office and wondering how to go paperless?

Creating a completely paperless workspace is a lot easier than you think.

What’s more, going paperless will save you money, help you stay organized, and increase your focus and productivity.

Here’s how to go paperless in just 3 easy steps:

Step One: Take Inventory

The first step to going paperless at home or at work is taking inventory of the paper clutter you’ve already accumulated.

Whether you have file cabinets that are bursting to the brim, or just a messy desk, your first job is to decide what needs to be kept and what can be recycled.

Sort all of your papers, files, receipts, and business cards into two piles: one for recycling and one for paperless processing.

Paper Pile
(Courtesy of quinnanya)

Once you’re clear on what you need to keep, it’s time to move on to Step Two.

Step Two: Clear the Clutter

In Step One, you created a pile (or garbage bag-full) of documents that were important enough to keep.

But when you go paperless, the truth is that you won’t really “keep” any of your paper documents – at least not in hard copy form.

It’s possible to securely store important documents by converting them to digital documents instead. This will save you space while ensuring that your documents are never lost or damaged. When thinking about how to go paperless, digital documents are the answer!

Put Onto Hard Drive

You have many options for clearing paper clutter by digitizing your documents.

You can….

Whether you decide to use a service or do it yourself, make sure the documents you scan are organized, stored, and backed up in a secure cloud-based system like iCloud or Google Drive.

Once your paper documents have been scanned, organized, and stored, feel free to recycle everything and further reduce the burden of paper clutter.

Finally, keep in mind that the IRS accepts digital versions of receipts and other documents for tax purposes. Unless it’s an original birth certificate, a deed to a home, or a car title, almost all paper documents can and should be digitized.

Step Three: Create Paperless Systems

In Steps One and Two, you cleared paper clutter from your workspace or home.

But how to go paperless permanently and make sure the clutter doesn’t start to creep back into your life?

The answer lies in creating paperless systems.

Take a look at the systems you currently have in place (i.e. the systems that created the clutter in the first place).

What happens when you get a receipt, print a document, or receive mail?

Chances are you’ve been filing hard copies in a filing cabinet, stuffing receipts in envelopes, or simply tossing paper on your desk.

In order to prevent paper clutter permanently, create rules that you follow every time you find yourself holding a piece of paper.

For example…

  • Snap a photo of a receipt as soon as you get it, then toss it before leaving the purchase location
  • Set aside one hour on Fridays to scan all the business cards and bills you received that week
  • Spend 15 minutes at the end of every workday digitizing the day’s documents

Also, don’t forget to reach out to all of your vendors and contractors and request digital statements instead of paper statements.

When considering going paperless, it’s crucial to dump the clutter you already have. But it’s even more important to keep clutter at bay by eliminating paper each and every day!

How to Organize Receipts for Taxes Fast

· Write a comment · Categories: Receipt Scanning Software · Tags: , , , , , ,

You know that anxiety-provoking situation that arises every year. The clock is ticking until the tax deadline. With just a few weeks left until the filing date, you’re facing a mountain of receipts for taxes and wondering how to get them organized as quickly as possible.

Well, the good news is that, if you’re in that situation now – even if you haven’t started tax preparation yet – it’s possible to finish the process quickly, easily and accurately.

And if you’re not currently in that situation, then the good news is that you never have to end up in it again.

So what’s the secret to swift, painless taxes? More »

« Older articles
Newer articles »