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What is Receipt Forwarding?

Receipt forwarding is the process of getting receipts into Smartbills without manually uploading files. Smartbills provides several automated and semi-automated methods for capturing receipts: email forwarding to a unique address, the Outlook add-in sidebar, mobile camera scanning, and direct email inbox integration. Each method feeds receipts into the OCR pipeline, which extracts the vendor, amount, date, and other details automatically.

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How It Works

1

Capture

A receipt enters Smartbills through one of the supported channels: email forward, Outlook add-in, mobile scan, or email inbox sync. The receipt can be an image (JPEG, PNG), a PDF, or an email with attachments.
2

OCR Processing

Smartbills’ OCR engine analyzes the receipt and extracts key data: vendor name, transaction date, total amount, subtotal, taxes, currency, and individual line items when available. The accuracy depends on the quality of the image and the format of the receipt.
3

Expense Creation

A new expense is created with the extracted data pre-filled. The expense appears in the user’s Expenses (for individual forwarding) or in the Business Expenses (for shared forwarding addresses).
4

Review and Complete

The user reviews the extracted data, corrects any errors, assigns a category and department, and adds any required information such as a business purpose or project code.

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Receipt Capture Methods

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Email Forwarding

Every Smartbills user receives a unique forwarding email address (e.g., [email protected]). When you forward a receipt email to this address, Smartbills processes the email and creates an expense.
  • How to find your address: Go to your Expenses and look for the forwarding address in the settings or header area
  • What to forward: Forward the original receipt email. Smartbills will process both the email body and any attachments (images, PDFs)
  • Multiple receipts: If an email contains multiple receipt attachments, a separate expense is created for each one
  • Company forwarding: Organizations can also configure a shared forwarding address that routes to the Business Expenses

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Outlook Add-in

The Smartbills Outlook add-in adds a sidebar to your Outlook client (desktop and web). When you receive a receipt email, you can forward it to Smartbills directly from the sidebar without leaving Outlook.
  • One-click forwarding: Select an email and click “Send to Smartbills” in the sidebar
  • Preview before sending: The add-in shows a preview of the extracted data before creating the expense
  • Works with attachments: The add-in handles both inline receipt images and file attachments
  • See the Outlook Add-in Guide for installation and setup

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Mobile Scanning

The Smartbills mobile app (iOS and Android) includes a camera scanner optimized for receipts.
  • Real-time capture: Point your camera at a receipt and the app detects the edges, adjusts for perspective, and captures a clean image
  • Batch scanning: Scan multiple receipts in succession without returning to the main screen
  • Offline support: Receipts scanned offline are queued and uploaded when connectivity is restored
  • See the Mobile App Guide for details

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Email Inbox Integration

For organizations that want fully automated receipt capture, Smartbills can connect directly to a Gmail or Outlook inbox.
  • Auto-import: Smartbills monitors the connected inbox and automatically imports emails that contain receipts
  • Filter rules: Configure rules to control which emails are imported (e.g., only emails from specific senders or with specific subject lines)
  • No forwarding needed: Once connected, receipts are imported without any manual action
  • See Settings: Email Accounts for setup instructions

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OCR Data Extraction

When a receipt is processed, Smartbills extracts the following fields:
OCR accuracy depends on receipt quality. Clear, well-lit photos of printed receipts yield the best results. Handwritten receipts, faded thermal paper, and low-resolution images may require more manual correction.

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Key Terminology

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Roles Involved

Mobile Scanning

How to scan receipts with the Smartbills mobile app

Outlook Add-in

Install and use the Outlook add-in for receipt forwarding

Email Accounts

Connect your email inbox for automatic receipt import

Expenses

Learn about the full expense lifecycle after receipts are captured