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Receipt capture routine

Snap it, name it, check it on Friday, so BAS time isn't a hunt for lost receipts.

Try it: 10 minBeginnerSample file included

Lost receipts mean lost GST credits and a scramble at BAS time. A simple weekly routine fixes most of it. An AI agent can help you set the routine up, then check each week's receipts against your bank lines and list what's missing. You chase it and you keep the records.

The steps.

Step 1. Pick one way to capture receipts and stick to it. Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks each have a phone app that can photograph a receipt and send it to your books, and all three also give you an email address for forwarding emailed receipts. Keep using the system you already have.

Step 2. Snap each receipt as soon as you get it. Lay it flat in good light so the photo is clear. The ATO accepts a digital copy if it's a true and clear copy, and once a clear image is saved you generally don't have to keep the paper, unless another law says you must. If you type the details into your accounting software, still keep the actual receipt, for example by attaching the photo to the transaction.

Step 3. Name each file the same way. Our suggestion: date, supplier, amount, like 2026-10-21 Trade Hardware 86.40. It makes matching and searching easy.

Step 4. Check each receipt shows what the ATO looks for. For a purchase of more than $82.50 including GST, you need a tax invoice to claim the GST credit. It is usually marked as one, and shows the supplier's name and ABN, the date, a brief description with the price, and the GST amount or the words 'Total price includes GST'. For $1,000 or more it also needs your business name or ABN, so ask the supplier to add it. For $82.50 or less, a receipt, till docket or invoice will do.

Step 5. Each Friday, spend five minutes on a check. Give your agent the week's bank lines, a list of the receipt files you've saved, and the prompt below. It lists bank lines with no receipt, purchases over $82.50 with no tax invoice, and receipts missing a supplier name, date or amount.

Step 6. Chase what's missing. Ask the supplier for a tax invoice. They have 28 days to give you one after you ask. Wait until you have it before you claim the GST credit, even if that means a later BAS. Your agent can draft the message. You send it.

Step 7. Keep the records. The ATO says you need to keep most business records for 5 years, generally from when you got the record or finished the transaction, whichever is later. Some records need to be kept longer, so check with the ATO or your accountant. Back them up, for example in cloud storage.

Let your app do the typing, then check it.

Xero and QuickBooks can read a photographed receipt and pre-fill the entry, and other apps may offer something similar. Features and plans vary, so check what yours does. Whatever it fills in, check the supplier, date, amount and GST yourself before you save it.

Here is the prompt to copy and paste. I run a small business in Australia and use [Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks or another app] for my books. Design a simple weekly receipt routine for me. Include: how to photograph, name and send each receipt to [my accounting app's phone app or email address]; which details a tax invoice needs so I can claim GST credits (supplier name and ABN, date, description, GST amount, and my business name or ABN for $1,000 or more); a 5-minute checklist I can run every [Friday]; and a short, polite message I can send a supplier to ask for a missing tax invoice. Keep it to one page, in plain English, and don't give tax advice. This is a draft for me to review.

Before you rely on it.

Your agent can misread a receipt or match the wrong ones, so check amounts, dates and GST yourself. Take out bank account numbers and tax file numbers before you paste anything. Do not give an AI tool your bank or accounting login. Confirm GST and record-keeping rules with the ATO or your BAS agent. This is general information, not advice.

Five minutes each Friday, and BAS time stops being a treasure hunt.

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