Mid-Year Migration - Uploading Receipts
This article explains the options for uploading receipts in bulk for organisations who join ExpensePlus part way through their financial year and are migrating transaction data to ExpensePlus.
Mid-year migration to ExpensePlus
When importing transactions mid-year via the steps detailed in this help guide article, the expenditure records created will have no supporting paperwork attached.
This article covers the options that you have for uploading receipts to ExpensePlus retrospectively.
Uploading receipts retrospectively differs from the regular process flow whereby a receipt or invoice is uploaded/emailed/photographed at the point when a user submits a purchase.
With both of the options detailed below, you should complete the data import process before you do this.
Paper receipts
You may decide to keep all receipts for the purchases prior to the date you start using ExpensePlus in live time outside of ExpensePlus in paper form.
If you choose to do this, please contact us using the 'send us a message' button above. We will mark receipts prior to the date at which you begin using ExpensePlus in live time as 'held outside of ExpensePlus' and bulk approve these transactions too.
The advantage of this option - is that it's super quick, which is why many organisations choose it. It may be the best option for your church or charity if you don't have the time or resources needed to scan in all the receipts that you have.
The downside to this option - is that you won't have the receipts available on ExpensePlus to drill into and you will need to keep the paper receipts for 7 years.
Batch uploading receipts
You can batch-upload receipts to ExpensePlus and allocate them to each expenditure transaction.
Batch uploading will take longer than keeping paper receipts.
However, allocating the receipts can be done over many months, and it does not delay you from using ExpensePlus in live time.
You could upload receipts one by one, but this is typically time-consuming. If you are photographing receipts (using your phone), then you would find the purchase for which you wish to upload a receipt on the receipts screen, click the button to the right of the receipt, and then choose the 'upload now' option and click to take a photograph.
If choosing the batch upload receipts option, you may want to temporarily disable approvals in ExpensePlus until you have uploaded, bank-matched and allocated receipts for all historic transactions. You can then enable approvals again when you begin your usual process flow in ExpensePlus for submitting purchases.
The steps for batch uploading receipts
Most organisations choose to batch upload receipts using the steps below:
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Create a folder of receipts
You can either scan in paper receipts to create digital .pdf files (one file per receipt), or photograph paper receipts. There is no need to rename or number the digital receipt files.
If you need to combine more than one receipt into the same file for a purchase, then there are many free websites that allow you to do this, one of which is ilovepdf.com.
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Batch Upload
Within the receipts screen, click the 'Batch Upload' button
In the popup that appears, select the 'choose files' button.
Follow the instructions within the popup to select all of the files you wish to upload at the same time.
If you do not see the 'Batch Upload' button on your receipts screen, you need to enable this in Receipt Settings. Click on the edit (pencil) button to the right, select 'Enabled' under the 'Batch Upload Receipts' heading and click submit.
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Allocate uploaded receipts
Once all the receipts are uploaded, you need to allocate them to the correct purchase.
When a receipt is displayed, click the tick button to the right of the related purchase to connect the digital receipt to that purchase. Then check the receipt is correct on the next screen, before repeating with the next digital receipt.
This process is quick and easy and saves you from having to rename each digital file and individually upload each one to the correct purchase.
To help you better understand the Receipts module as a whole, please visit the module overview page here.