Best iPhone app for expense receipts?

[pjclarke]

What iphone app do people use/recommend for capturing expense receipts? I know this has been covered before, however I was wondering what the current landscape looked like.

I've never bothered claiming for £4 worth of lunchtime sandwiches etc, thinking that the 80p was not worth the effort and inconvenience of a wallet full of scraps of paper, but if I can engage my inner geek it may be different. Every little helps.

Requirements are pretty basic: capture the details of a receipt with scan & upload later to a website or PC for entry into my SJD spreadsheet once a month, with persistent storage to answer any HMRC enquiries. Nicely structured and searchable database, the slicker the interface the better. Ease of use beats bloated functionality - won't use it for mileage or non-business expenses or income.

Looked at Fresh xPense, iReceipt Expense tracker and Shoeboxed, each of which look like they would do the job.

Any favourites?

[Sausage Surprise]

I use my old flatbed scanner once a month

[northernladuk]

capture the details of a receipt with scan & upload later to a website or PC for entry into my SJD spreadsheet once a month, with persistent storage to answer any HMRC enquiries. Nicely structured and searchable database, the slicker the interface the better.

And all that is worth 80p a day? I would have thought a wallet full of receipts and enter to the spread sheet when you have a quiet moment would have been far easier?

[CloudWalker]

I'm surprised HMRC allow scanned receipts.
Scanned Receipts are easy to fake these days

[stek]

I'm surprised HMRC allow scanned receipts.
Scanned Receipts are easy to fake these days

No VAT number....

[CloudWalker]

No VAT number....

Well spotted Batman,

[pjclarke]

And all that is worth 80p a day? I would have thought a wallet full of receipts and enter to the spread sheet when you have a quiet moment would have been far easier?

I think it is. The receipts have to be filed in the shoebox, HMRC might want to see 'everything for June 2009', for example, 80p/day is c£160 a year, more than I get in interest on my business account. Plus I will use it for other things, evening meals etc, that I don't always expense now.

Plus I have mild Aspergers, I like this stuff.

[pjclarke]

I'm surprised HMRC allow scanned receipts.
Scanned Receipts are easy to fake these days

Obvious fake. Cristal is like, SOOO overrated.

[PerfectStorm]

I don't see what the point of an app would be - you need to enter what the thing is, the date and the amount - presumably it's not smart enough to glean that from a receipt automatically?

And as has been said, you need to keep the real ones for 5 years anyway.

Do SJD make you send the scans? Nixon Williams don't (unless it's for stuff purchased off the company card)

As for the bottle of champagne - at 6AM, was that being consumed at a remote site?

Even 80p is worth a can of coke with your lunch.

[TheCyclingProgrammer]

I don't see what the point of an app would be - you need to enter what the thing is, the date and the amount - presumably it's not smart enough to glean that from a receipt automatically?

Some are, although with mixed results I'm sure.

And as has been said, you need to keep the real ones for 5 years anyway.

No you don't. Scans are all you need. You're free to bin the originals. There are very few things HMRC require originals of these days. They have a list on their website of what you need to keep originals of. Receipts is not one of them.

This has been the case for years now.

The most notable thing you need to keep originals of is dividend vouchers although it's worth noting that if the original format was a PDF then that's all you need. You don't need to print them.