How to back up your receipts

Receipts are needed at awkward moments: a return just inside the deadline, a warranty claim on a washing machine, an expense report due on Friday, or the end of the tax year. Paper receipts printed on thermal paper fade, sometimes within months, and email receipts get buried under newsletters from the same shop. Often the only proof of a purchase is a slip in a coat pocket.

This guide looks at how people usually keep receipts, where those systems let them down, and how to back up paper and email receipts to Fabric so each one stays legible and can be found by what’s printed on it.

How people usually keep receipts

The shoebox or envelope is the classic method. It needs no setup, and for a household with a few big purchases a year it can be enough. It’s also one copy, the print fades, and finding a particular receipt means emptying the box onto the table.

Expense apps such as Expensify or the receipt features in accounting software are good for work spending. They’re built around claims and categories, so personal receipts, warranties and the stray paper slip from a market stall tend to stay outside them.

Many people photograph receipts and leave them in the camera roll, or keep email receipts in an inbox folder. Both create a copy. The photos mix with everything else, and the email folder only holds what arrived by email. How to keep receipts for tax time covers which receipts are worth keeping in the first place.

Step 1: Photograph paper receipts and save them to Fabric

Start by putting the Fabric app on your phone; iOS and Android versions are on the mobile download page. Photograph the receipt as soon as you can, ideally the same day, while the print is still sharp. Use the share sheet to send the photo to Fabric, and add a comment if the receipt needs context, such as “client lunch, Henderson project” or “dishwasher, 2-year warranty”.

If you’d rather not send each one by hand, keep receipt photos in a dedicated album on your phone. The Fabric app’s camera roll backup can sync only specific folders from the device’s photos, so choosing that album backs up each receipt photo automatically without bringing in the rest of your pictures.

For a backlog in a shoebox, set aside an evening, photograph them all, and upload the lot from your camera roll or computer in one batch, since Fabric takes large uploads in a single pass. Work through the box by year if it helps, starting with the current tax year, then the receipts tied to anything still under warranty.

Step 2: Forward email receipts automatically

Online orders, subscriptions and travel bookings send receipts by email. Forward them to your Fabric email address. It only accepts mail from your verified account address, and you can approve extra senders, so a partner can forward household receipts to the same place.

Many email clients can forward messages from particular senders automatically using a filter or rule, which saves forwarding by hand. How to save email bills and receipts automatically walks through setting that up.

Step 3: Let receipts gather themselves

As each receipt arrives, Fabric creates embeddings for meaning-based search, writes a short summary, extracts attributes such as content type and concepts, and suggests tags. Set up a smart collection for receipts and it fills itself from that content, catching photographed slips and forwarded emails alike.

You can keep folders on top if they help, such as one per tax year or one for warranty purchases. They’re optional, since search works without any filing.

Step 4: Find a receipt by store, item or amount

Click Search or press Cmd+F (Mac) / Ctrl+F (Windows). Search reads text in photographed receipts and in emails, so typing “hardware store paint March” can find a crumpled slip you photographed months ago. Put an order number or an exact total in quotes for a strict match.

For questions across many receipts, open your receipts folder and ask the AI assistant. You might ask for every purchase from one supplier this year, or which receipts relate to home office equipment. It cites the receipts it used, so you can check each figure before it goes into a claim or a return. How to find a receipt when you need it for expenses has more search tips.

Step 5: Share receipts with your accountant

At tax time, share the folder with your accountant as a viewer or commenter; external people can open shared links without signing up. A commenter can flag a receipt with a question, and you can mark the comment completed once it’s answered. The same folder works for returns and warranty claims during the year: search for the item, open the photo on your phone at the shop counter, and show it. How to get your receipts ready for your accountant covers what to include.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the best way to back up paper receipts?

Photograph each one soon after the purchase, before the print fades, and save the photo somewhere other than your phone. Fabric reads the text in the photo, so the receipt is searchable as well as stored.

Why do receipts fade, and does a photo help?

Many receipts are printed on thermal paper, which fades with heat, light and time. A clear photo taken early keeps a legible copy after the paper has faded.

Can I back up receipts from my email automatically?

Forward them to your Fabric email address, and set up a forwarding rule in your email client for regular senders so it happens without you.

Can I search receipts by the amount or store name?

Yes. Search reads the text in receipt photos and emails. Use quotes around an exact total or order number.

Can I back up only receipt photos, not my whole camera roll?

Yes. The Fabric app can sync specific folders from your device’s photos, so you can choose a receipts album and leave the rest out.

Can my accountant see my receipts in Fabric?

Share the receipts folder with them as a viewer or commenter. No Fabric account is needed on their side to open the link.

Can AI add up my receipts?

You can ask the AI assistant about a folder of receipts and it answers with references to the receipts it used. Check the cited receipts before relying on any figure.

Do I need a paid plan to back up receipts?

File uploads, including photos of receipts, are on the free plan, which has storage caps. See pricing for what each plan includes.