Upload a receipt

If your receipts already arrive in Gmail, connect the inbox once and let rct-keep scan for matching messages automatically instead of forwarding them one by one.

1. Open the Gmail inbox guide
   Follow Connect your Gmail inbox for the exact setup steps.
2. Approve the connection
   rct-keep uses Google sign-in to request read-only Gmail access, then starts an initial scan for receipt emails from the last 12 months.
3. Let the first scan finish
   Progress appears in Settings → Email Accounts. Imported receipts show up in your main list as they are discovered and processed.

You can connect more than one inbox if receipts are split across accounts. Gmail inbox scanning is ideal for a brand-new account that already has digital receipts in Gmail. If your receipts live in Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail, or another IMAP mailbox too, use the IMAP guide below for the extra connections.

If your receipts already live in another mailbox, connect it with an app password and let rct-keep scan candidates automatically instead of forwarding them one by one.

1. Open the IMAP mailbox guide
   Follow Connect an IMAP mailbox for the exact setup steps.
2. Create an app password first
   Yahoo, iCloud, and Fastmail usually require an app-specific password rather than your regular mailbox password.
3. Let the first scan finish
   Progress appears in Settings → Email Accounts. Imported receipts show up in your main list as they are discovered and processed.

You can add more than one IMAP or Gmail connection to the same account. Provider-specific guides: Yahoo, iCloud, and Fastmail.

Set up a forwarding rule in your email client once and every receipt email is automatically sent to rct-keep, parsed, and stored.

1. Find your personal forwarding address
   Go to Settings → Email Forwarding. Your address looks like [email protected]. It is unique to your account — do not share it.
2. Set up a forwarding rule in your email client
   See the Email forwarding setup guide for step-by-step instructions for Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Fastmail, and Apple Mail.
3. Receipts arrive in rct-keep within seconds of being forwarded. The vendor, date, and total are extracted automatically.

Upload a scanned receipt, a downloaded PDF invoice, or a photo from your camera roll directly from your browser.

1. Open the upload page
   Click Upload in the left sidebar, or go to /receipts/upload.
2. Add the file
   Drag and drop a file onto the dropzone, or click browse to pick one from your device. Accepted formats: JPEG, PNG, WebP, PDF, HEIC. Maximum file size: 20 MB.
3. Optional: pre-fill details
   If rct-keep can't extract all the details automatically (e.g. for a handwritten receipt), fill in the optional fields below the dropzone before uploading:
   • Vendor — the shop or business name
   • Total — the amount paid
   • Date — the purchase date
   • Category — assign to an existing category
   • Notes — free-text notes (e.g. business purpose)
4. Click Upload Receipt
   The file is saved and sent to the processing queue. OCR runs in the background — within a few seconds the receipt will appear in your list with extracted details.

For best OCR results, ensure the receipt image is well-lit and in focus, with all four corners visible. Avoid shadows across the text.

The fastest way to deal with a paper receipt at the point of purchase.

1. Open rct-keep in your mobile browser and navigate to the Upload page.
2. Tap the dropzone. On iOS and Android, this opens the file picker — choose Camera to take a photo directly, or Photos to use an existing image.
3. Frame the receipt so all four edges are visible, then capture.
4. Tap Upload Receipt. The receipt is stored immediately.

Photograph receipts as soon as you receive them — thermal paper starts to fade within weeks. A clear digital copy is permanent.

After uploading

Once a receipt is uploaded, rct-keep processes it in the background:

• OCR extraction — the vendor name, date, total, and tax amount are read from the image or PDF.
• AI parsing — structured data is extracted automatically: line items, tax breakdown, category suggestion, and a full text transcription for search.
• Status — receipts show a processing badge until OCR completes, then switch to complete. If extraction fails, the receipt is flagged for review and you can fill in the details manually.

If a newly uploaded receipt is very similar to an existing one (same vendor, date, and amount), it will be flagged as a possible duplicate. See Resolve duplicates.