How to Scan Receipts and Auto-Create Expenses

Receipt shoeboxes are so 2010. With Cheery ERP's receipt OCR, you snap a photo and the system extracts vendor, amount, date, and line items automatically.

Step 1: Open Receipt Upload

Go to Accounting → Receipts and click Upload Receipt, or use the AI chat:

I have a receipt to upload

Step 2: Snap or Upload

• Mobile: Use your phone camera directly
• Desktop: Upload a photo or PDF (Uber receipt, Gmail PDF, scanned image)

Supported formats: JPG, PNG, PDF (up to 25MB)

Step 3: Wait for OCR Processing

The receipt goes into the processing queue. You'll see:

OCR Status: Processing...

For most receipts, this takes 5-15 seconds. PDF receipts (like Uber or Deliveroo) are processed even faster because the text is already digital.

Step 4: Review Extracted Data

The system shows you what it found:

Vendor: Din Tai Fung
Date: August 5, 2026
Amount: HK$450.00
Currency: HKD
Category: Meals & Entertainment
Confidence: 94%

Line Items:
  - Dim Sum Lunch × 4 = $320
  - Tea × 2 = $60
  - Service Charge (10%) = $38
  - Others = $32

Step 5: Confirm or Correct

If everything looks right, click Confirm. If the OCR got something wrong (maybe the vendor name), just edit it.

The system:

• Maps to the correct expense account (Meals & Entertainment)
• Links to your chart of accounts
• Records the receipt in your audit trail

Step 6: Attach to Expense Report (Optional)

Add this receipt to my August expense report

Or manually: Go to Accounting → Expenses and link the receipt.

Pro Tips

• Batch upload: Upload 10 receipts at once — they all process in parallel
• Email receipts: Forward receipt emails to receipts@yourcompany.com — IMAP worker auto-imports them
• Low confidence: If OCR confidence is below 70%, the system flags it for manual review
• Duplicate detection: System warns if you upload the same receipt twice (by checksum)

What Happens Next

• Receipt is stored in Document Management System (DMS)
• Expense is recorded in your general ledger
• Available for financial reports immediately
• Full audit trail (who uploaded, when, OCR confidence score)

Tired of manual data entry? Start your free trial and scan your first receipt in 30 seconds.