How to Email Receipts to Expensify
Send receipts to the right Expensify account, give SmartScan clean input, and automate recurring receipt emails.
By ilios Galil · Founder, Expensent
Published February 28, 2026 · Updated August 3, 2026
Skip manual forwarding when you can. Expensent connects to Gmail, Outlook, or Google Workspace via OAuth, finds current and historical invoice emails, routes them to your Expensify address, and automates recurring sender and subject patterns.
TL;DR
Yes. Expensify accepts emailed receipts at receipts@expensify.com. Forward the original digital receipt or send a new email with a clear receipt image or PDF attached. The sending email must be your primary login or a verified contact method on your Expensify account.
SmartScan is Expensify's receipt-scanning flow. When a receipt reaches receipts@expensify.com, Expensify reads the receipt details, creates an expense entry, and may try to match it to a linked card transaction. Results are better with a clear image or the original vendor PDF than with screenshots, heavily reformatted forwards, or messy attachments.
Check these common causes: (1) the email was sent from an address not associated with your Expensify account, so add it in Settings → Account → Profile → Contact Methods, (2) SmartScan is still processing, (3) the attachment or forward was reformatted badly in transit, or (4) the receipt was treated as a duplicate.
In This Guide
Expensify Receipt Email: receipts@expensify.com
Expensify provides a single receipt email address for all users:
receipts@expensify.com — SmartScan Receipt Intake
Send or forward receipt emails to receipts@expensify.com. Expensify's SmartScan engine processes the receipt, extracts the merchant name, date, amount, and currency, and creates an expense entry in your account.
- •Current help documents JPG, PNG, and PDF receipt files
- •SmartScan reads receipt data when the file is clear
- •Matches receipts to linked card transactions when possible
- •Routes to your account based on the sender's email address
Copilot mode: If you're submitting receipts on behalf of another user, the account holder must grant you Copilot access in their Expensify settings. Once granted, use Expensify's Copilot feature, which gives you delegated access to their account directly — see Expensify's Copilot documentation for the current setup path.
Important: Expensify identifies your account by the sender's email address. If you send from an email that isn't your primary login or a verified contact method, the receipt may not route to your account. Verify the sender before relying on forwarding.
Step-by-Step: How to Email a Receipt to Expensify
Once your email is verified, here's how to send a receipt to Expensify:
Verify your email in Expensify
Ensure your sending email is your primary login or a verified secondary login. Go to Settings > Account > Profile > Contact Methods on the Expensify website to add and verify addresses. This must be done from the web—not the mobile app.
Forward or compose the receipt email
Option A: Forward the original email. Simply forward the receipt email to receipts@expensify.com. SmartScan can process the original receipt content and attached receipt files when the receipt is readable.
Option B: Compose a new email. Create a new email to receipts@expensify.com and attach a clear receipt image or PDF. If a receipt has multiple pages, combine them into one PDF before you send it.
SmartScan processes the receipt
Expensify's SmartScan reads the receipt details and creates an expense entry in your account when the receipt is readable. Processing can vary; check the sender, file quality, and account details before retrying with a clearer file.
Verify in your Expensify account
Open Expensify (web or mobile) and check that the expense appears in your Expenses tab with the correct extracted data. Review the merchant name, amount, and date. Edit any fields that SmartScan may have misread—common with blurry photos or unusual receipt formats.
Documented File Formats and Input Tips
Current Expensify help documents common receipt image formats and PDFs for SmartScan.
Accepted Formats
- •JPG / JPEG — Image files
- •PNG — Image files
- •PDF — Document files
Limitations
- •1 receipt per expense — Multi-page must be one PDF
- •XLS / CSV — Not documented as SmartScan receipt inputs
- •HEIC / WEBP — Not documented in the current SmartScan help; convert to JPG, PNG, or PDF if intake fails
Multi-page receipts: If your receipt spans multiple pages, combine them into a single PDF before emailing. Expensify documents one primary receipt per expense; additional receipt images can exist, but only the primary receipt is included in exports and downloaded reports.
Automate Recurring Receipt Emails
Expensent finds current and historical receipt emails, sends documents to receipts@expensify.com, and handles recurring sender-and-subject patterns with rules you create. Unusual messages remain visible when they need attention.
Connect your email
Link your work email using OAuth where supported, or provider-specific credentials for supported IMAP connections. Gmail, Google Workspace, Outlook, Microsoft 365, and IMAP are supported.
Set receipts@expensify.com as your destination
Enter receipts@expensify.com as your forwarding address in Expensent.
Automate repeat patterns
After you approve a rule from a real email, future similar invoices can be forwarded with much less manual work.
What Expensent Adds Before SmartScan
- Solves the Gmail/Outlook problem — No Gmail forwarding-address setup needed. Avoids relying on native auto-forwarding.
- Current and historical search : Find receipt and invoice emails already in the inbox, not just messages that arrive after setup.
- Visible exceptions : Keep unusual or incomplete messages visible without slowing down routine receipt patterns.
- Historical review — pick a date range and review past inbox results so you can catch up on older receipts without rebuilding filters.
- Focused setup — connect your inbox and create rules from real emails
- Paper receipt capture — Phone camera scanner with edge detection for paper receipts — forward them alongside email invoices
- AI price extraction — Can read amount, currency, and related details from supported PDF, JPG, and PNG attachments when available
- Fine-grained control — CC your team, add vendor notes, filter by attachment type, skip $0 invoices, or reject reviewed sender-and-subject patterns you don't need
Want to see how the integration works in detail? See the Expensify Integration Page →
More Expensify deep-dives
Frequently asked questions
Can you email receipts to Expensify?
Yes. Expensify accepts emailed receipts at receipts@expensify.com. Forward the original digital receipt or send a new email with a clear receipt image or PDF attached. The sending email must be your primary login or a verified contact method on your Expensify account.
How does Expensify SmartScan work?
SmartScan is Expensify's receipt-scanning flow. When a receipt reaches receipts@expensify.com, Expensify reads the receipt details, creates an expense entry, and may try to match it to a linked card transaction. Results are better with a clear image or the original vendor PDF than with screenshots, heavily reformatted forwards, or messy attachments.
Why are my emailed receipts not showing up in Expensify?
Check these common causes: (1) the email was sent from an address not associated with your Expensify account, so add it in Settings → Account → Profile → Contact Methods, (2) SmartScan is still processing, (3) the attachment or forward was reformatted badly in transit, or (4) the receipt was treated as a duplicate.
How do I add a secondary login email in Expensify?
Go to Settings → Account → Profile → Contact Methods on the Expensify website (not the mobile app). Click "Add Contact Method" and enter the email address. Expensify sends a verification Magic Code to that address—enter it to confirm. Once verified, you can forward receipts from that email to receipts@expensify.com.
Does Expensify accept PDF receipts by email?
Yes. Current Expensify help documents common image formats like JPG and PNG plus PDF. Send the original PDF when you have it, and combine multi-page paperwork into a single PDF if the pages belong together.
Can I auto-forward receipts from Gmail to Expensify?
Gmail's native forwarding setup requires destination verification, which does not fit an ingestion address you cannot open. Expensent connects to Gmail through OAuth and routes receipt emails from the linked mailbox to receipts@expensify.com without relying on that destination-verification step.
What is the Expensify Copilot feature for email receipts?
Copilot mode allows assistants or admins to submit receipts on behalf of another user. The account holder must grant you Copilot access in their Expensify settings. Once granted, use Expensify's Copilot feature, which gives you delegated access to their Expensify account directly — see Expensify's Copilot documentation for the current setup path.
How many free SmartScans does Expensify give?
Current Expensify help says personal accounts include unlimited free SmartScans. Paid workspaces are still required for things like categories, tags, accounting integrations, approval workflows, and the Expensify Card.
Can I forward receipts from multiple email addresses?
Yes, but each address must be added as a secondary login (contact method) in your Expensify account. Go to Settings → Account → Profile → Contact Methods to add and verify each email. This must be done from the Expensify website, not the mobile app. Once verified, all addresses can send to receipts@expensify.com.
Can Expensent automatically forward receipts to Expensify?
Yes. Expensent can connect to your inbox, surface invoices and receipt emails it identifies, and help you forward them to receipts@expensify.com from a linked sender address. You can also create rules from real emails so future similar invoices are handled with less manual inbox work.
Should I include notes or comments in the email body when forwarding to Expensify?
Do not rely on added notes or comments in the forwarded message body. Send the original receipt content or a clean receipt image/PDF, and remove image-heavy signatures where possible because extra images can make receipt processing noisier.
What is the difference between Expensify Classic and New Expensify?
Both Classic and New Expensify support emailing receipts to receipts@expensify.com, but labels and settings paths can differ as Expensify changes the product. For contact methods, use the current Expensify help path when you set up or verify a sender address.
Send recurring receipt emails to Expensify
Find current and historical receipt emails, then route recurring patterns to receipts@expensify.com.
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