How to Email Receipts to FreshBooks
Find your account's FreshBooks receipt address, send the right document format, and automate recurring inbox routing.
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 FreshBooks address, and automates recurring sender and subject patterns.
TL;DR
Yes, for supported users. FreshBooks provides a unique email address for receiving receipt and bill documents under Expenses > Uploads > Upload Documents > Send by Email. Forward one supported JPEG, PNG, or PDF document to that address, and FreshBooks will scan it for review in Uploads. FreshBooks says receipt scanning is available for trial users and for Plus, Premium, and Select plans in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
FreshBooks says receipt scanning is provided by Sensibill and uses OCR to extract details from scanned documents. When a supported document arrives at your unique FreshBooks email address, FreshBooks scans it and makes it available for review in Uploads so you can create or attach an expense or bill. FreshBooks says automatic capture of multi-line items on a bill is available only on Select plans. Processing can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on image type and file volume.
Check these common causes: (1) Your FreshBooks account does not have receipt scanning or Send by Email available. (2) You sent more than one document in a single email; FreshBooks says multiple attachments are not supported. (3) Your email signature contained images that FreshBooks tried to scan instead of the receipt. (4) The file was not a JPEG, PNG, or PDF. (5) Processing is still in progress; FreshBooks says scanning can take 30 minutes to several hours.
In This Guide
FreshBooks Receipt Email Address
Rather than publishing one shared public receipt address, FreshBooks generates a unique email address for each account. The exact format is not publicly documented—you must look it up inside FreshBooks.
Your Unique FreshBooks Receipt Email
Each FreshBooks account has its own dedicated email address for receipt forwarding when Send by Email is available. When you send a supported document to this address, FreshBooks' Sensibill OCR engine scans it and makes the extracted details available for review in Uploads.
- •Accepts JPEG, PNG, and PDF attachments only
- •Extracts details via Sensibill OCR for review
- •Scanned documents appear in Expenses > Uploads
- •Use the exact address FreshBooks displays in your account
How to find your address: Log in to FreshBooks, go to Expenses > Uploads tab > Upload Documents > Send by Email. Your unique forwarding address will be displayed. Copy it and save it somewhere accessible—you'll use that exact address when you forward supported receipt or bill documents.
Recurring senders: If you choose to give the FreshBooks address to a vendor, make sure they send one supported document per email. FreshBooks will still scan the document into Uploads for review rather than replacing your approval or bookkeeping checks.
Important: FreshBooks enforces a strict one document per email limitation. If you attach multiple files to a single email, FreshBooks says multiple attachments are not supported. Always send one supported receipt or bill document per email.
Prerequisites: Before You Email Receipts
Before emailing your first receipt to FreshBooks, make sure these requirements are met. FreshBooks' Send by Email workflow has plan, country, file type, and one-document-per-email conditions.
Plan Requirement: Plus or Higher
FreshBooks support says receipt scanning is available on trials and on Plus, Premium, and Select plans only, for users in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Check your FreshBooks account and current pricing page for the latest plan details:
- Plus — FreshBooks pricing lists expense receipt scanning and email receipts to your account
- Premium — FreshBooks pricing lists bill receipt scanning and Accounts Payable features
- Select — FreshBooks support says automatic capture of multi-line items on a bill is Select-only
FreshBooks pricing, promotions, and country availability change, so avoid relying on older quoted monthly prices.
One Document Per Email — Strictly Enforced
FreshBooks will only process one document per email. This is not a recommendation—FreshBooks says multiple attachments are not supported. If you receive an email with multiple receipts or PDFs, split them into separate sends before expecting FreshBooks to scan them.
Remove Your Email Signature
FreshBooks specifically warns that other images in the email, including email signatures, can be accidentally scanned and uploaded instead of the document. Remove logos, social icons, headshots, and banner images before forwarding receipts.
File Must Be an Attachment, Not a Link
FreshBooks says the document must be in the email body as an inline JPEG, PNG, or PDF image, or included as an attachment, not as a download link outside the email. If a vendor sends a download link, download the file first and attach the supported document to a new email.
Geographic Availability
FreshBooks support says receipt scanning is available for users in United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Confirm the country in your Basic Information settings and with FreshBooks support if your account is outside those countries.
Step-by-Step: How to Email a Receipt to FreshBooks
Once your account has Send by Email available and you know your unique FreshBooks email address, here's how to send a receipt:
Find your unique FreshBooks receipt email
Log in to FreshBooks and navigate to Expenses > Uploads > Upload Documents > Send by Email. Your unique email address will be displayed. Copy this address and consider saving it as a contact in your email client for quick access.
Forward one receipt per email
Forward the receipt email to your FreshBooks address. Ensure the receipt is a supported JPEG, PNG, or PDF document in the email body or included as an attachment. If the vendor sent a download link instead of an attachment, download the file first, then compose a new email with the supported document attached.
Critical: Send only one document per email. Remove your email signature before sending, and do not include other images in the email body.
Wait for processing (30 min to several hours)
FreshBooks' Sensibill OCR engine processes the document and extracts details for review. FreshBooks says scanning can take anywhere between 30 minutes and several hours, depending on image type and number of files. Do not re-send the receipt if it hasn't appeared yet, as this can create duplicates.
Review in Expenses > Uploads
Once processed, the receipt appears in Expenses > Uploads in your FreshBooks account. Review the extracted merchant name, date, amount, and tax data. Edit any fields the OCR may have misread. Assign the expense to the appropriate category and project if needed.
File Format and Size Requirements
FreshBooks support says receipt and bill documents sent by email must use one of three file types.
Accepted Formats
- •JPEG / JPG — Image files
- •PNG — Image files
- •PDF — Document files
Not Supported
- •GIF — Not processed
- •TIFF — Not processed
- •HEIC — Not processed (convert to JPG first)
- •DOC / DOCX / RTF — Not processed
- •XLS / CSV — Not processed
Delivery Rules
- •1 document per email — strictly enforced
- •Must be an attachment or inline image— download links are not followed
Format note: If your vendors send receipts in unsupported formats, convert them to JPEG, PNG, or PDF before forwarding to FreshBooks. If your workflow depends on larger files or unusual formats, confirm current limits with FreshBooks support before relying on Send by Email.
Automate Recurring Receipt Emails
Expensent finds current and historical receipt and invoice emails, sends supported documents to your FreshBooks destination, and handles recurring sender-and-subject patterns with rules you create.
Connect your email
Link your work email so Expensent can surface invoice and receipt emails for review.
Enter your FreshBooks receipt email as your destination
Find your unique FreshBooks email address (Expenses > Uploads > Upload Documents > Send by Email) and enter it as your forwarding destination in Expensent.
Automate repeat patterns
When a new invoice arrives that you've set to auto-forward, the rule can route it to FreshBooks. For emails with multiple attachments, choose the supported document you want FreshBooks to scan.
What Expensent Adds Before FreshBooks Uploads
- Helps with the one-doc-per-email rule : FreshBooks requires one supported document per email. Expensent finds receipt emails and routes the supported document while keeping cluttered or multi-document messages visible.
- Keeps FreshBooks plan boundaries clear — Expensent helps find and route inbox documents, but FreshBooks still controls whether Send by Email is available on your plan and account.
- Visible exceptions : Emails with extra images or multiple documents remain visible so they do not interrupt routine receipt patterns.
- Inbox document discovery — Recognizes invoice and receipt patterns across vendors, not a fixed list. Helps surface receipts you might otherwise forget to forward.
- Historical catch-up — Helps find past receipts in your inbox so you can review and forward selected backlog items.
- AI price extraction — Extracts amount, currency, and recipient from supported invoice documents when available, so you can review key details before forwarding to FreshBooks
- Fine-grained control — CC your team on forwarded emails, attach vendor notes, filter by attachment type, skip $0 invoices, or create rules for items you do not want forwarded
- Rule-based routing — Connect your inbox, set a FreshBooks destination, and create rules for recurring invoice patterns
Want to see how the integration works in detail? See the FreshBooks Integration Page →
Frequently asked questions
Can you email receipts to FreshBooks?
Yes, for supported users. FreshBooks provides a unique email address for receiving receipt and bill documents under Expenses > Uploads > Upload Documents > Send by Email. Forward one supported JPEG, PNG, or PDF document to that address, and FreshBooks will scan it for review in Uploads. FreshBooks says receipt scanning is available for trial users and for Plus, Premium, and Select plans in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom.
How does FreshBooks receipt scanning work?
FreshBooks says receipt scanning is provided by Sensibill and uses OCR to extract details from scanned documents. When a supported document arrives at your unique FreshBooks email address, FreshBooks scans it and makes it available for review in Uploads so you can create or attach an expense or bill. FreshBooks says automatic capture of multi-line items on a bill is available only on Select plans. Processing can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours depending on image type and file volume.
Why are my emailed receipts not showing up in FreshBooks?
Check these common causes: (1) Your FreshBooks account does not have receipt scanning or Send by Email available. (2) You sent more than one document in a single email; FreshBooks says multiple attachments are not supported. (3) Your email signature contained images that FreshBooks tried to scan instead of the receipt. (4) The file was not a JPEG, PNG, or PDF. (5) Processing is still in progress; FreshBooks says scanning can take 30 minutes to several hours.
What is the FreshBooks receipt email address?
FreshBooks displays a unique email address inside eligible accounts rather than publishing one shared public address. The format is not publicly documented. To find yours, log in to FreshBooks, go to Expenses, click the Uploads tab, then click Upload Documents, and select Send by Email. Copy the address FreshBooks displays and use that exact destination for forwarding.
Does FreshBooks accept PDF receipts by email?
Yes. FreshBooks says Send by Email supports JPEG, PNG, and PDF documents in the email body or as attachments, not download links. FreshBooks also says only one document containing one receipt image can be emailed at a time, and multiple attachments are not supported.
Can I use FreshBooks receipt email on the Lite plan?
FreshBooks support says receipt scanning is available on trials and on Plus, Premium, and Select plans only, in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. If Send by Email is unavailable on your account, Expensent can still find current and historical receipt emails and route them through another destination your workflow supports.
How long does FreshBooks take to process emailed receipts?
FreshBooks says scanned documents can take anywhere between 30 minutes and several hours to be scanned after emailing, depending on image type and number of files. Check Expenses > Uploads later before resending the same document, because duplicate sends can create duplicate review work.
Can I email multiple receipts to FreshBooks at once?
No. FreshBooks says only one document containing one receipt image can be emailed at a time, and multiple attachments are not supported. If a vendor email contains more than one supported document, review it in Expensent and forward only the document you want FreshBooks to scan, or split the documents into separate sends.
Can Expensent automatically forward receipts to FreshBooks?
Yes. Expensent finds receipt and invoice emails, sends supported documents to your FreshBooks destination, and automates recurring sender-and-subject patterns with rules you create. FreshBooks then handles the document in its Uploads workflow.
What is the difference between FreshBooks receipt email and the mobile app scanner?
The FreshBooks mobile app is useful for scanning paper receipts with your phone camera. Send by Email is for supported receipt or bill documents that arrive in your inbox and need to reach FreshBooks. FreshBooks support describes both as receipt scanning workflows that end in Uploads for review, but availability depends on plan, trial status, and supported country.
Is FreshBooks available outside the US?
FreshBooks support says receipt scanning is available for users in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, and that the correct country should be selected in Basic Information settings. If your account country is different, confirm current availability in FreshBooks or with FreshBooks support before building a receipt workflow around Send by Email.
Do email signatures interfere with FreshBooks receipt scanning?
Yes. FreshBooks specifically says to remove other images in the email, including email signatures, because those images can be accidentally scanned and uploaded instead of the document. Before forwarding to FreshBooks, review the email and choose a clean supported receipt or bill document.
Send recurring receipt emails to FreshBooks
Find current and historical receipt emails, then route recurring patterns to the FreshBooks destination your account provides.
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