How to Email Receipts to Hubdoc
The complete guide to Hubdoc's unique email address, OCR extraction, the #note annotation syntax, file formats, publishing to Xero or QuickBooks, and how to automate the whole process.
Last updated: March 2026
In This Guide
- 1. What Is Hubdoc?
- 2. Your Hubdoc Receipt Email Address
- 3. Prerequisites
- 4. Step-by-Step: How to Email a Receipt to Hubdoc
- 5. File Formats & Requirements
- 6. The #note Annotation Syntax
- 7. Email Rules Compatibility
- 8. Vendor Direct-Send
- 9. All Submission Methods
- 10. Troubleshooting
- 11. Automate It with Expensent
- 12. Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Is Hubdoc?
Hubdoc is a document collection and data extraction service owned by Xero. It captures bills, receipts, and invoices from email, uploads, and direct vendor connections, then uses OCR to extract key financial data — vendor name, date, total amount, tax, and currency.
Once extracted, documents can be published directly to your accounting software: Xero, QuickBooks Online, or Bill.com. The data maps to the appropriate fields — supplier, date, line items, tax codes — so you don't have to enter anything manually.
Hubdoc is included free with all Xero subscriptions, making it the default document management tool for Xero users. It is also available as a standalone product for users of other accounting platforms.
2. Your Hubdoc Receipt Email Address
Every Hubdoc organization has a unique email address in the format:
[custom]@app.hubdoc.comWhere [custom] is a unique identifier assigned to your organization
Any document emailed to this address is automatically ingested into your Hubdoc account and processed by OCR. Unlike tools that require email verification, Hubdoc accepts emails from any sender to your organization's unique address.
How to Find Your Hubdoc Email Address
- Log into Hubdoc at app.hubdoc.com
- Go to Settings > Organization
- Your unique email address is displayed under Email-in Address
You can also find it by clicking the Upload Documents button — the email address is shown in the upload dialog.
Important: Verify your receipt email address in your Hubdoc dashboard before forwarding. Using the wrong address means your documents won't arrive. Each organization has exactly one unique address — there is no generic @hubdoc.com address that works for everyone.
3. Prerequisites
Before emailing your first receipt to Hubdoc, make sure these requirements are met.
Hubdoc Account or Xero Subscription
You need an active Hubdoc account. If you use Xero, Hubdoc is included free with your subscription — just activate it from your Xero dashboard. If you use QuickBooks or another platform, you'll need a standalone Hubdoc account.
Organization Admin Access
To find the unique email address, you need access to your Hubdoc organization settings. If you're not an admin, ask your organization administrator or accountant to share the @app.hubdoc.com email address with you.
Connected Accounting Software (Optional)
To publish processed documents, connect Hubdoc to your accounting platform (Xero, QuickBooks Online, or Bill.com) under Settings > Connected Apps. This isn't required for receipt ingestion, but it's needed for the full workflow.
4. Step-by-Step: How to Email a Receipt to Hubdoc
Once you have your Hubdoc email address, here's how to submit a receipt:
Find your Hubdoc email address
Go to Settings > Organization in Hubdoc and copy your unique [custom]@app.hubdoc.com address. Save it as a contact in your email client for easy access.
Forward or compose with the receipt
Option A: Forward the original email. Forward the receipt email directly to your Hubdoc address. Hubdoc processes both file attachments (PDF, images) and HTML email body content.
Option B: Compose a new email. Create a new email to your Hubdoc address and attach the receipt file. The subject line is used as the document name in Hubdoc.
Add annotations (optional)
Include #note Your annotation text #note in the email body to add a note to the document in Hubdoc. This is useful for adding project codes, client names, or descriptions. See Section 6 for details.
Review and publish
Open Hubdoc. Your document should appear within 1-3 minutes with extracted data:
- •Review the OCR-extracted vendor, date, amount, and tax
- •Correct any extraction errors and assign a category
- •Publish to Xero, QuickBooks Online, or Bill.com
5. File Formats & Requirements
Hubdoc accepts a range of file formats and also processes email body content.
Accepted
- •PDF — Document files
- •JPG / JPEG — Image files
- •PNG — Image files
- •HEIC — Apple image format
- •HTML email body — Inline receipts
Multiple attachments per email are supported
Not Processed
- •DOC / DOCX — Word documents
- •XLS / XLSX — Spreadsheets
- •Password-protected PDFs
- •Corrupted files
These are silently ignored
OCR processing time: Hubdoc typically processes documents within 1-3 minutes. Complex multi-page PDFs may take slightly longer. Each attachment in a multi-attachment email is processed as a separate document.
6. The #note Annotation Syntax
Hubdoc has a unique feature: you can add annotations to emailed documents by including special syntax in the email body. This is useful for adding context that helps with categorization and reporting.
Syntax
#note Your annotation text goes here #noteEverything between the opening #note and closing #note is added as a note on the document in Hubdoc. The note appears in the document details alongside the OCR-extracted data.
Example: Project Code
#note Project: ACME-2026-Q1 #noteAdds “Project: ACME-2026-Q1” as a note, making it easy to search and filter documents by project.
Example: Client Context
#note Client dinner with Acme Corp, 4 attendees #noteAdds context for expense categorization and audit trail.
Example: Department Tag
#note Marketing department, campaign launch event #noteTags the document with department information for reporting.
Note: The #note syntax must appear in the email body text, not in the subject line or attachment. Make sure to include both the opening and closing #note markers — if you omit the closing marker, the annotation may not be captured correctly.
7. Email Rules Compatibility
Hubdoc works well with email auto-forwarding rules. Since Hubdoc accepts emails from any sender to your unique @app.hubdoc.com address, you can set up rules in Gmail, Outlook, or any email client to automatically forward invoices from specific senders.
Gmail Filter Example
In Gmail, create a filter matching from:billing@vendor.com and set the action to “Forward to” your Hubdoc email. Every email from that sender is automatically forwarded to Hubdoc as it arrives.
Outlook Rule Example
In Outlook, create a rule matching emails from specific senders or with specific subject keywords and redirect them to your Hubdoc address. The forwarded email retains all attachments.
Limitation: Email rules are per-sender and static. They don't distinguish between invoices and marketing emails from the same sender, and they can't detect invoices from new vendors. For intelligent, AI-powered auto-forwarding, see Section 11.
8. Vendor Direct-Send
One of the simplest ways to get invoices into Hubdoc is to give your [custom]@app.hubdoc.com address directly to vendors and ask them to send invoices there. This eliminates the forwarding step entirely.
Best For
- Utility providers — Electricity, water, internet, phone bills
- SaaS subscriptions — Monthly software billing emails
- Service providers — Accountants, lawyers, contractors
- Suppliers — Regular material or inventory orders
Caveat: Vendor direct-send works best for recurring invoices from trusted vendors. For one-off purchases or vendors you don't control, you'll still need to forward receipts manually or use an automation tool.
9. All Submission Methods
Email is just one way to get documents into Hubdoc. Here's the full picture:
| Method | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
Forward to @app.hubdoc.com | Invoices received by email | |
| Web Upload | Drag and drop files in the Hubdoc web app | Scanned paper receipts |
| Mobile App | Take a photo with the Hubdoc mobile app | In-person purchases, paper receipts |
| Vendor Connections | Auto-fetch from vendor portals (banks, utilities) | Recurring bills from supported vendors |
| Vendor Direct-Send | Give vendors your Hubdoc email address | Recurring invoices from trusted vendors |
10. Troubleshooting
If your receipts aren't appearing in Hubdoc, work through these checks in order:
1.Wrong email address
Most common cause. Double-check that you're sending to your organization's exact [custom]@app.hubdoc.com address. There is no generic Hubdoc email — every organization has a unique address. Verify it in Settings > Organization.
2.Unauthorized sender
Some Hubdoc organizations restrict which email addresses can submit documents. Ask your organization admin to check whether your sending address is authorized, or whether the organization accepts emails from any sender.
3.Unsupported file format
Verify the attachment is in a supported format (PDF, JPG, PNG, or HEIC). Word documents, spreadsheets, and password-protected PDFs are not processed.
4.OCR processing delay
OCR processing takes 1-3 minutes. Complex multi-page documents may take longer. Wait at least 5 minutes before troubleshooting further. Check the Hubdoc inbox — the document may have arrived but still be processing.
5.Duplicate detection
Hubdoc may suppress documents it identifies as duplicates of existing entries. If you're re-sending a receipt that was already processed, check whether it already exists in your Hubdoc account.
6.Corrupted or unreadable file
If the file is corrupted, very low resolution, or the OCR engine cannot extract any text, the document may appear in Hubdoc but with blank extracted fields. Try re-scanning or taking a clearer photo of the receipt.
11. Automate It with Expensent
Expensent eliminates manual forwarding entirely. Connect your email once, and every invoice email is automatically detected and forwarded to your Hubdoc address.
Connect your email
Link your work email using secure OAuth — we never see your password. Gmail, Outlook, and IMAP supported.
Set your Hubdoc address
Enter your [custom]@app.hubdoc.com address as your forwarding destination.
Done. Receipts flow automatically.
When a new invoice arrives that you've set to auto-forward, it goes straight to Hubdoc automatically.
Why Expensent + Hubdoc is Better Than Manual Forwarding
- AI-powered detection — Recognizes invoices from any vendor, not a fixed list
- Zero manual effort — No more forwarding individual emails
- Smarter than email rules — Distinguishes invoices from marketing emails from the same sender
- Complete capture — Every receipt is filed, nothing falls through the cracks
- 5-minute setup — Connect once, done forever
- Paper receipt capture — Use the built-in phone camera scanner to photograph paper receipts and forward them to Hubdoc
- AI price extraction — Automatically extracts amount, currency, and recipient from PDF, JPG, and PNG attachments before forwarding
- Fine-grained control — CC your team, add vendor notes, filter by attachment type, skip $0 invoices, or block specific senders
Want to see how the integration works in detail? See the Hubdoc Integration Page →
Using Xero directly? Read the Xero receipt forwarding guide →
12. Frequently Asked Questions
Stop manually forwarding receipts to Hubdoc
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