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Overview

Track business expenses for tax purposes and bill them back to clients. Upload receipts, let Every Agent extract details, categorize expenses, and seamlessly add billable expenses to invoices. Key capabilities:
  • Receipt scanning with Every Agent AI extraction
  • Expense categorization for tax reporting
  • Client billback capabilities
  • Receipt attachment and storage
  • One-click conversion to invoice line items
Ask Every Agent: Create and manage expenses:
  • “Log an expense: $45 at Office Depot for supplies”
  • “Scan this receipt and create an expense”
  • “Mark this expense as billable to ACME Corp”
  • “Add all unbilled expenses for ACME Corp to their invoice”

Open Expenses

Track and manage business expenses in Every

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Quick Start

Basic expense: Expenses → Add Expense → Fill merchant, amount, date, category → Save Receipt scanning: Add Expense → Upload receipt → Every Agent extracts details → Review → Save Bill to client: Mark as billable → Select client → Add to invoice when ready

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Creating Expenses

Required in the web expense form:
  • Description (what the expense was for)
Add the merchant, amount, date, currency, and receipt when available so the record is useful for billing and reporting.To Bill Expenses to Clients: Mark as billable and select a client. Keep the documentation your accountant or local tax authority requires.

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Basic Expense Entry

Go to Expenses → Add Expense → Enter a description and add merchant, amount, date, category, receipt, and client as needed → Save
Receipt and record-keeping requirements vary by jurisdiction and expense type. Keep the source documents your accountant recommends.
Ask Every Agent: Create expenses:
  • “Add a business expense for $120 software subscription”
  • “Record $87 spent at Starbucks for client meeting”
  • “Create expense for $250 at Delta Airlines for travel”

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Receipt Scanning with Every Agent AI

Every’s AI-powered receipt scanner automatically extracts expense details from photos and PDFs, eliminating manual data entry.

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How Receipt OCR Works

Step-by-step:
  1. Take a photo of your receipt or have a PDF ready
  2. Go to Expenses → Add Expense OR ask Every Agent “Log this receipt”
  3. Upload the image/PDF (drag & drop or click to browse)
  4. Every Agent’s AI analyzes the receipt and extracts:
    • Merchant name (business name)
    • Total amount (final charged amount)
    • Date (transaction date)
    • Category (expense type based on merchant)
    • Payment method (if visible: card, cash, check)
  5. Review the extracted data in the form
  6. Correct any inaccuracies
  7. Add optional details (client for billback, notes)
  8. Save expense
Supported in the expense form: JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP, PDF, and CSV File size limit: Up to 5MB per file

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What AI Can Extract

Depending on the receipt, Every can extract the merchant, final amount, transaction date, currency, tax amount, description, and a suggested category. The form shows a confidence warning when the file may not be a receipt or the reading is uncertain. Tips for best results:
  • Use clear, well-lit photos
  • Capture entire receipt (top to bottom)
  • Avoid shadows and glare
  • Ensure text is readable
  • Flatten crumpled receipts before photographing
Always review Every Agent-extracted data before saving. The AI is highly accurate but not perfect, especially for handwritten receipts or faded text.

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Batch Receipt Processing

Process multiple receipts at once by asking Every Agent:
Ask Every Agent: Batch process receipts:
  • “Process these 5 receipts and create expenses” (upload multiple files)
  • “I have several receipts from my business trip - extract all the expenses”
  • “Log all these receipts as billable expenses for ACME Corp”
How batch processing works:
  1. Upload multiple receipt images in one message
  2. Every Agent processes each receipt in parallel
  3. Creates individual expense records for each
  4. Returns summary with all created expenses
  5. You can review and edit any that need adjustments
Best for: Conference expenses, business trips, monthly receipt catch-up

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Common OCR Issues & Fixes

Issue: Wrong amount extracted
  • Cause: AI read subtotal or tax line instead of total
  • Fix: Always verify total is correct, adjust manually if needed
Issue: Date is incorrect
  • Cause: Receipt has multiple dates (printed date vs transaction date)
  • Fix: Check transaction date on credit card statement if unclear
Issue: Category is wrong
  • Cause: Merchant doesn’t clearly indicate business type
  • Fix: Manually select the correct category. You can also create consistent vendor rules for recurring merchants.
Issue: Merchant name truncated
  • Cause: Receipt shows abbreviated name
  • Fix: Edit to full business name for better record-keeping
Issue: Receipt unreadable
  • Cause: Poor photo quality, faded thermal receipt, crumpled paper
  • Fix: Re-photograph in better lighting, or enter data manually
Ask Every Agent: Troubleshoot extraction:
  • “This receipt extracted the wrong amount - the total should be $87.50”
  • “Fix the merchant name to be ‘Office Depot’ instead of ‘OFDP’”
  • “Change this expense category to Travel”

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Mobile Receipt Scanning

Best practice workflow:
  1. Get receipt at point of purchase
  2. Immediately take photo with phone camera
  3. Open Every in browser or text/email photo to yourself
  4. Upload to Every Agent: “Log this receipt”
  5. Receipt processed and expense created in seconds
  6. Delete photo from phone (receipt stored in Every)
Pro tip: Create a “Receipts” folder in your photo library for temporary storage, then batch upload weekly.

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Expense Categories

Organize expenses by type for tax reporting: Common categories: Advertising & Marketing, Business Meals, Software & Subscriptions, Travel, Office Supplies, Professional Services, Insurance, Rent & Utilities, Equipment, Education & Training, Other Categories align with common tax deduction types to make year-end tax preparation easier.
Consistent categorization makes tax time much easier. Choose categories carefully and use them consistently.
Ask Every Agent: Categorize expenses:
  • “Categorize this expense as office supplies”
  • “Show me all expenses categorized as Software & Subscriptions”
  • “Change the category of my last expense to Travel”

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Billable Expenses

Bill expenses back to clients by marking them billable and adding to invoices.

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Marking as Billable

When creating: Add expense → Check “Billable to Client” → Select client → Save Existing expense: Edit expense → Check “Billable to Client” → Select client → Save Billable expenses show client name, “Unbilled” status until invoiced, and can be filtered by billable status.
Ask Every Agent: Mark expenses billable:
  • “Make my last 3 expenses billable to Client XYZ”
  • “Set this travel expense as billable to the website project client”
  • “Which expenses are unbilled for ACME Corp?”

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Adding to Invoices

Process: Create invoice → Select client → Click “Add from Expenses” → Select unbilled expenses → Add Selected → Expenses become line items with description and amount → Marked as “Billed” Example:
Markup: Set a percentage markup on a billable expense. When it becomes an invoice line item, Every applies that percentage to the expense amount.
Clearly communicate your expense policy with clients upfront. Some expect expenses at cost, others accept markup.
Ask Every Agent: Add expenses to invoices:
  • “Create an invoice with Client XYZ’s unbilled expenses”
  • “Add this travel expense to ACME’s current invoice”
  • “Bill all expenses from last month to Client ABC”

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Managing Expenses

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Viewing & Filtering

Expense List shows all expenses with filters for date range, category, client, billable status, and search by merchant/description. Summary Metrics display total expenses, billable expenses, unbilled value, and breakdown by category.
Ask Every Agent: View expenses:
  • “Show me all expenses from last month”
  • “Display all travel expenses from Q1”
  • “What expenses did I log for ACME Corp?”

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Editing & Deleting

Editing: Open the expense to update its details. If it is already billed, also review the invoice: editing the source expense does not automatically revise the saved invoice line item. Deleting: Can delete unbilled expenses anytime. Cannot delete billed expenses unless removed from invoice first.
Keep expense records for tax purposes. Only delete expenses recorded in error.
Ask Every Agent: Edit or delete:
  • “Change the amount on my last expense to $52.50”
  • “Update yesterday’s expense description to include client name”
  • “Delete the duplicate expense from yesterday”

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Receipt Management

Uploading: Create/edit expense → Upload Receipt → Select image/PDF → Receipt attached and stored securely Storage: The attachment stays with the expense record and can be opened again later. Multiple receipts: The expense form accepts one receipt file per expense. Use separate expense records when the documents represent separate purchases. Missing receipts: Add expense without receipt, upload later when found
Ask Every Agent: Manage receipts:
  • “Upload this receipt to my last expense”
  • “Show me all expenses without receipts”
  • “Attach this image to the Office Depot expense”

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Expense Reporting

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Analytics

Track spending patterns with metrics for total expenses by period, breakdown by category, billable vs non-billable, unbilled value, and average expense amount. Date ranges: Daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly (for taxes).
Ask Every Agent: Generate reports:
  • “Show me total expenses for last month”
  • “Generate an expense report for Q1 2024”
  • “Create a year-end expense report for tax purposes”

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Category & Client Breakdowns

By category: View total per category, percentage of total, trends over time, and tax-deductible totals for tax preparation and budget planning. By client: View total expenses per client, billable vs billed amounts, unbilled expenses, and expense types to ensure all client expenses are billed and track project costs.
Ask Every Agent: Get breakdowns:
  • “How much did I spend on travel last month?”
  • “Show me all software subscription expenses this year”
  • “What’s the total unbilled expense amount for Client XYZ?”

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Best Practices

Keep source documents - Follow the record-keeping rules that apply to your business and jurisdiction.
Log expenses immediately - Don’t wait until month-end. Log as they occur while details are fresh.
Use consistent categories - Makes tax preparation and reporting much easier.
Review unbilled expenses regularly - Check weekly or monthly to ensure you’re not missing billbacks.

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Common Workflows

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Daily Expense Logging

Throughout day: Log expenses as they occur → Upload receipt photos → Mark billable to client → Categorize End of day: Review entries → Verify receipts uploaded → Check categorization

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Monthly Billback

Throughout month: Log all client expenses → Mark as billable → Upload receipts End of month: Filter expenses by client → Create invoice → Add all unbilled expenses → Send invoice → All marked as billed

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Year-End Tax Prep

Throughout year: Log all business expenses → Categorize correctly → Upload receipts Year-end: Generate full-year expense report → Review categories → Export data → Provide to accountant

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. Upload a supported image, PDF, or CSV in the expense form, or attach receipt files in Every Agent. Review the merchant, date, amount, currency, tax, and category before saving; receipt extraction is not guaranteed to be correct.
Mark the expense as billable, choose the client, and optionally set a percentage markup. On that client’s draft invoice, add the unbilled expense as a line item.
Not while an invoice line item still references it. Remove it from a draft invoice first. For an issued invoice, preserve the billed record and correct the client document through the appropriate invoice workflow.
No. Categories and exports help organize records, but deductibility and documentation rules depend on your jurisdiction and circumstances. Confirm them with your accountant or tax authority.

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Troubleshooting

Receipt upload failed: Check file size (under 5MB), format (JPEG, PNG, GIF, WEBP, PDF, CSV), internet connection, browser file upload permissions. Compress large images if needed. Every Agent extracted wrong amount: Common issue is reading tax/subtotal instead of total. Always review extracted data and correct before saving. Billed expense differs from invoice: Check the source expense and its saved invoice line item. Correct the relevant record and review the client document before resending. Expense not in “Add to Invoice”: Verify expense is marked billable, assigned to correct client, not already billed, and exists (not deleted).

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Next Steps

Create Invoices

Add expenses to client invoices

Manage Clients

Track expenses per client

View Reports

Analyze expense patterns and trends

Tax Management

Organize expenses for tax reporting
Need help? Contact support at hello@every.ai