What every expense entry needs
Preserve the supplier, date, amount, category and source receipt. If GST is relevant, check that the document is a valid tax invoice and that the extracted GST amount makes sense. Add a description where the business purpose is not obvious.
Mixed-use items need a business-use percentage supported by a reasonable basis. A mobile bill used for both work and private life is a common example. Avoid selecting 100% simply because the purchase was entered in a business app.
Capture expenses while context is fresh
- Photograph or import the receipt immediately.
- Check the AI-extracted merchant, date, amount and GST.
- Choose a consistent category.
- Set a supportable business-use percentage.
- Add a note for unusual or mixed-purpose costs.
Each week, reconcile the list to card and bank transactions. This catches missing cash expenses, duplicate scans and personal purchases entered by mistake.
Using the EarningsPilotAU receipt scanner
The AI receipt scanner accelerates entry but keeps the fields editable. Expenses can be GST-tagged and assigned a business-use percentage, with deductible totals calculated from the saved data. If an image is unclear, correct it before saving rather than relying on the automated reading.
Trips and expense records can be synced to Google Sheets, which is helpful for sorting, reconciliation or accountant review. Retain the original evidence even when you export a summary.
Connect expenses to the rest of the business
Vehicle costs work alongside the logbook’s business-use percentage. GST-tagged purchases feed the BAS estimate. Expenses reduce net operating income in income substantiation reports. Because one entry can affect several outputs, a correction should flow from the source expense rather than being patched separately in each report.
Monthly quality checks
- Missing receipt images or illegible documents
- GST marked on items without GST
- Duplicate fuel, toll or subscription charges
- Inconsistent categories for the same supplier
- Unexplained 100% business-use entries
- Expense totals that do not reconcile to payment records
A short monthly review is usually easier than a large annual clean-up.