Most bookkeeping delays start with a missing piece of paper. A receipt is in a jacket pocket, a supplier PDF sits in someone’s inbox, and the bank line it belongs to waits in suspense until month end. Document capture fixes the first step: getting every document into the accounting system the day it arrives.
How capture works in Nexbal
- Send or upload the document. Each company has its own document reception email address. Forward supplier invoices and photographed receipts to it, or upload PDF and image files directly.
- Nexbal reads it. The document is analysed and the entry is prefilled: supplier, date, amounts, VAT and a suggested account.
- You review and register. Check the suggestion, adjust where needed and register the voucher. Nothing is posted until someone has reviewed it.
- The document stays attached. The original file is kept with the posting, so anyone looking at the entry later can open the evidence behind it.
Staff expenses follow their own route: an employee submits the expense, and once approved it is recorded as owed to the employee until it is repaid.
Nexbal is launching in the UK, and beta users capture documents from their first day. Join the Nexbal beta.
What counts as a valid record
For VAT, you can only reclaim input VAT with a valid VAT invoice. A card terminal slip showing only the total is not enough for larger purchases; a simplified VAT invoice is acceptable for purchases up to £250 including VAT. Make sure the supplier’s VAT number and the VAT amount are legible on the photo.
For income tax and corporation tax, records must show what was bought, when, from whom and for how much. A digital image of a paper receipt is an acceptable record if it is clear and complete, so the paper copy can be discarded once the image has been checked.
Records must be kept for at least six years for companies (five years after the 31 January filing deadline for sole traders).
Habits that make capture work
- Photograph receipts at the point of purchase, not at month end.
- Forward supplier invoices to the reception address as a rule, rather than saving them to personal folders.
- Give the reception address to regular suppliers so their invoices arrive there directly.
- Review the queue weekly; a short queue is easier to check carefully than a month’s worth.
Matching documents to bank transactions
A captured document only proves half the story. The other half is the payment. When the bank statement is uploaded, match each line to its document; any bank line without a document is a missing receipt to chase. See bank reconciliation for the routine.
Common capture problems
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Duplicate document (photographed and also emailed) | check supplier, date and amount before registering |
| Foreign currency receipt | register in the original currency; the conversion follows the transaction date |
| One receipt covering business and private items | register only the business part; the rest is drawings or a director’s loan |
| Supplier invoice addressed to a person, not the company | ask for a corrected invoice before reclaiming VAT |
For keeping records in order, see receipt management and accounting records retention.
Get every receipt into the books the day it arrives. Join the beta.