How recognition works

Stareceipt sends your image to an AI pipeline that reads the text and identifies these fields:

Field	Notes
Merchant name	Normalised and enriched where supporting services are available
Total amount	The final charged amount including tax
Transaction date	Parsed from the printed date on the receipt
Tax amount	Extracted separately where the receipt prints it clearly
Category	Inferred from receipt context and organisation rules; always editable

Before you upload

Make sure the image is in focus and all text is legible.
Each image should contain only one receipt.
Avoid strong shadows, glare, or cropped edges.
Supported file types and size limits can vary by client and deployment. If an upload is rejected, follow the message shown by your current client.

Recommended capture flow

Open the Capture page.
Take a photo, choose an image from your library, or upload from the current client.
Wait for recognition to finish.
Review the extracted fields:
- Merchant name — confirm it matches the store.
- Total amount — the most critical field; always verify.
- Transaction date — ensure it is not defaulting to today.
- Tax — check if the printed tax was correctly separated.
- Category — adjust if the auto-assigned category is wrong.
Confirm or save the result. Depending on the workflow, the receipt may become a normal receipt immediately or enter the Needs Review flow first.

If recognition is inaccurate

Manually correct the relevant fields.
Re-upload a cleaner photo: better lighting, less angle, no fingers covering text.
For a consistently misread merchant, ask your admin to set a custom merchant-to-category mapping rule.

Tips for specific receipt types

Long paper rolls (grocery, pharmacy)

Position the receipt so the store header and the total are both visible in the frame. For very long rolls, capture the clearest view of the header and total area.

Digital and email receipts

Use the Email Auto-Import feature instead of screenshots. The best results usually come from forwarding the original receipt email or PDF invoice to upload@stareceipt.com from your verified receiving email. See the Email Import guide.

Handwritten or thermal receipts

Thermal prints fade quickly. Capture receipts as soon as you receive them for the best OCR accuracy.

Team collaboration tips

Admins: define shared category rules before team members start capturing.
Assign members to specific ledgers to avoid cross-posting.
Schedule a brief weekly review to catch mis-categorised entries before month-end reconciliation.