How to organise receipts for your tax accountant

Prepare a collection your accountant can follow from an expense to its original document. Paper folders, laptop files, cloud storage and receipt software can all support that handoff.

The Australian Government's record-keeping guide describes paper and digital options and recommends checking which software your accountant supports.

1. Ask what your accountant wants before sorting everything

Confirm the start and end dates, whether they want a working spreadsheet or a fixed report, how they prefer to receive files, and which statements or other documents they need. Your business reporting period may differ from the calendar year.

Ask how to flag refunds, mixed personal and business purchases, missing documents and uncertain categories. Keep those questions beside the relevant records. Organising the evidence helps the accountant assess it; choosing a folder name or expense category does not decide its tax treatment.

Download the accountant handoff checklist to record the location, status and open question for each part of the handoff. It opens in a spreadsheet and starts with tasks to complete, rather than suggesting your records have already been checked.

2. Choose a way to store the originals

Paper can be enough for a small collection. Local folders can also work well when you prefer keeping files on your computer and have a dependable backup and transfer routine. The repetitive work appears as the collection grows: downloads need moving, photos need identifying, and each spreadsheet row needs a reference to the right file.

Cloud storage helps when receipts arrive on several devices or someone else needs to review them. It still needs organisation. Uploading a pile of unnamed images to a shared folder does not create a useful expense index.

3. Make a local folder understandable without your explanation

One optional layout for a monthly handoff is:

Receipt records/
  2026-09/
    Originals/
    Expense index.xlsx
    Questions.csv
    September report.pdf

Keep the original document content intact. Use a readable filename or a stable reference such as R-004 to connect it to the index. A filename like 2026-09-05_paper-trail_R-004.pdf can help you find a file, but it is your convention, not a required tax-authority format.

For each expense, record the date, supplier, description, amount, currency and original reference. Add the work purpose or project when it explains the purchase. The IRS guidance on supporting records explains the information supporting documents may need to establish and notes that several documents can be needed for one expense.

A local file path in your spreadsheet will usually refer to your own computer. Sending the spreadsheet alone does not send the referenced receipts. Transfer the actual files through the method agreed with your accountant, and ask them to open a few references after receiving the package.

4. Use cloud storage when access and sharing become the repeated chore

Google Drive and OneDrive are examples of cloud storage options. With an account and syncing or uploads configured, a cloud folder can make the same working collection accessible across devices. Check that uploads have finished before relying on a file elsewhere. Google's desktop guidance distinguishes streamed files from mirrored copies; seeing a filename does not always mean a complete offline copy is on that device.

In a Google workflow, Drive holds the receipt files and Sheets holds the expense index. The row can contain a link to the original. Other cloud services can be used with an Excel workbook or another index, provided the accountant can open the documents.

Share with the accountant's named account and give the access they need. Check both the spreadsheet and the receipt folder. Sharing an index does not automatically grant access to every separate file linked from it. Google's file and folder sharing instructions explain its permission controls; work accounts may restrict outside sharing.

Ask the recipient to test access. Keep a dated report or agreed copy if you need to preserve exactly what was handed over while the working records continue changing. A synced working folder and a fixed handoff copy serve different purposes.

5. Finish the handoff with a short review

For a worked reporting example, see how to create a monthly expense report. For a backlog, use the receipt catch-up plan before assembling the handoff.

Record-retention and paper-original requirements depend on the records and applicable rules. Confirm those with your accountant or tax authority before discarding anything. The methods here are organisation choices, not a promise that a storage service satisfies every requirement.

6. Reduce repeated entry and filing when the routine grows

Once you are repeatedly typing receipt details and connecting rows to files, receipt software can help with that part of the job. With Gexpense, scanning suggests expense fields; after review and saving, the original goes to your connected Google Drive folder and the expense goes to its connected Google Sheet with a link to the file.

You still review the suggestions, resolve missing information and discuss accounting questions with your accountant. Gexpense does not automatically sort your files into year/month folders, reconcile bank accounts or prepare your tax return.

See the receipt-to-Sheets workflow for the current product, or follow the manual Google Drive organisation guide if cloud folders and a spreadsheet are enough for your needs.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to use cloud storage?

No. Paper or local folders can work if the collection is readable, backed up and transferred in the format your accountant accepts. Cloud sharing can reduce repeated transfers across devices.

What should I send with the receipts?

Agree on the period, expense index, requested statements and report format. Include missing-document questions and check that the accountant can open the originals.