How to organize receipts for taxes

The goal is not “perfect bookkeeping.” It’s a clean, defensible record: receipts + a simple spreadsheet.

Who this is for

Freelancers / contractors with mixed personal + business spending
Small businesses who just need tax-ready records
Anyone doing year-end cleanup (a pile of receipts)

The simplest receipt system that works

Folder structure:

Receipts/
  2026/
    2026-01/
    2026-02/
    ...

Keep receipt images in monthly folders. Separately keep a CSV (spreadsheet) with key fields: vendor, date, total, tax, category, notes.

What matters most (and what doesn’t)

Matters

Date + vendor clearly captured
Total amount (and tax if applicable)
Business purpose (quick note)
Consistent format you can hand off

Doesn’t matter

Perfect categorization every time
Tracking every line item
Subscribing to a full accounting suite

Fast workflow (10–20 minutes)

Put receipt photos into the right month folder.
Extract key fields into a CSV.
Spot-check and fix blanks.
Save the CSV with the same month name.

If you already have receipt photos

ReceiptJar converts receipt photos into structured CSV. It’s one-time use, no accounts, and files auto-delete.