You must attach a valid receipt to every card payment and expense claim on Spendesk. This article explains what counts as a valid receipt and how to upload one.
For: All Spendesk users who make card payments or submit expense claims.
Before you start
Available to all Spendesk users, on all plans.
No special role or permission is required to upload your own receipts.
You need access to the payment or expense claim in Expenses > All Payments.
Receipt files must be in PDF, JPG, or PNG format and under 1 MB.
👥 Only Requesters can upload receipts for their own payments. Controllers and Finance teams review submitted receipts but cannot create them on a user's behalf.
What makes a receipt valid
A valid receipt is a document issued by the merchant as proof of purchase. It must include:
The date of the purchase
The name and address of the supplier
A description of the items purchased, including individual prices and quantities
The VAT (value-added tax) amount, if applicable
The total price
The following documents are not valid receipts:
Credit card statements
Trip or ride details
Order forms
Purchase orders
⚠️ Never submit a blank page or a fake document to bypass the receipt requirement. This is not a valid receipt. If you have no receipt, use the Can't provide a receipt declaration described below instead.
How to upload your receipt
You can upload a receipt in four ways:
Open the Spendesk mobile app.
Navigate to the payment that needs a receipt.
Take a photo of your receipt, or attach an existing photo
Alternatively:
Log in to Spendesk.com.
Navigate to Expenditures > All expenses > All Payments.
Drag and drop your receipt file onto the related payment
Or reply by email:
Open the payment confirmation email you received from Spendesk.
Reply to that email.
Attach your receipt file to the reply.
Or forward by email:
Locate your company's dedicated receipt email address in New request > Forward your documents in one click > See email addresses.
Forward your receipt to that address (format: receipts+yourcompanyid@spendesk.com).
📋 Spendesk automatically checks for duplicate receipt submissions. Confirm your receipt hasn't already been uploaded before submitting it again.
For more detail on card payments specifically, see Attach your receipt to a card payment.
What to do if you can't provide a receipt
If the merchant didn't give you a receipt, or you lost it, you must still report this in Spendesk.
Navigate to Expenditures > All expenses > All Payments.
Open the payment that's missing a receipt.
Click the grey button next to Upload yout receipt.
Select Can't provide receipt.
Choose the reason (for example, "merchant didn't provide a receipt" or "lost receipt").
Sign the declaration to submit it.
This creates a legally binding declaration (an affidavit) your finance team can use to justify the expense.
⚠️ You cannot edit this declaration after you submit it. Only use it when you genuinely cannot provide a receipt.
Refunds are automatically marked as "there might not be a receipt," so no manual declaration is needed for them.
If you later find the receipt, go to Expenditures > All expenses > All Payments and click "Upload your receipt" on the same payment to add it. Unless the payment has already been exported to your accounting software, in which case it can no longer be modified.
For full details, see Mark a Receipt as "Cannot Be Provided" (for Requesters) and How can users handle expenses without receipts, including submitting attestations on honor, in Spendesk?
Troubleshooting
Symptom: The upload fails or the file won't attach.
Cause: The file format or size doesn't meet requirements.
Resolution:
Confirm your file is a PDF, JPG, or PNG.
Confirm your file is under 1 MB.
Compress the file with an online tool if it's too large, then retry.
Symptom: You can't drag and drop a PDF receipt in Chrome.
Cause: Chrome may be set to download PDFs instead of opening them.
Resolution:
Open Chrome settings.
Navigate to the PDF documents setting.
Select "Open PDFs in Chrome."
Retry the upload.
Symptom: Spendesk flags your receipt as a duplicate.
Cause: The same receipt was already uploaded to another payment.
Resolution:
Check Expenses > All Payments for the original submission.
Confirm the receipt is attached to the correct payment.
Contact your Finance team if you believe this is an error.
Symptom: You can't upload a receipt for a payment.
Cause: The payment isn't fully visible yet, or it has already been exported to your accounting software.
Resolution:
Check whether the payment shows as "pending" — card payments can take up to 8 days to settle before receipts can be uploaded.
Wait until the payment is fully visible, then upload your receipt.
If the payment shows as "Exported," receipts can no longer be added or changed. Contact your Finance team for next steps.
Symptom: You can't upload a receipt for an expense already marked "missing receipt."
Cause: The expense has an active "cannot be provided" declaration.
Resolution:
Go to Expenses > All Payments and open the expense.
Click "Upload your receipt" to attach the receipt you found.
If the button isn't available, contact support@spendesk.com for assistance.
FAQ
What documents count as valid receipts?
A valid receipt must show the purchase date, the supplier's name and address, a description of the items purchased with individual prices and quantities, the VAT amount if applicable, and the total price.
Can I submit my credit card statement as a receipt?
No. Credit card statements, trip details, order forms, and purchase orders are not valid receipts for tax and accounting purposes.
What happens if I can't provide a receipt?
Select "Can't provide receipt" in Spendesk and choose the reason. This creates a signed declaration your finance team can use instead of a receipt.
Can I upload a receipt after marking it as "cannot be provided"?
Yes. If the receipt is later found, the requester can open the same payment in Expenditures > All expenses > All Payments, select Upload your receipt, and attach it.