How bookkeepers request a receipt from clients
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In short
Ask the client for the receipt behind each business expense in the month, matched to the card or bank transaction it paid for, with the business purpose noted for meals, travel and mixed purchases. Itemized receipts beat card slips. Send the request with a list of the uncategorized or unclear transactions, so the client sends the receipts you actually need.
Why bookkeepers need a receipt
A bank line says the amount and a merchant name, not what was bought. The receipt tells you whether a store charge is supplies, inventory, equipment or a personal purchase, so you can categorize it in QuickBooks or Xero and attach the backup to the transaction. Receipts are also what the client’s tax preparer and, if it ever comes to that, an IRS examiner will ask to see behind an expense.
What exactly to ask for
Receipts for the month you are closing, starting with the transactions you could not categorize and anything above the threshold the client’s tax preparer uses. Ask for itemized receipts, not card slips that show only a total, and for a one-line business purpose on meals, travel and anything that could be personal.
What to check when it arrives
- Date, merchant and amount match the bank or card transaction the receipt backs up.
- The receipt is itemized when a purchase mixes categories or business and personal items.
- Meals and travel carry a business purpose, and who attended for meals.
Email to send your client
Replace the bracketed parts. The same text fits in the message of a DokuTrak request (up to 1,000 characters).
Subject: Receipts for a few transactions this month
Hi [Client name],
Thanks for keeping up with the books. I am categorizing this month’s expenses and need receipts for the transactions on the list below, so each one lands in the right account.
An itemized receipt is best; a card slip with only the total does not show what was bought. For meals and travel, please add a short note on the business purpose. Photos are fine if the whole receipt is readable.
Could you send them by [date]? If a receipt is lost, tell me what the purchase was and I will help you find a copy from the vendor.
Thank you, [Your name]
Ask once. DokuTrak does the chasing.
- Your client uploads from one link, with no account and no password.
- Reminders go out on a schedule, by default 2, 5, 10 and 14 days after the request, until the file arrives.
- With AI review switched on in your workspace (it is off by default), each upload gets a first pass that flags a file that is not a receipt or an unreadable or blurry scan. It says so when it is not sure.
- You accept every file or mark it for re-upload, and your client gets the note by email. The AI never accepts a file.