Neat Receipts Scanner

We have a number of clients (small business owners as well as accountants/bookkeepers) who use the NeatReceipts scanners. For the individual or small business person, it is a very nice way to have them organize their receipts and bills, etc.

For accountants, it's a great way to allow the client to do the scanning... the software does the basic categorization of the items... and then the accountant can adjust the items prior to importing into QuickBooks. We do recommend that you integrate using the import, rather than the direct integration feature. This allows you to adjust the scanned data prior to posting to QB.

I purchased the scanner to try it out before recommending it to clients (I don't like surprises). Overall, it's a good concept and a reasonable price.

Cons:
- scanning is slow. It takes about 2 minutes to scan an average sized receipt.
- integration with QB is marginal. While it does import transactions, it does them as Journal Entries. If you have purchases with multiple accounts on one receipt, it splits then into multiple transactions, making it difficult to reconcile your credit card statement.
- direct import into QB only allows you to select one debit account and one credit account per import.
- as far as I can tell, the data is stored in it's own database. This could be a pro or con.

Pros:
- it does store images of your receipts and allows you to search through the stored images. It would be great if you're trying to reduce the amount of paper you keep around.
- would work great for personal receipts and reducing the amount of filing required for personal expenses while still allowing you access to receipts if you need them.
- The software is pretty robust and allows you scan business cards and integrate with Outlook (haven't tried that) as well as scanning receipts and directly creating expense reports. That could be a big timesaver.

Conclusion:
While I was disappointed with the QuickBooks integration, I will use the scanner and software for personal expenses and will recommend it to clients who do a lot of expense reports. I forsee being able to rid my personal files of a lot of paper and going with the online images instead.

Next, I plan to look into PaperSave.com and see if it would be beneficial to any of my clients.

- Linda

Hello Linda,

I am wondering if you have had a chance to try PaperSave like you indicated you would. I have a new client who wants to scan all her receipts and copies of her clients checks and associate them with QB. I'm not interested in anything like Neat Receipts - online banking makes data entry easier nowadays. So, the solution I'm looking for is simply for document imaging and storage in a logical way for easy retreival.

If you have any suggestions or advice, I'd appreciate it! :-)

-MJC

Hi,

Has anyone found a solution for this? I am looking to do the same thing.

Jeff

A new client has Neat Receipts and is updating to version 3.0 which claims to have better results when importing into QB.

Does anyone have direct experience with how well it acutally works with QB?

I am investigating Papersave.com, it looks promising. Is there anyone already using it sucessfully?

Thanks!

I purchased and downloaded papersave last year for QB 2007. I was never able to get it to work correctly. When I upgraded to QB 2008 I gave up trying. I am still looking for something to work though, so if anyone has had luck please let me know.

Yes, PaperSavePlus for QB seamlessly integrates to over 25 records right inside quickbooks. There's free tech support if you have any problems installing the program.

Try www.papersaveplus.com

I have had several problems with the neat receipts software and can export direct on my laptop but not on my desktop which has been offered no solution by their support.  I just lost a gig of receipts yup 2 years taxes and documents after upgrading their software. The upgrade sucked out my backups and it has serious internal bugs and file name conflicts.  One time I got some real help but most of it now is coming from dead people who should not be on the payroll.  Reclassifying receipts within the inbox has caused the program to shut down permanently so be really careful, keep folders small or lose them, and always back up to a flash drive if you have 45 minutes to stop working and let it back up a big file.  The final aggravating flaw is the backup is lengthy and does not allow you to work with anything during the backup, I have lost huge amounts of time and data having some sort of hope that it would help me not waste three vacations working on their conflicts and shut downs.  I am going back to direct entry and eliminating the neat receipts deficit so I really can have a neat desk and a vacation.

I just purchased the Neat Reciepts scanner. While it does a  nice job of scanning your receipts so you don't have piles of paper around, I am finding some issues with getting the data into Quickbooks. It might be my lack of understanding the product- if so, please clarify it for me.  From what I have seen you use the following process.

Scan your receipt to the "inbox" of Neat Receipts. Then you need to "review and file".  This is where you set up which "category" the receipt goes into.  What if it goes into multiple accounts, or categories?  ALso, it does not provide a place for a check number, if you used a check.  I have been putting that in comments, but that does not get translated into QB, so you have a bit more manual work.  When you have the data as you would like it, or as close as you can anyway, you must FILE it into a folder.  THe folders seem a bit overly sub categorized.  From what I can see the best useage of the folder is to set up the upper one as say your business name, the next, Folder TYpe, as say Business Expense, the last level, I use to capture the "account" it goes into when you import the iff file into QB.  So my "category" and lower level folder name, should match EXACTLY what account I am reading it into in QB.  THis means that I have to put all receipts that apply to say Office Supplies into one folder, and then say, all my "utlities" into a seperate folder.  After I have done a batch of receipts, I can then export my file to QB  IFF file.  When Exporting, you select the folder you want to export.  THen you tell the tool which Debit account you are putting these charges into- i.e. Office Supplies.  THe name you put in the Debit field, must match Exactly the account in QB, say Office supplies. and then your credit acount must be typed exactly as you have it in QB as well.  So this means that you can not take a batch of mixed receipts, say with office supplies and utlitiles and export them at the same time, because when you do, and it asks for your Debit Account, and if you put Office Supplies, it will then post all of them, even the utilities charges into the Office SUpplies account in QB.  Is there a way around all this?  It sure would be nice if you could just select your category, and the tool was smart enough to say, oh, this charge if office supplies, I will put it in the office supplies account.  This charge is utilities, I will put it in the utilities account.  AM I missing something?  Also, as mentioned before, it would be nice to be able to enter a check number and have it post it correctly in QB as well.

Anyone have more info, or know if I am doing something wrong?

 

The program has been unstable since I abuse it with large amonts of information but it does work but I have also lost entire years worth of information so backups must be maintained.  Their program is a free download now but you need their scanner and the upgraded to a much better layout which makes it easy to get started immediately.  As much as I hate them for the lost data I still want to use there system since it makes a lot of sense to a person who does not want to pay a full time book keeper I mean can not afford one.  They have been dedicated to helping me but were unsuccessful and if Quick books would get their [removed] together it would be a huge tool for them to support. 

I can select 15 receipts and post it directly to my quickbooks account whether it is checking, cash or personal and it has worked in last minute sending six months of scanned reeipts to its correct account plus will work with turbo tax or alone providing tax reports.  Nothing is automatic until you take the time to set it up and then it is able to send directly to quick books or excell and a few other financial programs. 

I think its worth a try the simpler you keep it the more reliable it is and you can make a pdf of anything you scan which helps in backing up certain items. I give them a thumbs up after dealing with me and I like their new release of software. 

 I am at the point of decision on a scanner, has anyone found a 300 to 400 dollars system that works better than the neatd..k sytem?