Skip the receipt scanning and hours of manual data entry with the Magic Envelope

Magic Envelopes are the perfect way to get your receipts, business cards, invoices, work orders and other important business documents organized. If you send it, we’ll scan it.

Our Magic Envelopes are large 9″x 12″ Tyvek envelopes. Tyvek is a very sturdy and reliable material, so our Magic Envelopes can usually hold hundreds of receipts depending on the receipt size. However, if you find that your receipts do not fit we can send you more envelopes at no charge!

For the most part, documents do not need to be organized in any way before you send them to Shoeboxed. Please make sure that documents are not attached to larger pieces of paper, as we are not able to process this kind of document.

Each receipt should be loose in the envelope. Each individual document should also not be stapled or otherwise attached to other pages, unless the document is part of a multi-page document.

Double-sided documents that contain printed information on both sides will be automatically processed as a single document entry in your account.

All you have to do is put a paper clip on receipts or documents that have multiple pages, and we will scan them as one document with multiple pages. Multi-page documents only count once toward your monthly limit—not once for every page.

Each Magic Envelope has a unique envelope code. Before a Magic Envelope is sent to you, we associate its envelope code with your account, and then we wait for that envelope to come back. When we receive it, we will send you an email letting you know that it is going through processing.

You can also use the envelope code to track at which point in the processing cycle your envelope is in. Simply log in to your account and click on “My Envelopes” on the overview page. From there you will be able to see when your envelope was received, when it has been processed and when we sent new envelopes out to you.

You have two options: (1) Have them shredded at our facility or (2) have them returned to you after we scan them.

Go to “Account info,” under “My mail-in settings,” check the box “Shred and recycle my documents (do not return)” if you want us to shred your documents.

Leave the box unchecked if you would like us to return your documents. All new plans will default to include document return.

If you’re looking to streamline your receipt organization for tax season by digitizing your receipts, you may be wondering—will the IRS accept your receipt scans? Can receipt scans legally support your tax write-offs when filing taxes?

The quick answer: Receipt scans are 100% legitimate and approved by the IRS. In fact, the IRS has accepted scanned and digitized receipts as valid tax records for tax deductible purposes since 1997.

However, receipt scans must meet specific requirements to be eligible.

According to the IRS, digital or scanned receipts must meet the following requirements:

• Digital versions of receipt scans are completely identical to their original versions.
• Each receipt scan must exhibit a high degree of legibility and readability.
• You must be able to produce hard copies (print-outs) of the scanned receipts in the event of an IRS audit.
• Scanned documents must be stored in a secure place.

If you can ensure your scanned receipts are properly stored and backed up as digital files in a filing system that allows for easy retrieval, and you can reproduce hard copies from the digital versions in a legible, readable format, you may dispose of the original receipts.

See “Rev. Proc. 97-22 (Recordkeeping – Electronic Storage System),” IRS.gov

Every account comes with an unlimited number of users. If you would like, we can also make sub-accounts for any members of your staff to keep their receipts separate from your main account.

There are multiple ways for users to scan receipts into their Shoeboxed account.

• Mail your receipts to our processing facility for free with a pre-paid* envelope from us, then we’ll scan them into your Shoeboxed account.
• Download our receipt scanner app from the Apple store or Google Play for quick uploads on the go.
• Forward emails to the designated Shoeboxed address and any receipts sent will appear in your Shoeboxed account.
• Install our custom Gmail plugin to auto-import digital receipts to the Shoeboxed dashboard.
• Upload receipts to your Shoeboxed account from your laptop or desktop using the drag-and-drop method.

Shoeboxed takes both your physical documents and scanned documents into consideration when it comes to security. All incoming paperwork is kept safe in our facility in Durham, NC with 24/7 surveillance and entry control. Digital files and data are additionally protected by SSL encryption, which is the same utilized by banks to protect accounts. We suggest that users review the privacy policy and terms of service before using any receipt scanning software or receipt management tool.

Absolutely! All plans come with a 30-day, 100% money-back guarantee. Sign up for a monthly or annual plan, and your card gets charged right away. Try everything—upload receipts, test our data extraction, see how it all works. If it's not the right fit, contact us within 30 days and we'll refund you completely.

The only exception: if you request Magic Envelopes and physical document scanning during your trial, we ask that you don't request a refund (we've already incurred those processing costs).

Our price is comparable to other receipt scanning apps. Additionally, our Digital Only price starts at just 4.99 per month (price available in-App), making us less expensive than Expensify, Rydoo, Dext (Receipt Bank), and many other options in the same category.

The Starter plan is $9 per month ($97/year with 11% savings) and perfect for solo users just getting started. You get 30 digital scans per month (360/year), 20 paper scans per year, 1 Magic Envelope at signup, and unlimited users.

The Pro plan is $29 per month ($297/year with 17% savings) and ideal for freelancers and growing SMBs. Most Shoeboxed users land here. This plan includes 200 digital scans per month (2,400/year), 60 paper scans per quarter (240/year), 1 Magic Envelope each quarter, unlimited users, and accounting integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero.

The Plus plan is $79 per month ($797/year with 19% savings) and best for small teams needing monthly Magic Envelopes. It includes 750 digital scans per month (9,000/year), 50 paper scans per month (600/year), 1 Magic Envelope per month, unlimited users, accounting integrations, and priority support.

The Paper Plus plan is $179 per month ($1,997/year) for companies that still process lots of paper receipts. It includes 500 digital scans per month (6,000/year), 200 paper scans per month (2,400/year), 2 Magic Envelopes per month, unlimited users, and all premium features.

Save 11-19% when you sign up for an annual plan, providing great value for those searching for the best receipt scanner. Annual plans include annual document counts, best utilized for bulk upload or businesses that experience seasonal changes in receipt volume throughout the year.

Note: Postage is only pre-paid within the US at this time.

Software that can read text that has been captured in an image is referred to as Optical Character Recognition (OCR). This enables us to take the line items from an image and convert them into text. This information can then be used to fill in fields in accounting software or digital filing systems. Before settling on a receipt scanner, make sure it has the OCR feature.