Whether you’re a busy business owner or a work-from-home mom, you need a convenient, reliable way to transform your paper receipts into digital documents that can be retrieved whenever you want, from wherever you want.

Here are the top 5 qualities to consider when looking for the best receipts app:

1. Convenience

A great receipt scanner app will make your life easier, not harder.

The best apps allow you to instantly digitize your paper receipts by snapping a photo with your smartphone or scanning to your PC. This process should be easy, seamless, and stress-free, and require the least amount of effort on your part.

2. Cost

There’s a wide range of costs when it comes to receipt scanning apps. Some are free, but lack the robust storage and security you need to keep your sensitive info safe. Others are overpriced or only cost-effective for big businesses.

The best app for receipts is one with a range of pricing options to fit your budget. Look for one that offers a free app download for your devices along with monthly pricing plan choices.

3. Multi-platform functionality

You can’t just download a receipt app to your phone or tablet and call it a day.

Why?

Because receipts creep up in every area of your life, and require a multi-tiered approach to their management. For instance, you might get handed a receipt at the gas station, emailed a receipt from an online subscription, and dumped with a stack of paper receipts to be sorted at work.

A great receipt app will have you covered no matter where the receipts are coming from. Shoeboxed has a smartphone app, but they also offer done-for-you receipt scanning and traditional scanning options.

With this service, you can

• Dump receipts and stacks of paper in an envelope, drop the envelope in the mail, and have everything scanned for you while you sleep
• Snap photos of receipts with your phone or tablet while you’re on the go
• Scan receipts yourself from your home or office scanner

Look for a receipt app that offers all of these options and more.

4. Security

Did you know that the IRS accepts electronic versions of your receipts? You can now digitize just about anything and everything, making receipt scanning a great way to stay organized and clutter-free.

But what happens to all of your sensitive information when you scan it to the cloud? If you choose the best app for receipts, your credit card info, social security number, and other sensitive financial information will remain secure.

Look for an app that guarantees your security with SSL encryption and TRUSTe certification.

5. Flexibility

A great receipt scanning app won’t only scan receipts. Look for an app that can handle business cards, bank statements, and all types of hard copy clutter.

Which receipt scanning apps have you tried before? What did you love or hate the most? Let us know in the comments below!

But if you’re currently buried under piles of paper clutter, cleaning house can be frustrating and it can be overwhelming to know how to dig yourself out.

Not only do you have to clear the clutter you already have; you must implement systems to keep those paper stacks from coming back.

Luckily, it’s possible to completely clean house with nothing but a scanner, your smartphone, and a recycle bin.

Step One: Scan What You Need to Save

Nearly every document you need to save can be scanned and stored in its digital version. The IRS accepts digital receipts with your tax documents, and nearly every type of digital document is now accepted as legally binding, as long as it’s legible.

This means that you can scan nearly every scrap of paper in sight, freeing up precious space in your home or office and creating a more organized, harmonious environment.

If you have large amounts of paper to scan, you may want to use a service like Shoeboxed to scan everything for you.

Shoeboxed will provide you with “magic envelopes” for all your clutter. All you have to do is drop your papers into the envelope, drop the envelope in the mail, then sit back and relax as the Shoeboxed team scans and digitizes all of your documents to a secure cloud-based account.

Step Two: Recycle the Remains

Once you’ve figured out how to clean house with your scanner or a document scanning service, it’s time to truly clear the clutter!

Recycle all of the documents that have been successfully scanned, making sure you have high-quality digital versions saved on your hard drive and in the Cloud.

Keep in mind that you may want to shred sensitive financial documents before recycling them.

Step Three: Create a New System

There’s no point in cleaning house and going paperless if the clutter simply creeps back in over time.

In order to maintain a workspace that’s consistently free and clear, it’s crucial to look at how you got into this (paper) mess in the first place.

Once you’re able to identify where the majority of the clutter is coming from, you can tackle it head on and prevent it from returning.

For instance, if you seem to collect a large number of receipts, put rules in place for digitization as soon as someone hands you one.

Instead of stuffing the receipt in your purse or wallet, tossing it in your car, and dragging it back into your home or office, use a receipt scanning app on your smartphone in the same way you used a scanner in Step One.

Besides scanning your documents for you, Shoeboxed also has an app that lets you snap a photo of a receipt with your smartphone and automatically beam the information to your account. This means you can toss the receipt before you’ve even left the store, preventing paper clutter from returning.

If you’ve been wondering how to clean house, remember to scan and digitize what needs to be saved, recycle the hard copies, and maintain your clutter-free space by implementing easy-to-follow, clutter-free systems.

Digital receipts are also extremely beneficial for the environment, and may even protect you from cancer! That’s because some of the chemicals used to make paper receipts have been shown to cause cancer in lab rats – yikes!

Save money, save time, save the planet, and protect your health. Not too shabby, right?

Here are seventeen of the top benefits of scanning receipts and going digital:

17. When you go digital, there will be no more paper clutter in your car, wallet, purse, home, or office. You’ll be able to stay organized and get back to doing what’s most important to you.

16. A digital receipt will let you instantly track your expenses with receipt scanner software and cut time spent doing your taxes in half.

15. Protect yourself from harmful BPA, the chemical found in paper receipts that’s been shown to cause cancer in lab rats. Every time you touch a paper receipt, you’re exposed to this chemical. Switching to digital receipts will reduce your risk of exposure significantly.

14. Reduce the amount of paper being dumped into landfills each year. According to Will Hines, writing in the Huffington Post, paper receipts account for 1.5 billion tons of waste annually in the United States alone. That’s 10 million trees cut down, a billion gallons of water and over a quarter of a billion gallons of oil used. In the UK, 11 billion receipts are printed each year.

13. Capture receipts while you’re on the go by using receipt scanning apps for your smartphone.

12. Create one-click expense reports with your receipt scanning software’s reporting tool. You’ll never have to staple a stack of receipts to a hard copy expense report again.

11. Organize your receipts by category to get an instant snapshot of your spending.

10. Instantly upload your digital receipt to your application in real time, ensuring that each and every expense is tracked and your accounts are up to date.

9. Save money on costly printer ink and paper by going paperless in your office and at home.

8. Share your information with your accountant or tax professional with the click of a button.

7. If you ever need to find a receipt for tax purposes, it’s as easy as searching by date or keyword within your receipt scanning account.

6. If the IRS requires you to produce a receipt, you can simply print it out and submit it.

5. You can create digital receipts while working off-site by using a portable digital receipts scanner made for travel.

4. Going paperless extends beyond receipts. Most receipt scanner software will also scan bank statements, itineraries, budgets, or any other documents that need to be digitized.

3. Digital receipts lead to a more organized, clutter-free office, which in turn improves productivity in the workplace.

2. Thermal paper receipts are not recyclable, making e-receipts more important than ever for making a positive impact on the environment.

1. When you ask for an emailed receipt or snap a picture of a receipt with your smartphone, you’ll enjoy the feeling of a more organized personal environment and a more sustainable environment for everyone.