> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.taxhomebase.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Receipt Scanning

> Scan receipts with AWS Textract to auto-fill expense details.

TaxHomeBase uses AWS Textract (OCR) to extract data from receipt photos and auto-fill expense fields. This saves time and helps build an IRS-compliant paper trail.

## How It Works

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the expense form in create mode">
    The "Scan Receipt" button is only available when creating a new expense (not when editing).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Upload a receipt photo">
    * Supported formats: JPEG, PNG
    * Maximum file size: 10MB
    * The image is uploaded to S3 via a presigned URL
  </Step>

  <Step title="Textract analyzes the receipt">
    AWS Textract's AnalyzeExpense API extracts:

    | Field           | Textract Source                           |
    | --------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
    | **Amount**      | TOTAL field                               |
    | **Date**        | INVOICE\_RECEIPT\_DATE field              |
    | **Description** | VENDOR\_NAME field                        |
    | **Category**    | Keyword-based suggestion from vendor name |
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review auto-filled fields">
    Only empty fields are populated — if you've already entered an amount or date, those values are preserved. Review the auto-filled data and adjust as needed.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Frame caption="After scanning, Textract auto-fills the amount, date, vendor, and suggests a category.">
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/stipendguard/rYTODjwsgR5TPzB9/images/guides/expense-scan.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=rYTODjwsgR5TPzB9&q=85&s=16ced53ee039b8c359e98ec79e112db6" alt="Expense form with fields auto-filled from a scanned receipt showing amount, date, and vendor" style={{ maxWidth: '300px' }} width="750" height="1680" data-path="images/guides/expense-scan.png" />
</Frame>

## Category Suggestions

Textract doesn't directly categorize expenses. TaxHomeBase uses keyword matching on the vendor name to suggest a category:

| Keywords                  | Suggested Category |
| ------------------------- | ------------------ |
| hotel, inn, lodge, airbnb | lodging            |
| gas, fuel, shell, bp      | travel             |
| restaurant, cafe, food    | meals              |
| parking, garage           | parking            |
| pharmacy, medical         | supplies           |

If no keywords match, the category field is left empty for you to select manually.

## Viewing Receipts

After saving an expense with a receipt:

* A camera icon appears on the expense card
* Click it to open the receipt in an in-app modal
* The modal loads the image via a presigned S3 download URL
* Both the Expenses and Expense Reports pages use the same receipt viewer

## Receipt Substantiation

The IRS requires receipts for:

* All expenses over **\$75**
* All **lodging** expenses (regardless of amount)

TaxHomeBase's [Expense Reports Insights](/guides/expenses) tab shows your receipt coverage and flags items that are IRS-substantiation requirements without receipts.

## Error Handling

The scan process has step-specific error handling:

* **Presign failure** — Problem generating the upload URL
* **Upload failure** — Problem uploading to S3
* **Textract failure** — Problem analyzing the receipt

Each step shows a distinct error message with an inline retry button.