By Erin Caldwell, cloud-bookkeeping support lead with 8 years of experience troubleshooting mobile expense and receipt workflows
Last reviewed: July 22, 2026
FreshBooks users can sign in through the web portal or mobile application to record expenses, attach receipts, send invoices, and manage business data. The mobile receipt scanner can extract information from uploaded documents, but scanned entries must be reviewed before they become finished expense records.
This independent guide is not affiliated with FreshBooks.
The immediate job is to separate four different actions: logging in, attaching a receipt to an existing expense, scanning a receipt into the Uploads queue, and fixing an item that has not synchronized with the web account.
What FreshBooks Is
FreshBooks is cloud accounting and invoicing software for small businesses and self-employed professionals. Its product includes invoicing, expense tracking, receipt management, time tracking, online payments, and mobile applications for iOS and Android.
Receipt capture sits inside the business account. A business user can attach an image to an expense that already exists or use receipt scanning, which places the document in an Uploads area for later review.
Those are different workflows.
An attached receipt supports an existing record. A scanned receipt is processed with optical character recognition (OCR), after which the extracted merchant, amount, tax, date, and other fields should be checked before the expense is created.
Choose the Correct FreshBooks Route
| Your task | Correct starting point |
|---|---|
| Manage the business account | FreshBooks web or mobile login |
| Reset account access | Forgot Your Password? on the web login |
| Add proof to an existing expense | Attach Receipt inside that expense |
| Scan a new receipt for later review | Camera icon in mobile Expenses |
| Review scanned documents | Review x Receipts or Uploads |
| Create a bill from a scanned document | Complete the review in a web browser |
| Fix missing mobile changes | Refresh sync, then follow app troubleshooting |
| Download expense data | FreshBooks export or Expense Report |
Do this first: determine whether the expense already exists. Skip receipt scanning when all you need is to attach a document to a record that is already complete.
Log In Through the Right Method
FreshBooks supports login with an email address and password and may request a FreshBooks code as two-factor authentication. Users who sign in with Google or Apple follow those providers’ authentication flows instead.
FreshBooks recommends typing login details manually when browser autofill may be inserting an outdated email or password. Repeated failed attempts can trigger a temporary account lock, so use password recovery rather than submitting the same rejected credentials again.
Android users who forget their password are directed to reset it through a web browser rather than inside the Android application.
Priority one is restoring the existing account. Skip opening a second profile because another account will not automatically contain the original expenses, uploaded receipts, invoices, clients, or reports.
Keep access details private. Do not send passwords, login codes, financial-account credentials, or confidential client data through ordinary email or an unrelated support page.
Attach a Receipt to an Existing Expense
On iOS, the documented route begins with Expenses, followed by selecting the expense, choosing Edit, and then Attach Receipt. The user can choose an image from the library or use the camera before saving the expense.
Android follows a similar path:
Expenses > Select expense > pencil icon > Attach Receipt > Save.
The receipt thumbnail can be opened later from the expense record. If the camera does not work, FreshBooks directs users to confirm that the application has permission to access the device camera.
This workflow does not automatically rebuild or recategorize the expense. It adds supporting documentation to the record you selected.
Check the expense first.
Attaching a receipt to the wrong transaction can create a persuasive but inaccurate record, particularly when several purchases have the same amount or merchant.
Scan a New Receipt on Mobile
In the Android and iOS applications, receipt scanning begins from Expenses by selecting the camera icon. Users can take a new photo or choose one from the device library. Short receipts use Regular mode; longer receipts can be captured in sections using Long mode.
FreshBooks’ scanning service uses OCR to extract document details and place them into fields for review. On Android, scanned receipts appear through the Review x Receipts banner and then inside the Uploads section.
The reviewer should inspect every populated field, add missing information, and correct OCR mistakes. The screen can also include options to add the purpose of the expense, change the currency, or mark the expense as billable to a client.
Then save it.
Only after the review is saved does a new expense get created with the document attached. The receipt is moved from Uploads into the expense list.
OCR is a starting point, not bookkeeping approval.
Receipt Scanning Availability and Processing Time
FreshBooks currently limits receipt scanning to users in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom on trials and eligible Plus, Premium, and Select plans. The correct country must be selected in the account’s Basic Information settings.
Automatic capture of multiple bill line items is currently listed as a Select-plan feature.
FreshBooks says document scanning can take anywhere from about 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the file type and number of documents uploaded.
Do not upload the same receipt several times simply because it remains in a processing state. Duplicate uploads can later become duplicate expense candidates once the scans finish.
Priority two is the Uploads queue. Skip manual recreation until you have confirmed that the original document did not complete processing.
Features and plan availability can vary by country.
Bills Require the Browser
A scanned document can be turned into an expense on mobile, but FreshBooks states that creating a bill from a scanned receipt must be completed in a web browser.
The browser Uploads area supports documents such as JPEG, PNG, and PDF files. Users can upload through the Uploads subsection, choose Upload Receipt, use Upload Bill, or drag and drop files into the Uploads area.
FreshBooks also provides a unique email address that can receive forwarded receipt documents for scanning and later review.
This creates a common wrong-screen moment. A user may scan a supplier document in the mobile app, then search for a bill-creation control that is not available there.
Move to the browser. Skip entering the same transaction as both a mobile expense and a browser bill.
Why a Receipt Does Not Scan Correctly
A failed scan can result from the image, not the account.
Review whether the receipt is fully visible, readable, and captured in the appropriate Regular or Long mode. Glare, shadows, folded paper, missing edges, faint printing, and overlapping documents can reduce the quality of extracted details.
FreshBooks provides a review screen because OCR fields may be incomplete or incorrect. Users are instructed to inspect populated fields and fill in anything missing before saving.
Check the total, tax, date, merchant, and currency carefully. A misread decimal or date can affect reports even though the receipt image itself is attached correctly.
Do not treat the scanned image as proof that the accounting fields are accurate.
Fix Mobile and Web Sync Problems
FreshBooks documents a manual Android sync gesture: press near the top of the app and pull downward until the spinning-circle indicator appears. Sync is finished when that indicator disappears.
Its iOS support also provides a mobile-to-web sync and troubleshooting process for invoices, estimates, expenses, and other records that do not appear consistently between the app and browser account.
Before troubleshooting, verify that the app is connected to the same FreshBooks account and business shown in the browser. A person with access to multiple businesses can sign in successfully yet inspect the wrong company.
Refresh first. Skip recreating the expense immediately.
A repeated record may sync later and leave two expenses with the same merchant, date, and amount. FreshBooks also displays a yellow warning banner for potential duplicate expenses, with a Review all route for examining them.
Mobile Expense Limits That Cause Confusion
FreshBooks lets Android and iOS users create expenses and attach receipts. The default expense categories correspond to the default accounts in the Chart of Accounts on Plus, Premium, and Select plans.
One Android limitation is easy to miss: assigning an expense to a project must be completed through a web browser on the Android device rather than through the normal mobile expense form.
That missing project field does not necessarily mean the app failed or the user lost permissions.
Use the browser for the unsupported step. Skip placing the project name in an unrelated note field as a substitute for a proper assignment.
Expense categorization also affects accounting reports. FreshBooks separates operating expenses from Cost of Goods Sold categories, and those categories correspond to accounts in the Chart of Accounts.
When the proper category is uncertain, ask a qualified bookkeeper or tax professional rather than choosing based solely on the merchant name.
Recordkeeping and Exports
The Internal Revenue Service says good records help a business track deductible expenses, prepare financial statements and tax returns, and support amounts reported on those returns. The retention period depends on the transaction or event documented.
IRS Publication 583 advises businesses to record expenses when they occur and identify the source of recorded receipts.
FreshBooks supports exporting account data in formats including PDF and CSV. Expenses can be downloaded through an expense export or Expense Report, while uploaded receipt images have a separate export route.
That separation matters during year-end preparation.
An expense spreadsheet shows structured accounting data. A receipt export preserves the attached supporting images. One does not automatically replace the other.
Export both when the business needs a complete backup. Store the files in an access-controlled location rather than leaving sensitive financial documents in a shared Downloads folder.
Contact FreshBooks Support
FreshBooks directs signed-in users to FreshBot for support options. Someone who cannot log in can open the Help Centre, choose Contact Us, ask FreshBot for support, and follow the route offered for their region.
Prepare a concise description with:
- device and operating system;
- mobile app or browser;
- affected business;
- whether the expense exists on either platform;
- whether the receipt is in Uploads, processing, or attached;
- the exact non-sensitive error wording;
- steps already attempted.
Do not include passwords, authentication codes, bank credentials, or confidential client payment information.
FreshBooks FAQ
Can I use FreshBooks on a phone?
Yes. FreshBooks provides iOS and Android apps.
What is the difference between scanning and attaching?
Scanning creates a document in Uploads for OCR review and later expense creation. Attaching adds an image to an expense that already exists.
Why can’t FreshBooks use my camera?
Confirm that the mobile application has camera permission in the device settings. FreshBooks identifies missing camera access as a cause on both Android and iOS.
How long does receipt scanning take?
FreshBooks says processing can take from roughly 30 minutes to several hours, depending on the documents and upload volume.
Can I create a bill from a mobile scan?
Upload the document on mobile, but finish creating the bill in a web browser.
Why is an expense missing from the web version?
Confirm that the same account and business are open, then manually refresh the mobile app. Avoid recreating the entry until sync has been checked.
Why do I see two similar expenses?
One may have been created manually while another came from a scan or bank import. Use FreshBooks’ potential-duplicate review before deleting either record.
Can I export both expenses and receipt images?
Yes. FreshBooks lists separate export options for expense data and uploaded expense receipts.