My receipt is not being read
You take a photo of a receipt, but the fields on the check screen stay empty. That is annoying, but usually quickly explained. Below are the three causes we see most often.
First this: your receipt is not lost
The photo is always kept, even when not a single field has been filled in. You can simply type in the amount, VAT, date and supplier yourself and save. Your receipt then lands in your records exactly as it otherwise would, it just cost you half a minute extra.
What it may be down to
- The automatic reading does not run on your device or in your version of the app.
- Recognising text happens on your phone itself and does not work on every device and every version. If you come from the app store and it stays empty, check whether an update of the app is waiting. If it stays that way, fill in the fields by hand; saving works as normal.
- The photo is too dark, skewed or out of focus.
- Lay the receipt flat on a table or on the bonnet, hold your phone straight above it and make sure the whole receipt fits inside the frame. Turn on the flash if you are indoors or it is getting dark. Smooth out a crumpled receipt first. Then simply take a new photo.
- The app could not identify the amount with certainty and therefore filled in nothing.
- This is built that way on purpose. On a receipt with a faded total line, with discounts or with a VAT number that looks like an amount, the app can be well off the mark. Better an empty field than a wrong amount that slips unnoticed into your VAT return (btw-aangifte). So copy the amount and the VAT from the receipt and type them in yourself.
How to get the best readability
- Photograph the receipt right there at the wholesaler, before it disappears into your pocket or the glove box.
- Make sure the light is even, without your own shadow falling across the receipt.
- Hold the phone parallel to the receipt, so not at an angle from the side.
- If the receipt is longer than the frame, aim at the bottom part: that is where the total and the VAT are.
Last checked on 28 August 2026
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