This article is for: employees.
Attach your receipt, ticket or invoice: it's what lets your approver approve the expense and your finance team book it. Add it when you create the expense, or later, without losing what you already typed.
Add a receipt to an expense you already created
Overview
Use this when you created the expense by hand, or when you paid with a Factorial card and the expense is waiting for its receipt. Creating a new expense? Start from the receipt instead and Factorial fills in the expense: see How do I create an expense?.
How to use
On the mobile app
- Open the expense from Expenses.
- In Attached document, add a photo or file.
- Save, then tap Send for approval.
Paid with a Factorial card? Tap the receipt notification on your phone and take a photo: One, our AI assistant, attaches it and sends the expense. See How do I submit expenses by sending receipts to One?.
On the web
- Open the expense from My spending > My expenses. Without a receipt you'll see "Review your expense details: Missing required field: Files".
- On the right, click Upload document (or drag the file onto that area).
- In the Upload a file window, choose:
- Upload: attaches the file without changing any field.
- Scan & Autofill: reads the file and fills in the expense, overwriting what you entered.
- Check the receipt preview and click Save. The missing-file warning disappears.
- Click Send for approval.
Digitally certified documents (Spain, France, Italy)
Overview
In Spain, France and Italy, if your company has turned it on, Factorial digitally signs (Spain, France) or archives (Italy) the receipt you upload, so there is a protected digital copy. Whether you still need to keep the paper depends on your local rules: check with your tax adviser. The Upload a document window tells you whether it's on. If it says the digital document doesn't replace the physical one, keep the paper as your company asks. See Digitally certified receipts: which countries and what it means.
Tips and Best Practices
- Add the receipt as soon as you pay. Card expenses wait as drafts until you do, and you'll get reminders.
- Choose Upload, not Scan & Autofill, when the details you typed are right and you only need to add proof.
- Attach extra proof if needed, for example a booking confirmation next to the hotel invoice. You can attach several files to one expense.
- Related: Why won't my receipt upload, or why was it read wrong? · Expenses without a receipt · Card expenses and manual expenses
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
My amount and date changed after I added a file.
You chose Scan & Autofill, which fills the expense from the file. Correct the fields, or remove the file and add it again with Upload.
"Cannot send for approval" and Files is listed as missing.
Your company requires a receipt on this type of expense. Attach one and send again.
The file won't upload.
See Why won't my receipt upload, or why was it read wrong?.
FAQ
1. Which formats can I attach?
PDF, PNG, JPG or JPEG. iPhone photos (HEIC) are converted for you. Large photos are compressed; a file still over 10 MB can't be uploaded.
2. Can I attach more than one file to an expense?
Yes. Attach each one as a separate file.
3. Do I need to keep the paper receipt?
Factorial can't decide that for you: it depends on your country's rules and your company's policy. Where your company has turned on digitally certified documents (Spain, France, Italy), Factorial signs or archives the digital copy, but check with your tax adviser or finance team before you throw anything away. If it isn't turned on, keep the paper as your company asks.
4. Can I add or change a receipt after I've sent the expense?
Not while it's waiting for approval, or after it's approved or rejected. While it's Pending, take it back with Reset to draft first. See How do I edit or take back an expense?.
5. Can I send a regular expense without a receipt?
Usually not: most companies require a receipt on regular expenses, so Factorial won't send one without it. See Expenses without a receipt.
6. What's the quickest way to attach a receipt to a new expense?
Start from the receipt: go to My spending > My expenses, click New expense > Regular expense, drop the receipt in Upload a document, check the details Factorial filled in and click Send for approval. Full steps: How do I create an expense?.
7. Does Factorial ask Upload or Scan & Autofill on mileage and per diem expenses?
No. On mileage and per diem expenses the file is attached without that question.
8. What happens after I save a receipt on an expense?
The missing-file warning disappears. If your company uses Expense checks, Factorial also checks the expense against your policy.
9. How does my company turn on digitally certified documents?
An admin with the Can access expense settings permission goes to Settings > Expenses, under Configuration > Digitally certified documents, and accepts the terms. It only appears for companies with a legal entity in Spain, France or Italy, and depends on your plan: your Account Manager can confirm. Receipts uploaded before the terms are accepted aren't signed.