The shoebox full of receipts is a classic: parking tickets, restaurant bills, fuel stops. At the end of the quarter your accountant wants them all posted, and nobody fancies typing up forty receipts. Odoo can take over the lion's share of that work with its built-in OCR.
Bonnen in bulk uploaden
Go to Accounting → Vendors → Bills (for individual receipts you can also use Vendors → Receipts) and click Upload. Feel free to select twenty photos at once: Odoo turns each photo into a draft and automatically reads the supplier, date, amount and VAT. All you have to do is check and post — one click per receipt.
Even easier: email to an alias
If you don't even want to upload, just forward the receipt by email. Every purchase journal has its own alias address, for example bills@yourcompany.odoo.com (set up via Accounting → Configuration → Journals). Everything that arrives there appears as a draft bill with the attachment attached. Handy in practice:
- Take a photo with your phone and forward it straight away — a lost receipt is no longer an excuse.
- Ask regular suppliers to send their PDF invoices directly to the alias.
- The original attachment stays linked to the entry: your audit trail is in order straight away.
Note: the OCR runs on digitisation credits. On Odoo Online a bundle is included with your subscription; if you use it heavily, check your balance under Settings.
Recurring entries: set it up properly once
Set a fixed general ledger account and analytic tag per supplier (on the vendor record, Accounting tab). For recurring costs such as telephony or car hire you then no longer have to choose anything: Odoo pre-fills everything, you just confirm. A construction company with fifteen vans books all its fuel receipts automatically to 'Fuel costs' with the right cost centre per project this way.
Finally
Practical tip: in the first few weeks, spot-check the VAT amount the OCR reads — receipts with several VAT rates (think of a petrol station with a shop) deserve a second look. Want to streamline your entire purchasing flow? Contact DAADit Group for a practical set-up.
The shoebox full of receipts is a classic: parking tickets, restaurant bills, fuel receipts. At quarter-end your accountant wants them all booked, and nobody enjoys retyping forty receipts. Odoo's built-in OCR can take over the lion's share of that work.
Upload receipts in bulk
Go to Accounting → Vendors → Bills (for loose receipts, Vendors → Receipts also works) and click Upload. Feel free to select twenty photos at once: Odoo creates a draft for each one and automatically reads the supplier, date, amount and VAT. All that is left is checking and posting — one click per receipt.
Even easier: email to an alias
If you do not even want to upload, just forward the receipt by email. Every purchase journal has its own alias address, for example bills@yourcompany.odoo.com (configured under Accounting → Configuration → Journals). Everything that arrives there shows up as a draft bill with the attachment included. Useful in practice:
- Snap a photo on your phone and forward it immediately — 'I lost the receipt' is no longer an excuse.
- Ask regular suppliers to send their PDF invoices straight to the alias.
- The original attachment stays linked to the entry, so your audit trail is sorted automatically.
Note: OCR runs on digitisation credits. On Odoo Online a bundle is included with your subscription; if you use it heavily, check your balance under Settings.
Recurring entries: configure once, confirm forever
Set a fixed general ledger account and analytic tag per supplier (on the vendor card, Accounting tab). For recurring costs such as telephony or car rental you no longer have to choose anything: Odoo pre-fills everything, you only confirm. A construction firm with fifteen vans books all fuel receipts to 'Fuel costs' automatically, with the right cost centre per project.
Wrapping up
Practical tip: in the first weeks, spot-check the VAT amount the OCR extracts — receipts with multiple VAT rates (think petrol station with a shop) deserve a second look. Want to streamline your entire purchase flow? Contact DAADit Group for a pragmatic setup.