Guide

QuickBooks feels like too much? A simpler way to handle receipts

Lots of solo founders, freelancers and side businesses sign up for accounting software, then hardly ever open it. If what you really need is your receipts in one place for your bookkeeper or tax preparer, you may not need a full accounting app. MonthEnd does that one job: you forward receipts to one address, and once a month we send them to your bookkeeper as a ZIP and a spreadsheet. This guide helps you figure out what you actually need.

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First, figure out what you actually need

Accounting software can do a lot: invoices, bank feeds, reports and more. That is useful if you keep your own books. But many small businesses only need two things each month: every receipt saved, and those receipts handed to the person who does the books or the taxes.

• Who does your books? If a bookkeeper or tax preparer handles them, ask what they want from you. Often it's just your receipts and a simple list.
• What do you open the app for? If the honest answer is “almost never,” you may be keeping software for jobs someone else already does.
• Do you send invoices or run payroll? If yes, you likely need real accounting software. A receipt tool doesn't do those jobs.

When QuickBooks is still the right choice

We'll be straight with you. If you already use QuickBooks every day, its receipt capture may be enough, and you probably don't need us. The same goes if you keep your own books in it or your bookkeeper works inside your account. Stick with what works for you.

A simpler setup for receipts only

1. Pick one place for every receipt. One address or one folder, not three. This is the biggest fix.
2. Forward emailed receipts. Most online purchases and software already send a receipt by email. Set up a Gmail or Outlook filter once. The forwarding guide shows how.
3. Photograph paper receipts the same day. A clear photo of the vendor, date and total is usually what your bookkeeper needs.
4. Send the month on a fixed day. Pick a day, like the 1st, and send last month's receipts in one package: the files plus a spreadsheet with one row per receipt.
5. Fill the gaps once. When your bookkeeper sends back a list of missing items, the missing receipt guide helps you track them down.

Ask your bookkeeper or tax preparer first

Before you stop using any software, ask the person who does your books a few quick questions. They know your situation best.

• Do you need access to my accounting software, or just my receipts?
• What helps you most: PDFs, photos, a spreadsheet, or all three?
• How often do you want them: every month, or once a year at tax time?
• Is there anything in my current account I should export or keep?

If you do stop using a tool, download or export your records first. Keep them as long as your local rules require. Your tax preparer can tell you how long that is.

What MonthEnd doesn't do

MonthEnd is not accounting software. We don't send invoices, run payroll, connect to your bank or file taxes. We collect your receipts and send them on, every month, so the person doing your books has what they need.

Then let MonthEnd send the month

MonthEnd gives your business one forwarding address, such as yourbusiness@usemonthend.com. Forward receipt emails to it, point a Gmail or Outlook filter at it, or upload photos of paper receipts. We keep each receipt in private storage, sorted by month. On your send day (the 1st by default, or any day from 1 to 28), your bookkeeper gets last month: a ZIP with every receipt and a CSV with one row per receipt, with a copy to you. Starter is $12 a month for one business, and Pro is $29 a month for up to 5 businesses. Start a 14-day free trial, no card needed to start.

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