Forward a receipt. It's in FreeAgent.
Receipt Relay files the receipts and invoices you forward by email straight into FreeAgent: as bills, bank transactions or out-of-pocket expenses, with the receipt attached.
- To
gentle-tide-cuckoo@in.receiptrelay.co.uk - From
- Northwind Hosting
- Subject
- Your invoice INV-1042
- Type
- Bank transaction
- Supplier
- Northwind Hosting
- Amount
- £24.00
- VAT
- £4.00
- Category
- Computer Software
How it works
Set up once in a couple of minutes. After that, forwarding an email is all it takes.
Connect FreeAgent
Sign in with your FreeAgent account and get your own private forwarding address.
Forward your receipts
Email receipts, PDF invoices, or a photo of a paper receipt. Or set up a rule and your inbox forwards them for you. Only emails from addresses you approve are read, so nobody else can add anything to your books.
It's filed for you
Supplier, date, amount, category and VAT are read and filed in FreeAgent, with the original attached.
Set it and forget it
Most receipts come from the same few suppliers every month. Add a rule to your inbox once and they're forwarded and filed without you lifting a finger.
Gmail
- In Settings → Forwarding and POP/IMAP, choose Add a forwarding address and enter your Receipt Relay address.
- Gmail sends a confirmation to that address, and we pass it straight on to you. Click Confirm forwarding.
- Create a filter, such as From:
billing@yoursupplier.comor Subject:invoice, and choose Forward it to your Receipt Relay address.
Outlook and Hotmail
- In Settings → Mail → Rules, choose Add new rule.
- Add a condition, such as From a supplier or Subject includes
invoice. - Choose Redirect to and enter your Receipt Relay address. Outlook may ask you to sign in again to allow it.
Set the rule up in a mailbox you've approved in your Receipt Relay settings: emails it forwards count as yours, even though they're from your supplier. Some workplace Microsoft 365 accounts block forwarding to outside addresses; if so, ask whoever manages your email.
Filed the way your accountant would
Receipt Relay works out what kind of record each receipt should be.
Paid receipts
Added as an explained bank transaction, or matched to the payment in your bank feed if your bank is connected.
Unpaid invoices
Filed as bills, with the due date, ready to pay.
Personal card?
Paid with a card that isn't your business card? It becomes an out-of-pocket expense.
VAT handled
Reads the VAT, recognises reverse charge, and only reclaims VAT it can justify. Anything it worked out itself is labelled so you can check it.
No duplicates
Forward the same invoice twice and it's only filed once.
Told when it can't
If something isn't an invoice, or can't be filed, you get a short email saying why.
Your receipts go to FreeAgent, not to us
Receipt Relay is a relay: it reads each email, files it, and doesn't keep a copy.
- Receipts are read by AI (Claude, by Anthropic) and filed straight into your FreeAgent account. We don't build up a store of your receipts.
- Email is processed in the EU, and the service runs in the UK on Amazon Web Services.
- Only emails from addresses you've approved are processed. Anything else is ignored.
- Delete your account at any time from your settings.
Questions
Who is it for?
UK sole traders, contractors and small limited companies that keep their books in FreeAgent and get receipts and invoices by email.
How much does it cost?
It's free during launch. If we ever start charging, you'll get at least 30 days' notice by email, and you won't pay anything unless you choose to carry on. You can delete your account at any time.
Can I forward receipts automatically?
Yes. Set up a forwarding rule in Gmail or Outlook for the suppliers that email you receipts, and they'll be filed as they arrive. Here's how.
What if it gets something wrong?
Everything it files is an ordinary FreeAgent record that you can check, edit or delete. VAT it has worked out rather than read off the receipt is labelled so you can see it at a glance.
Do I need to change how I use FreeAgent?
No. Tell it whether your bank is connected to FreeAgent or you add transactions by hand, and it fits around that. If you add them by hand, stop entering the payments it files for you, so nothing's counted twice.
Is Receipt Relay part of FreeAgent?
No. Receipt Relay is an independent product that connects to FreeAgent through its official API, with your permission. It isn't affiliated with or endorsed by FreeAgent.
Stop typing in receipts
Connect FreeAgent and forward your first receipt in under two minutes.
Sign in with FreeAgentFree during launch. If we ever start charging, you'll get 30 days' notice, and you won't pay unless you choose to carry on.