Photographing receipts cuts down on paper, but soon your camera roll is buried in them. Months later, finding one restaurant receipt means scrolling through hundreds of photos. Here's a folder and naming system that carries a receipt from the moment you snap it to the moment you need it again.
1. On your phone: one receipts album
Renaming photos as you take them never lasts. On your phone, just keep one album for receipts and move each receipt photo into it.
- On iPhone, create an album in the Photos app, select the photos and tap "Add to Album".
- On Android, create an album in your gallery app and move or copy the photos into it.
- If a household or club collects receipts together, use a shared album and have everyone add their own.
2. On your computer: year and month folders
Once a month, move the album's photos to your computer or cloud drive and file them in folders. Start folder names with numbers, so sorting by name also sorts by date.
Receipts/
2026/
2026-08/
2026-09/
Always use two digits for months (08, 09). Otherwise October sorts before February.
3. File names: date_store_amount
Renaming every photo is optional, and you can do it only for receipts that matter. If you do rename them, this order works well:
2026-09-13_corner-market_32.80.jpg
- Date first: sorting by name puts files in date order.
- Short store name: leave out branch details.
- Plain amount: avoid currency symbols and commas, which some programs handle badly in file names.
The date, store and total are already in the spreadsheet from the receipt tool, so keep it open beside the folder while you rename.
4. Match spreadsheet rows to photos
If you'd rather not rename files, add a Photo column to your spreadsheet instead. The order you add photos to the tool becomes the No. column, so if you add them in the same order they're sorted in the folder, row numbers and photos line up.
| No. | Date | Store | Total | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9/2/2026 | Corner Market | 32.80 | IMG_4812.jpg |
| 2 | 9/3/2026 | Noodle Bar | 14.50 | IMG_4815.jpg |
When someone asks about an expense later, find the row and open the original photo by its file name.
5. Back up the important ones twice
A lost receipt photo is often impossible to replace. For business expenses, club accounts or anything you might need to prove, keep copies in at least two places.
- Your phone's photo backup (iCloud, Google Photos and so on) plus a computer folder
- A computer folder plus an external drive or cloud storage
Receipts can show partial card numbers and addresses, so don't keep them in folders anyone with a link can open.
6. When to delete
You don't have to keep every receipt photo forever. A simple rule keeps your camera roll light.
- Everyday groceries and meals: once they're in your spreadsheet and checked against your card statement, deleting them a few months later is usually fine. Keep receipts for anything you might return.
- Business expenses and group accounts: record-keeping periods may apply, so check your employer's or group's rules and your tax authority's guidance, and keep them for that long.
Summary
One album on your phone, year and month folders on your computer, and a Photo column in your spreadsheet. With those three habits, even hundreds of receipt photos stay easy to search.