SparkReceipt Help

Can SparkReceipt be used purely as a document scanner (like CamScanner)?

Yes. The mobile app's camera scans any paper document, crops it and stores it in your account as an Other document. Covers how capture works, whether it can take the picture automatically, and why a scanned receipt can get the wrong date.

JO
Written by Joel OjalaUpdated Oct 12, 2026

Yes. SparkReceipt is built for receipts and invoices, but the mobile app's scanner works on any paper document: contracts, letters, forms, certificates or notes. Choose the Document type when you add it and it's stored as an Other document, searchable in Documents alongside your receipts.

How scanning works in the mobile app

Tap the add button, pick the document type (Expense, Income, Statement or Document) and choose Take a photo. The scanner finds the edges of the page, crops it and straightens it. You can also add an existing picture with Select from gallery, or a PDF with Select from files.

Each scan creates one document with one page. For a long receipt or a two-page invoice, add more pages to the same document afterwards. See Can I scan a multi-page invoice or receipt?

The mobile app's main menu has Camera settings:

  • Auto-apply scan enhancements improves the readability of scans.
  • Use legacy camera switches to the older camera if the scanner gives you trouble. Scan enhancements are off with the legacy camera.
  • Save scans to gallery keeps a copy of each scan in your phone's photo gallery.

Can the camera take the picture without pressing the button?

SparkReceipt has no setting for hands-free or automatic capture. If you have many paper receipts to digitise, a quicker route is to photograph them with your phone's camera first and then upload them all at once with mass upload in the web app, which takes up to 100 files per batch.

Why did my scanned receipt get the wrong date?

The date is read from the text printed on the receipt. The date the photo was taken is not used. A wrong date usually has one of these causes:

  • No date could be read. If the date is faded, cut off or blurry, SparkReceipt uses today's date and shows a Check the date notice on the document. Set the correct date, or tap Date is correct if today is right.
  • Day and month are swapped. A date like 03/04 can mean 3 April or March 4. SparkReceipt decides from clues on the receipt itself, such as the merchant's address, currency and language, and uses the date format of the Region in your Profile as a hint. Check the region is set to where your receipts come from. See Calendar settings: Date format order and language.
  • The receipt shows several dates. SparkReceipt picks the one most likely to be the purchase date and ignores delivery dates, but on unusual layouts it can pick the wrong one.

You can always open the document and change the date. For the best results, photograph the receipt flat, in good light, with the whole receipt in the frame.

What you can do with scanned documents