The SparkReceipt Academy is the setup checklist new users see: add your first document, review it, create a report, meet SparkAgent, track a trip and so on. You can close the Academy panel whenever you like, and it stays closed until you open it again. You can't mark a step as done by hand, and there is no switch that hides the Academy for good. Each step ticks itself off when you do the real thing it describes, so the Finish your setup reminder on the Overview goes away once every step is done.
Close the Academy panel (web app)
In the web app the Academy opens as a panel titled SparkReceipt Academy, with your progress (for example "3/8 completed") at the top.
- Close it with the X in the panel's top corner. It stays closed, and SparkReceipt remembers that across sessions.
- To open it again, click your name at the bottom of the left sidebar and choose SparkReceipt Academy.
Each step has a Let's go button that takes you to the right place in the app. Steps you have finished show Completed and a Revisit button.
The "Finish your setup" reminder on the Overview
While some steps are still open, the Pending tasks card on the Overview shows two Academy rows: your next step, and Finish your setup with the number of steps left. The card also has a View all setup steps button, and the Overview item in the sidebar shows a count badge.
These rows can't be dismissed one by one. They disappear when every step is done. After that, the Pending tasks card only lists real work, such as emails waiting for approval or documents that need attention.
The setup steps in the mobile app
In the iOS and Android apps the steps appear on the Home tab under Finish setting up, with the number of steps left. Tap a step to start it.
Two steps can be skipped on mobile: Connect your email inbox and Import more of your history. Tap Skip this step on the step and confirm with Skip. The skip only applies to that device. The other steps can't be skipped. When nothing is left, the Home tab shows feature tips in that space instead.
How each step is completed
Steps are completed by the action itself, on any platform. Following the guided tour is optional.
| Step | Completed when |
|---|---|
| Add your first document | Your first document of your own (not the sample) finishes scanning. |
| Review a document | You mark a document as reviewed. |
| Connect your email inbox | You connect a Gmail, Microsoft or IMAP inbox. Forwarding receipts by email does not count. |
| Import more of your history | You start importing past receipts from a connected inbox. |
| Install the mobile app | You add your first document from the mobile app. |
| Create a report | You export a report. |
| Meet SparkAgent | You send your first message to SparkAgent. |
| Connect your bank | A bank account connection goes live. |
| Reconcile your transactions | You link a receipt to a bank transaction yourself in the Transaction Manager. Accepting a suggested match does not count. |
| Track a trip | A trip is saved as completed in Trips. |
| Create a client account / Invite your client | You create a linked account / send an invitation (accountant setups). |
Not everyone gets every step. Some only appear when they apply to your account, such as Connect your bank in regions where bank connections are available, or Track a trip when Trips is available on your account.
I don't use Trips. How do I get rid of "Track a trip"?
Track a trip stays open until a trip is saved in Trips. There is no way to skip it or turn Trips off. If you don't plan to use Trips and want the step gone, add one trip and then delete it:
- Open Trips: in the left sidebar on the web, or the Trips tab on mobile.
- Add a trip manually: Add trip on the web, or + and then Add manually on mobile. Any short route will do.
- Save it. The step is now completed.
- Delete the trip if you don't want to keep it. The step stays completed.
On the Free plan a trip you add counts toward that month's trip limit. See How to track mileage with Trips.
I already tracked a trip, but "Track a trip" is still open
The step only counts a trip at the moment it is saved as completed. Check these:
- The trip is still running or paused. A GPS trip counts once you stop it and save it (Stop and save trip on mobile).
- The trip was saved before the step appeared for you. Older trips are not counted after the fact. Add a new trip (and delete it afterwards if you like) to complete the step.
Other steps differ. If you had already connected an inbox, imported inbox history, added a document from the mobile app, talked to SparkAgent or connected a bank before the Academy could track it, that step is left out of your list. Steps such as Review a document and Create a report stay open until you do the action again.