Name invoice files consistently.
Use a reviewed document date, merchant, total and currency to make a receipt copy recognisable without opening it. Keep the original file and treat the new name as an organisational label.
Updated · Receipt Workbench free beta
Start with one predictable structure
Receipt Workbench uses a fixed structure: a client folder, a document-month folder, then a filename containing the document date, merchant, total and currency. The date uses year-month-day order. You review the fields; the beta does not offer an arbitrary filename-template editor.
Consider a fictional PDF called scan_0042.pdf. Its merchant is MAPLE CREEK BAKERY, its date is 18 October 2026, and its printed total is USD 18.75. With the client label Cedar Studio, its exported path is:
Cedar Studio/2026-10/2026-10-18_MAPLE CREEK BAKERY_18.75_USD.pdf
The document bytes stay the same. The ZIP contains a newly named copy, while the CSV connects that path to the original name. Keep the original outside the tool as part of your existing process.
Resolve dates before naming
An invoice can contain an issue date, a payment due date and other dates. Check the source and use the document date for this naming workflow. The resulting month folder follows that reviewed date; it does not determine an accounting or tax period.
A date printed as 03/04/2026 needs context. Do not silently choose March 4 or April 3. Verify the issuer’s convention or ask for clarification, then enter the confirmed date. Leave the document unconfirmed while the date remains uncertain.
Keep total and currency together
Use the full document total, rather than a subtotal or the outstanding balance. For example, a fictional invoice showing a total of USD 250.00, a payment of USD 100.00 and an amount due of USD 150.00 should use 250.00_USD in this filename.
A dollar sign alone cannot establish USD. Confirm the currency from the document or other reliable context. Where the source contains competing totals or currencies, inspect it before choosing. A negative credit-note amount remains negative; naming does not establish how it should be posted.
Handle collisions without losing documents
Two receipts can legitimately share a merchant, date and total. Receipt Workbench keeps distinct files and adds a numbered suffix when their output names would collide within a batch. It also cleans characters that cannot safely form filenames.
A duplicate-content warning is a prompt to review, not an instruction to delete. Check whether the second copy is unnecessary, then exclude it explicitly if appropriate. Separate downloads are separate batches; the beta does not maintain a permanent duplicate register across them.
Check the name against the source
Open the original preview, review every field, confirm the document, and inspect the exported CSV before handover. Editing a confirmed field requires another confirmation. These examples describe the current beta documented in Help & limits; read how local processing works before choosing sensitive files.
Compare the workbench with your usual process, or learn how to check the exported CSV.