How to scan receipts into your expense tracker automatically
Written by the Clove Ai team. Published: . Updated: . Last verified:
To scan a receipt in Clove Ai, the expense tracker app, photograph it in the chat. Clove Ai reads the shop and the lines, you check each line and the total, and only then is it saved as expenses. Faded or crumpled receipts need a quick manual correction.
Receipt scanning is the fastest way to log a long shop, and the slowest way to log a coffee. This post shows how scanning works in Clove Ai, what to check before you save, and where it fails, so you know when to scan and when to just type.
Before you start: turn the AI on
Scanning uses the AI, and AI features are off until you switch them on in Settings. Nothing is sent to an AI provider before then. With AI off, the manual form, budgets, charts and reports keep working; you only lose the chat, plain-words entry and receipt scanning.
Steps
- Open the chat and choose the camera or photo option.
- Photograph the receipt flat, in good light, with all lines in view.
- Clove Ai reads the shop name and the lines and shows them as cards.
- Check each line, then check the receipt total against the printed one.
- Fix any wrong amount or category, then save. Only now do the rows become expenses.
What is read, and what you should check
| Check | Why |
|---|---|
| Shop name | It becomes the description and helps the category |
| Each line amount | A faded digit is the most common error |
| The total | It should equal the printed total; a mismatch means a missed or doubled line |
| Category | A supermarket receipt mixes food, cleaning and personal items |
| Date | Check it if you are logging a receipt from a few days ago |
Clove Ai also warns you about a possible duplicate if a message looks like something you already logged, which helps when you scan a receipt that you also typed in earlier. You can save it anyway or skip it, and anything the chat adds can be undone for 24 hours from its card.
When scanning fails
- Faded thermal paper. The print may be too light to read; photograph it sooner, or type the total.
- Crumpled or folded receipts. Smooth it flat; lines hidden in a fold will be missed.
- Handwritten receipts. These are the least reliable; type them in.
- Receipts in another currency. Check the amount and the currency on the card; Clove Ai converts at that day's rate when you log in the currency you paid in.
Tips for a clean scan
- Put the receipt on a dark, flat surface so the edges are clear.
- Avoid a flash that washes out the print; daylight from a window works well.
- Hold the phone straight above the paper, not at an angle.
- Scan on the day you shop, before thermal paper fades in a wallet.
What happens to the photo
The receipt image is sent to an AI provider only to read it, and only when AI is on. Clove Ai does not store the image or keep it in your chat history, and does not use it to train models. Each provider's own terms still apply, and Clove Ai cannot control them. The full detail is in the Privacy Policy and in the post on what an AI expense tracker stores. A receipt can show things you did not mean to share, such as a loyalty number, so crop or skip it if that worries you.
Scan, type or talk?
Scan when the receipt is long and has many lines. Type or talk when it is one or two items, because opening the camera takes longer than saying "two coffees 8k". Many people mix: scan the weekly shop, type everything else. The guide to the receipt scanner expense tracker goes further into choosing.
Where Clove Ai is not the best fit
Clove Ai is paid only ($2.99 a month or $29.99 a year, with a 7-day trial on the yearly plan), Android and web only for now, and it does not connect to your bank. If you want receipts matched to bank transactions, a bank-linked app is a better fit; see Best AI expense tracker apps in 2026.
Ready to scan one? Get Clove Ai on Google Play or visit the home page.
Questions and answers
Does Clove Ai save a receipt before I check it?
No. You review each line and the total first, and only then is it saved as expenses.
Does Clove Ai keep my receipt photos?
No. Receipt images are used for the scan and are not stored by Clove Ai or kept in your chat history. They go to an AI provider only when AI is on.
Can I scan without turning on AI?
No. Receipt scanning needs AI, which is off until you turn it on. The manual form always works.
What if the scan gets an amount wrong?
Edit the line on the card before saving, or undo it from the chat card within 24 hours after.