The Receipt Inbox is where your Relay Account collects every receipt forwarded by email or uploaded by cardholders, and where you attach unmatched ones to transactions.
What you need before you start
Access to the Expenses tab in your Relay Account (Expense Management is included on the Grow Plan and Scale Plan)
Receipts forwarded to your Relay email address, or uploaded by cardholders using the SMS link they receive after a Relay Visa® Credit Card or debit card purchase
Permissions that allow you to view and edit transactions on the account
What is the Receipt Inbox?
The Receipt Inbox is a single view inside the Expenses tab that holds every receipt Relay has received, whether it was matched to a transaction automatically or is still waiting for review. Two tabs organize the view:
Matched Receipts: documents Relay has already linked to a card transaction.
Unmatched Receipts: documents that need you to attach them to a transaction manually.
How do I find the Receipt Inbox?
Open the Receipt Inbox from the Expenses tab. Three steps:
Go to the Expenses tab in your Relay Account.
Click Receipts.
Select Receipt Inbox from the left-hand menu.
How does Relay match receipts to transactions?
Relay attempts to match every incoming receipt to a card transaction by comparing three fields: merchant name, amount, and date. When all three align, the receipt attaches to the transaction and moves to the Matched Receipts tab. When any field is missing or ambiguous, the receipt stays in the Unmatched Receipts tab for you to review.
How do I manually match a receipt to a transaction?
Match a receipt from the transaction itself, not from the inbox. Four steps:
Go to the Expenses tab.
Find the transaction that needs a receipt.
Under transaction receipts, click the plus (+) symbol.
Choose Search Receipt Inbox to pick from an already-uploaded receipt, or Upload a Receipt to add a new one from your device.
Once you attach the receipt, it moves out of the Unmatched Receipts tab and onto the transaction record. If the transaction is split across multiple categories, you can attach receipts to individual splits and add memos on each one.
What if a receipt was uploaded by mistake?
Delete it from the Unmatched Receipts tab. Two steps:
Open the Unmatched Receipts tab in the Receipt Inbox.
Select the receipt you want to remove, then click Delete Receipt.
Only delete a receipt when you are certain it is a duplicate or was uploaded in error. Deleted receipts cannot be restored.
Can I match one receipt to multiple transactions?
Not yet. If a single document covers more than one purchase, upload a copy against each transaction, or attach the receipt to one transaction and add a memo on the others noting where the full document lives.
Best practices for managing your Receipt Inbox
Review the Unmatched Receipts tab weekly so documentation stays current.
Filter by amount, date, or cardholder to speed up review when the inbox is busy.
Confirm with the cardholder before matching a receipt that looks ambiguous.
Keep deletions rare. A receipt kept in the inbox is easier to fix than one that has already been removed.
Common issues
A receipt did not match automatically. The merchant name, amount, or date on the receipt likely does not align with the transaction. Match it manually from the transaction record.
A cardholder cannot upload from the SMS link. Check that the cardholder is opening the most recent link and that they have not previously uploaded a receipt for the same transaction. See Troubleshooting Receipt Upload Errors.
A receipt is stuck in the Unmatched Receipts tab after a QuickBooks Online or Xero sync. Unmatched receipts never sync to your accounting platform. Attach the receipt to a transaction first, then trigger the sync again.
A split transaction only has one receipt slot filled. Attach a receipt to each split individually from the transaction detail view.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to unmatched receipts after a sync?
Unmatched receipts stay in the Receipt Inbox until you match or delete them. They are not sent to QuickBooks Online or Xero because they are not tied to a transaction yet.
Can I add a manual expense that is not on a Relay card?
Not today. As a workaround, forward the invoice or receipt to your Relay email address so it appears in the Receipt Inbox, then match it to the closest related card transaction and add a memo.
Where do the receipts in the inbox come from?
Two sources: emails forwarded to your Relay email address, and receipts uploaded by cardholders through the SMS link they receive after a card purchase.
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