It's the 1st. Your receipts are spread across email, Apple Wallet, Drive and a folder called 'misc'. Month-end took 90 minutes last time. This time, 10.
The trick: a tight sequence, repeated monthly, that closes the books before lunch.
Minutes 0–3: Sweep all sources
Open every receipt source: email, accounting app, e-wallet, scanner output. Save anything from the previous month to one folder — `/Receipts/2025/08/`. Don't sort yet, just gather.
A shared rule helps: 'all receipts in PDF form, all in one folder by the 1st.' Even teams of one benefit from saying it out loud.
Minutes 3–6: Rename and sort
Quick pass through the folder. Rename anything that isn't already in `YYYY-MM-DD_<merchant>_<amount>.pdf` format. The naming makes the merge order automatic.
This takes longest the first month. After you've trained yourself to name on arrival, it's just a verification pass.
Minutes 6–8: Merge
Drag the whole folder into Flint merge. Order is chronological by filename. Merge, rename the output to `2025-08_Receipts.pdf`. Done with merging.
If you want categorisation (travel, meals, software), do that via the original filenames before merging — the merged pack groups them naturally.
Minutes 8–10: Compress and file
Compress the merged pack to under 5 MB. Move to `/Archive/Receipts/2025/`. The folder of originals stays in place for a quarter, then archives.
Bookkeeping software gets the compressed pack. Annual tax pack is just merging the twelve monthly packs at year-end.
FAQ
What if I forgot a receipt?
Add it to the next month with a note. Most accounting systems handle prior-period adjustments cleanly. Don't reopen a closed month for one receipt.
Should I keep paper receipts after scanning?
Depends on jurisdiction — most accept digital records, some require originals for high-value items (typically over £100 or $250). Check with your accountant.
What about non-PDF receipts (e.g., screenshots)?
Convert to PDF on save. Most OSes have 'print to PDF'; mobile camera apps usually offer PDF output. Consistency matters more than fidelity here.
How do I handle reimbursable vs business-card receipts?
Separate folders or filename prefixes — `Reimb_2025-08-15_Hotel.pdf` vs `Biz_2025-08-15_Hotel.pdf`. Merge each into its own monthly pack.
Month-end is a 10-minute job with a clean routine. Run this month in Flint before the 5th and feel the difference.