Storing receipts and invoices digitally: what is allowed and how to do it right

Scanning is allowed, provided it is complete and legible

You may digitise paper receipts and invoices and then discard the paper. The conditions: the scan or photo must reproduce all the details of the original completely and legibly, you must be able to produce it throughout the entire retention period, and the data must not be alterable without this being visible. A sharp photo with your phone suffices, as long as date, amount, VAT and supplier are clearly readable. Thermal till receipts in particular fade within a few years, so digitising them is not just allowed but plainly sensible.

Keep for seven years, sometimes ten

The statutory retention period for your administration is seven years. For records concerning immovable property, such as the purchase or renovation of business premises, it is ten years. The period starts after the end of the financial year the documents relate to. This applies to your invoices, receipts, bank statements, contracts, diaries and your mileage records. Digital storage also means staying stored: keep a backup and do not keep everything on a single laptop.

Lost a receipt: now what?

Without an invoice or receipt you formally have no right to deduct the VAT, and the cost deduction is weaker too. But something can often be salvaged. Ask the supplier for a copy or duplicate invoice; webshops and telecom providers usually have invoices available in your account. If that fails, substantiate the expense as well as you can with what you do have: the card debit, an order confirmation, an email. For income tax, what matters is whether the costs are plausible and business-related; for VAT deduction, a proper invoice remains the norm.

Prevention beats repair: photograph every receipt at the moment of purchase. Then losing one is literally no longer an issue.

A workable digital system

Keep it simple and consistent. One fixed place for everything: your accounting software with a scanning app or upload feature, or failing that a tidy folder structure per year and per quarter. Photograph receipts immediately, save invoices from your inbox right away and link documents to the corresponding transaction in your bookkeeping where possible. Spend ten minutes a week on this and you will never fall behind, and when the tax authorities ask, you can produce the right document within a minute.