From wildfire to recovery

Daily usage

1. Start Receipt Capture on the computer.
2. Enter the Claimant / Household Name, Insurance Company, Policy Number, Insurance Claim Reference, and Currency, then click Save Claim Information. The entry form collapses to a read-only summary; use Edit Claim Information whenever needed.
3. Put the smart phone and computer on the same private Wi-Fi network you trust. Do not use public/shared guest Wi-Fi for receipt transfer.
4. Scan the dashboard QR code with the phone. The QR contains a temporary pairing token and expires when Receipt Capture restarts.
5. On the phone tap Take Receipt and photograph the receipt flat, well lit and as square to the camera as possible.
6. On the computer review the photo. Use Rotate if necessary.
7. Verify Store/Restaurant, Receipt Date, Amount, Category and Notes. OCR is only a suggestion.
8. Click Accept & Save. The untouched original and medium insurance copy are saved immediately.
9. Saved receipts can be Edited or Deleted. Delete requires confirmation and removes both image copies; submitted history remains unchanged.
10. If the picture is blurred/cut off, choose Reject / Retake while the receipt is still in front of you.
11. When finished, use Exit Receipt Capture. A green SAFE TO EXIT indicator confirms accepted receipts are saved.

Insurance submission packages

1. Review the receipt list and make sure the saved claim information is correct.
2. Click Create New Submission Package.
3. Select the date you intend to submit the package.
4. Choose an outgoing image preset: Standard, Email-friendly, or Compact. These settings change only the copies placed in the outgoing package; saved Originals and local receipt images are not reduced.
5. Receipt Capture estimates the outgoing size. If it is over 10 MB, the recommended option is to Split into multiple normal ZIP attachments. You may instead choose Keep everything in one ZIP if your email or insurer portal accepts a larger file.
6. The package is built from Unsubmitted receipts only. If split, each Part X of N ZIP is independently extractable and contains its own XLSX plus the receipt images listed in that workbook.
7. Only after every required ZIP part is created successfully are those exact receipts marked Submitted.
8. The next package contains only later/unsubmitted receipts.

If a submitted receipt is later corrected, the original historical submission is preserved. The corrected live record becomes Unsubmitted so it can be included in a correction/resubmission batch. If a package was created by mistake before being sent, Void / Reopen can reopen its receipts while retaining the audit history.

How to send the package to your claims adjuster

1. Create the submission and keep the generated ZIP file(s) together.
2. If your insurer provides a secure claim portal, prefer that method. Otherwise attach the generated ZIP to email only after verifying the adjuster's address. The ZIP contains an XLSX workbook and its matching receipt images.
3. If Receipt Capture created Part 1 of N, Part 2 of N, etc., send every part. If they fit within your provider's limit, attach them to one message; otherwise send separate messages clearly labelled Part X of N using the same Claim Reference and Submission Date.
4. If your adjuster requests the spreadsheet separately, open the ZIP and copy out the XLSX file, then attach that XLSX alongside its ZIP.
5. Before sending, verify the adjuster's address/claim portal, Claim Reference, receipt count, amounts and attachment list.
6. Keep the sent email or portal confirmation and the exact generated package file(s) for your records.

Master XLSX contents

• Claim Information — claimant/household name, insurance company, policy number, claim reference, currency, export time, receipt count, total and the AS-IS notice.
• All Receipts — complete receipt register with submission status.
• Unsubmitted — items not yet tied to a submission batch.
• Expense Summary and Daily Summary.
• Submission History — each batch snapshots claimant/household, insurer, policy number, claim reference, currency, outgoing image preset, date, total and all package filenames.
• One historical Submit YYYY-MM-DD tab for each successful submission.
• Donations — optional donation information; the software itself remains free.

Backups & Restore

Create Backup ZIP uses SQLite's backup mechanism to preserve a consistent database snapshot plus original images, processed receipt images, exports, historical submission packages and pending images. Restore Backup ZIP validates the selected file, refuses to restore while a receipt is awaiting review, and automatically creates a PRE-RESTORE-SAFETY backup before replacing live data. Keep occasional backup copies somewhere separate from the computer being used for the claim.

Deleting an accidental scan

Use Delete Receipt beside a saved receipt when a scan was created in error. After confirmation, Receipt Capture removes the live database record and both the original and medium-size image. If the receipt was already submitted, the program gives an additional warning: the historical submission snapshot/package is preserved exactly as it was and deletion does not retract anything already sent to an insurer. Recovering a deleted live receipt requires a backup.

Troubleshooting