How to capture and save image files to your FreeAgent account using the FreeAgent mobile app

This article explains how to use the ‘Capture for later’ functionality on the FreeAgent mobile app to capture and store images of receipts or bills in the ‘Files’ area of your FreeAgent account. 

'Capture for later' is available in the FreeAgent mobile app on iOS devices that run on the iOS 15 operating system or newer and Android devices running the Android 7.0 (Nougat) operating system or newer.

FreeAgent’s ‘Auto Extract’ functionality automatically extracts the date and amount from files that are added using ‘Capture for later’. These files will then automatically be assigned to ‘Money Out’ bank transactions that are marked ‘For Approval’ and have a matching date and value. Find out more about how FreeAgent automatically assigns receipts to bank transactions.

You can also convert a file captured using ‘Capture for later’ into an out-of-pocket expense.

Please note that any changes you make using the FreeAgent mobile app will be reflected in the desktop version of FreeAgent.

How to capture and save image files to FreeAgent

Open the FreeAgent mobile app on your iOS or Android device and log in using your FreeAgent login details if prompted. If you’ve accessed the app recently, you may be logged in automatically.

Tap the three-lined 'hamburger' icon at the top-left of the FreeAgent mobile app and select ‘Files’.

Tap the ‘+’ at the top-right of the screen and select 'Camera' from the 'Upload from...' drop-down menu.

The camera on your device will open automatically within the FreeAgent mobile app. If you haven’t used FreeAgent to access the camera before, you will be prompted to give FreeAgent permission to access your camera and photos. Select 'Continue to camera'.

Next, take a photo of the receipt or bill that you want to capture. Find out how to take a good photo.

Review the image and select ‘Done’.

Next, you will then be prompted to add a file name. You should choose something that will make the file easy to identify. If you don’t choose to name the file, it will automatically populate the name of the file on your device, which may make it hard to identify at a later date.

If you're a level 7 or 8 user, you'll see the option to mark a file as private by selecting the ‘Make private’ toggle. This means that only you, or you and your accountant if you work with one, will be able to see or edit that image in your ‘Files’ area. Once you’ve added a file name, select ‘Save to Files’.

The image will then be saved to the ‘Files’ area in FreeAgent and the date and value will be automatically extracted. If there is a ‘Money Out’ bank transaction marked ‘For Approval’ with a matching date and value, the attachment will also be assigned to that bank transaction automatically.

Once the bank transaction is approved, or the file is converted into an out-of-pocket expense, the attachment will be removed from the ‘Files’ area and exist only on the bank transaction or out-of-pocket expense.

Please note that it can take up to 24 hours for FreeAgent to automatically assign a receipt to a bank transaction if the receipt is uploaded before the bank transaction has been imported into FreeAgent.

Select ‘Capture another’ to capture another receipt or bill, or tap ‘I’m done for now’ to return to the home screen.

Once you've captured an image file, you can edit the name or privacy settings of the file.

You can also attach it to an out-of-pocket expense, bill or bank transaction. 

How to take a good photo

To successfully capture an image file, consider the following when taking a photo of a receipt or bill:

• To avoid fading, take the photo as soon as the document is available.
• Flatten and smooth out the document to remove creases.
• Check the image is in focus on your device before taking the photo.
• To avoid glare, turn the flash on your device off.
• Take the photo with the document against a dark background.
• Align the edges of the document with the screen and angle your phone to take the photo straight on.
• Take photos of longer or two-sided receipts or bills in sections by selecting the ‘Long receipt’ option in the bottom-right of the camera screen.