Employees can easily submit expenses in Factorial from either the web platform or the mobile app. Our OCR (Optical Character Recognition) system will read the receipt or invoice photo you upload and automatically extract the main details, saving you time and reducing errors.
Types of expenses you can create
When submitting a new expense, you’ll choose one of the following types:
- Regular expense - Any standard receipt or invoice for a purchase you made (e.g. meals, office supplies, transport).
- Per diem - A daily allowance for meals and incidentals during business trips, based on company-defined rates.
- Mileage - Compensation for using your personal vehicle for business purposes, calculated by the distance traveled and the rate set by your company.
Submitting an expense using OCR
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Start a new expense
- On Web: Go to My Spending → Expenses and click + New expense.
- On Mobile app: Open Expenses from the main menu and tap + New expense.
- Upload your document. Take a picture of the receipt or invoice, or upload an existing file (JPG, PNG, PDF).
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Automatic data capture. The OCR system will scan the document and pre-fill fields such as:
- Category
- Date
- Total amount (including taxes)
- Currency
- Document number
- Vendor name
- Vendor TIN
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Complete any additional required fields
- If needed, adjust or add missing information (e.g. category, project, description).
- For per diem or mileage expenses, select the correct rate and provide travel details.
- Review and submit. Check all details are correct.
- Click Send for approval to send the expense for approval.
Best practices for OCR accuracy
- Make sure the entire receipt is visible in the photo.
- Avoid blurry or dark pictures.
- Upload receipts as soon as possible after the transaction to avoid losing details.
Once submitted, your expense will appear in the My Spending > Expenses list and will follow your company’s approval flow.
FAQ
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Can I upload PDF receipts?
Yes, PDF, JPG, and PNG formats are supported.
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What if OCR doesn’t capture all details?
You can manually edit or complete any missing information before submitting.
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Are per diem and mileage expenses also supported on mobile?
Yes, both can be submitted via the mobile app following the same flow.