Choose the project reference before the folder name
Folder & Form’s suggested workflow starts with the reference you use to retrieve work later. A supplier may serve several jobs, so a supplier-only folder is not enough. Use an agreed project code and maintain a short lookup list of active projects. Decide who answers questions when a receipt has no project code or seems to relate to more than one job.
Make incoming receipts easy to collect
Give the team one agreed intake route, with project-specific links only where they reduce confusion. A Dropbox file request is one provider option: people can submit without a Dropbox account, and uploads go to the destination selected by the request owner. Folder & Form’s provider arrangements must be confirmed before client use. Do not send receipts through the public website form.
Source: Dropbox Help — Collect files with file requests.
- Agree who owns the incoming queue and who checks that a submission arrived.
- Use a general intake route for uncertain material instead of forcing the sender to invent a project match.
- Confirm the request destination and its permissions before sharing a link.
- Set aside especially sensitive records for separate assessment under the agreed intake rules.
Keep a short receipt index
An index helps connect each source to a project without turning a filing task into an accounting exercise. Record the known project reference, receipt reference, printed date, supplier, and source location. Add a review status and a question field. If amount entry is part of the scope, agree how credits, unclear currency, and unreadable values should be handled before recording them.
Route uncertain receipts to questions
Do not decide a project from upload time alone. A same-day purchase may serve several jobs. Ask a concrete question such as which project should receive this receipt. Keep the source in the incoming or question area until an authorized person answers. Record the answer in the index so the same issue does not have to be resolved again at handoff.
Receipt reference: R-021 Project: unresolved Reason: two active projects use this supplier Question: Which project does R-021 belong to? Answer provided by / date: [complete after confirmation] Final project and location: [record after filing]
Keep shared purchases and duplicates visible
If a receipt covers two projects, retain one identifiable source and ask the responsible person for allocation instructions. Do not invent a split or silently count two copies as two purchases. A receipt photograph and a later PDF may represent the same transaction, but that relationship needs review. Filing, duplicate flagging, amount extraction, and bookkeeping each need a clear scope.
Make the bookkeeper handoff traceable
Deliver the agreed source collection with the index and unresolved question list. Confirm the destination, access permissions, and period covered. The bookkeeper or other authorized professional retains decisions about account codes, tax treatment, reconciliation, and payment approval. A well-filed receipt supports those decisions without claiming to have made them.
Separate the old backlog from weekly intake
A year of scattered receipts needs a defined cleanup project. Ongoing support needs a repeatable intake rule, a manageable allowance, and a person who can answer exceptions. Agree them separately so a monthly workflow starts with a clear boundary. Document Desk clients use reusable provider links after setup and can submit files as received under their agreed workflow.
A few useful answers
Do I need to rename receipts before using Document Desk?
No. Once setup establishes the workflow, send files as received through the assigned provider link. Naming and routing follow the agreed rules; unclear items are flagged.
What if one receipt belongs to multiple projects?
Keep the source identifiable and ask the authorized person for allocation instructions. Do not invent a split or treat a second copy as a separate purchase.
Does receipt organization include bookkeeping?
No. Filing and agreed data preparation support a bookkeeper’s work. Account classification, tax decisions, reconciliation, and payment approval remain outside this service.