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Stop losing receipts: set up a system that takes 2 minutes a week

Receipts are in your wallet, the van door and your email. Set up one place for them, an automatic way to save emailed invoices and a weekly routine your accountant will thank you for.

Updated 17 Oct 2026

The prompt · ChatGPT

Help me set up a simple system for receipts and bills.

What I buy: [materials, fuel, software, and so on]
Where receipts turn up now: [paper, email, apps]
What my accountant asks for: [e.g. monthly, by category]
Tools I have: [e.g. Google Drive, phone camera, Zapier]

First ask me up to 4 short questions. Wait for my answers.

Then:
1. A folder structure by tax year and month, and a file-naming rule (date, supplier, amount).
2. A 2-minute weekly routine.
3. A simple log sheet layout: date, supplier, category, amount, VAT, file name.
4. Set-up steps for a two-step automation that saves emailed bill attachments to my receipts folder.
5. What GOV.UK says about how long to keep records, with the link.

Only use what I've told you, leave blanks for anything I haven't given, and don't invent facts or figures. UK English.

For how long GOV.UK says to keep business records, use web search and name the page you used. If it doesn't search on its own, open View all tools and choose Search.

Stay in this ChatGPT chat. Do not turn on apps or connectors, and do not use memory from another chat.

A short example

Fill the blanks, then paste. materials, fuel, software, and so on: a short note you already have. paper, email, apps: a short note you already have. Leave the rest of the prompt as written.

This does not give tax advice. The books stay in the accounting system.

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