Help Center / Expenses Reimbursements

Submitting Expenses via Email

Don't have Light open? No problem. You can email receipts for your card purchases to your company's receipt email address, and Light automatically matches them to your card transactions.

Good to know: Email submission is for card transaction receipts only. To submit an out-of-pocket expense for reimbursement, use the Light web app, mobile app, Slack, or Microsoft Teams instead.

How It Works

Your organization has a single, company-specific receipt email address (it looks something like receipts@...). When you send an email to that address:

  1. Light identifies your company from the receipt address the email was sent to
  2. Light identifies you by matching your sender email address to your Light user account
  3. Light's AI reads each attachment and matches it to one of your card transactions
  4. When a match is found, the receipt is attached to that card transaction automatically

Step 1: Get Your Company's Receipt Email Address

Ask your admin for your company's receipt email address if you don't have it. There is one address for the whole organization — there are no separate per-department addresses.

Step 2: Send Your Receipt

  1. Find your receipt email (from the merchant) or take a photo/screenshot of a paper receipt
  2. Compose a new email (or forward the merchant's email) to your company's receipt email address
  3. Attach the receipt as a PDF or image (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF)
  4. Send it from the email address associated with your Light user account

You can attach multiple receipts to one email — each attachment is processed and matched separately.

Good to know: Light reads the receipt attachment itself — the email subject line and body text are not used for processing. Make sure the receipt is attached as a file; a forwarded email without an attached receipt cannot be matched.

Step 3: Check the Transaction in Light

Light does not send a reply or confirmation email. To verify the receipt was attached, open the card transaction in Light — if the match succeeded, the receipt appears on the transaction. If no matching card transaction is found, the receipt is not stored, and you'll need to attach it another way (see Troubleshooting below).

Why Use This Method

  • No app needed: Works from your email client on any device
  • Digital receipts: Forward email receipts from online purchases directly
  • Automatic matching: Light's AI finds the right card transaction for you

Pro Tips

  • Send from your work email: The sender address must be recognized for your company — use the email address on your Light account. Admins can ask Light to approve additional sender addresses or domains (useful for automatic forwarding rules)
  • Wait for the transaction: Submit the receipt after the card transaction appears in Light, so there is a transaction to match against
  • One receipt per attachment: Attach each receipt as its own file

Troubleshooting

"I don't know the receipt email address" Ask your admin for your company's Light receipt email address.

"My receipt doesn't appear on the transaction"

  • Check that you sent it from the email address on your Light user account
  • Check that you used the correct receipt email address
  • Check that the card transaction is already visible in Light
  • Check that the receipt was attached as a file (PDF or supported image format) and is legible

"There was no card transaction to match" If the receipt can't be matched to a card transaction, it isn't stored. Attach it directly to the transaction in the Light app once the transaction appears, or use Slack, Teams, or the mobile app.

"This was an out-of-pocket expense, not a card purchase" Email submission only works for card transaction receipts. Submit out-of-pocket expenses on the Expenses page, or via Slack, Teams, or the mobile app.

Was this article helpful?

Book a demo