Neat

Neat is a receipt and document management product that helps freelancers and small business owners replace paper with searchable digital records. Users can capture items from a phone, by email forwarding or by dropping files in.

What Neat offers

• Receipt capture — scan with a mobile device, forward an email or upload a file.
• Data extraction — reads key details from each document so less has to be typed in.
• Tax categories — matches expenses to tax categories and keeps deductions tracked through the year.
• Search and folders — every word of a stored document can be searched, and folders can be arranged freely.
• Reports — produces expense reports and accountant-ready summaries, and supports sharing files and comments with others.

Who it works with

Self-employed people and small businesses, including those who pass records to a CPA or accountant at tax time.

Key facts

• Encryption: bank-level encryption for stored data
• Experience: about two decades in the market, with early customers dating from 2008
• Access: mobile scanning and web access
• Tax rules: categories aimed at IRS and CRA requirements