Case study · Fintech
Snap the receipt, and the expense is done
Employees keep receipts in wallets and fill in expense spreadsheets at month-end. This is how we built a mobile expense app where a photo of a receipt becomes a categorised expense, matched to the card transaction and ready for approval and export.
Project overview
A consumer-grade expense app for businesses.
- Industry
- Fintech
- Client
- Confidential
- Solution
- Expense management app
- Platforms
- iOS + Android
- Timeline
- 14–20 weeks
- Team
- 6 people
- AI
- Receipt data extraction
- Integrations
- Card feeds, accounting software
- Security
- Bank-grade encryption
Expected business outcomes
What the client set out to achieve
Measured on submission time and extraction accuracy.
-
Seconds
To submit an expense
Photo, automatic fields, confirm.
For clear receipts
-
90%+
Receipt fields read correctly
Merchant, date, amount and tax extracted.
Target on a test set of real receipts
-
Automatic
Card transaction matching
Receipts matched to card lines.
Where card feeds are connected
Business challenges
Where the client started
Expenses are paperwork nobody enjoys.
Receipts
Paper receipts lost or faded.
Claims
Spreadsheets filled in at month-end.
Approval
Managers approve by email.
Accounting
Finance retypes claims into the accounts.
Compliance
Missing receipts for tax purposes.
Proposed solution
What the app covers
Capture, extraction, approval and export in one flow.
-
Receipt capture
Camera capture with edge detection and quality checks.
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Data extraction
Merchant, date, amounts and tax read automatically.
-
Card matching
Receipts matched to card transactions.
-
Approvals
Policy checks and manager approvals in the app.
-
Accounting export
Approved expenses exported to accounting software.
-
Security
Encryption, secure sign-in and audit trail.
Project requirements
What the client asked us for
The request was effortless expenses. The experience depends on extraction quality, so we test on thousands of real receipts before launch.
Policy checks run as the expense is created, so problems are fixed by the employee, not finance.
What the project had to deliver
- 01Seconds to submit
- 02Automatic data extraction
- 03Card matching
- 04Approvals and export
Key challenges & considerations
What made it harder, and what we did
-
Crumpled or faded receipts
What we did
Poor images were detected at capture, and the user was asked to retake them.
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Multi-currency expenses
What we did
The currency was read from the receipt and converted at the day's rate.
-
Different accounting systems
What we did
Connectors were built for each accounting system in scope.
-
Financial data regulations
What we did
Financial data was encrypted, with access controls reviewed against the regulations.
What we watched for
- Test on real receipts
- Check policies at capture
- Handle poor images gracefully
- Keep the flow to three taps
Development process
Capture quality first
The receipt experience is perfected before anything else.
-
Receipt set
Real receipts collected for testing.
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Capture and extraction
Camera flow and extraction built and measured.
-
Matching and approvals
Card feeds and approval flows added.
-
Integrations
Accounting exports built.
-
Launch
Beta with pilot businesses, then public release.
Technology stack
Mobile with on-device and cloud AI
Fast capture on the phone, extraction in the cloud.
Mobile
- React Native or Flutter
- Native modules where needed
- Offline storage
Backend
- Node.js or .NET API
- Azure or AWS
- Push notifications
Quality
- Automated UI tests
- Crash reporting
- Staged releases
Delivery
- CI/CD to App Store and Google Play
- Feature flags
Quality assurance & deployment
Tested on real devices, in real conditions
Mobile apps fail in the hands of users, not on a developer's desk. Testing covered real devices, poor networks and interrupted sessions before anything went to the stores.
- Automated tests for the app logic and the API
- Testing on real iOS and Android devices across the agreed versions
- Offline, poor-network and interrupted-session scenarios
- Code review on every change
- Store guideline checks during the build, not before submission
Deployment
- 01IntegrationsAccounting exports built.
- 02LaunchBeta with pilot businesses, then public release.
- 03Beta and store releaseA beta group used the app first; store submission followed, with a phased release.
- 04Monitoring and warrantyCrash and performance monitoring from launch, and six months of free bug fixing.
Final deliverables
Expenses that take seconds
Employees submit expenses as they happen, receipts are read automatically and approved expenses flow into the accounts.
Finance stops chasing receipts at month-end.
- Instant capture
- Automatic extraction
- Card matching
- Accounting integration
Handed over to the client
- 01iOS and Android appsPublished in the client's store accounts
- 02Source codeIn a repository the client can access
- 03Backend and adminDeployed and documented
- 04Release processBuild, signing and store submission
- 05Six-month warrantyFree bug fixing after delivery
Success metrics
How success is measured
| Measure | Outcome | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|
| To submit an expense | Seconds | For clear receipts |
| Receipt fields read correctly | 90%+ | Target on a test set of real receipts |
| Card transaction matching | Automatic | Where card feeds are connected |
Verified reviews
What clients say about our mobile app work
Verified reviews from our clients on the same kind of work, published on Clutch.
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Mobile App Development
Web & Mobile App Development for a Software Company
Their communication skills and industry knowledge have left a strong impression on us.
Verified review on Clutch (Alec Wenzowski, opens in a new tab)
Alec Wenzowski
President, Button Inc. Jan 2022 – Ongoing
-
Mobile App Development
Software & Mobile App Development
They were great people with great work ethic.
Verified review on Clutch (Henry Popp, opens in a new tab)
Henry Popp
Co-Founder, Codedge LLC Aug 2021 – Jan 2023
-
Mobile App Development
Mobile App Development for an IoT Company
The project manager does an excellent job, and the team is always available during the project.
Verified review on Clutch (Arjen Schoneveld, opens in a new tab)
Arjen Schoneveld
Co-Founder, Dexels BV Jun 2021 – Oct 2022
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