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Resources

Guides, definitions, comparisons and articles on expenses, receipts and payables.

Guides

E-invoicing and fiscal receipts by country: what you can look up

Which tax authorities keep a copy of every receipt and invoice, which ones let a buyer look a document up or download everything issued to its tax number, and where the full receipt still only exists at the till.

4 minOct 24, 2026

How long to keep receipts for taxes in Canada and the US

The CRA's six-year rule, the IRS's three-year default and the exceptions to both, what a receipt has to show, and whether a digital copy counts.

2 minOct 20, 2026

merchant-receipts

How to get a receipt or invoice from Amazon

Where Amazon keeps the invoice for every order, how to download it on the website and in the app, what changes on Amazon Business, and how to handle orders from other sellers.

3 minOct 20, 2026

Comparisons

Smartbills vs BILL

Smartbills vs Coupa

Smartbills vs Dext

Smartbills vs Expensify

Smartbills vs ReceiptHero

Smartbills vs Splitwise

Glossary

Accountable plan

The IRS rules an employer's reimbursements have to follow for mileage, per diem and other business expenses to stay tax-free for the employee.

Accounts payable (AP)

The money a business owes its suppliers for goods and services it has received but not yet paid for.

Accounts payable turnover

How many times a year a business pays off its average accounts payable balance, a measure of how quickly it pays suppliers.

Accounts receivable (AR)

The money customers owe a business for goods or services it has already delivered and invoiced.

Accrual accounting

Recording revenue when it is earned and expenses when they are incurred, whenever the cash actually moves.

Accrued expense

A cost the business has incurred in a period but not yet been invoiced for or paid, recorded as a liability at period end.

ACH transfer

An electronic bank-to-bank payment through the US Automated Clearing House network, used for payroll, supplier payments and direct debits.

Acknowledgement receipt

A signed document or message confirming that money, goods or documents were received, by whom and when.

Adjusting entries

Journal entries made at the end of a period so that revenue and expenses are recorded in the period they belong to.

Aging report

A report that lists what each customer owes, grouped by how long the invoices have been unpaid: current, 1 to 30 days late, 31 to 60, and so on.

Amortization

Spreading the cost of an intangible asset, such as software or a patent, over the years it provides value. The word also describes paying down a loan over time.

AP automation

Software that handles supplier invoices from arrival to payment with as little manual entry and chasing as possible.