Receipts into Google Sheets, properly
Getting a CSV is half the job. The other half is importing it without Google Sheets turning your amounts into text and your dates into something from 1900.
Import, do not paste
File → Import → Upload keeps types. Copy-pasting from a converter usually does not: Sheets guesses types per cell and often guesses wrong. If you must paste, paste into a blank sheet and check that the amount column is right-aligned — that is how Sheets shows a number.
Dates are the usual casualty
Sheets reads 03/04/2026 as either March or April depending on the sheet locale. If your receipts are UK-formatted and the sheet is US-formatted, half your dates will be wrong by up to eleven months. Set the locale before importing, not after.
Formulas for a receipt ledger
Four columns get you a usable ledger: date, supplier, amount, category. Then three formulas: a monthly SUMIFS on the amount, a COUNTIF to spot duplicate rows, and a running total. A duplicate check on date+amount catches the same receipt photographed twice, which is more common than you would hope.
Making it a habit
The failure mode is not the tool, it is the shoebox. Photograph receipts the day you spend, process them weekly, and keep the spreadsheet inside the month you are in. Any system that requires a quarterly catch-up session will be abandoned.
Common questions
Can Sheets open an .xlsx directly?
Yes, File → Import, and it preserves formatting better than CSV.
How do I stop duplicate rows?
Add a helper column concatenating date and amount, then use COUNTIF to flag anything appearing more than once.
Does Google see my receipts?
Not through us — the OCR runs in your browser. The only thing Google sees is the CSV you choose to import into Sheets.