Automate Receipt Checks and Bank Reconciliation: 7 Tools Compared (2026)

A receipt is only done when three things have happened: the software has read it, checked it and linked it to its payment. Skip a step, and at month-end you collect receipts without payments and payments without receipts.

Here we compare seven tools by what they check on a receipt, how they match bank transactions and what happens to the unclear cases. You also get the prices and a test that shows you in one week how a tool handles your real data.

About this comparison: Norman publishes this comparison and is part of it. The details on the other tools come from their product, help and pricing pages as of October 2026. BuchhaltungsButler's website was not reachable for our check in October, so its details are as of September 2026. Check what your plan includes before you buy.

Quick answer: which tool fits you?

• Check receipts and reconcile the bank in one bookkeeping tool with taxes, as a freelancer, sole trader, UG or GmbH: Norman. Norman spots duplicate receipts, matches receipts to the bank and checks before every VAT return (UStVA) whether receipts or input VAT are missing.
• Many incoming invoices that several people approve: Candis. It checks invoices against § 14 UStG, spots duplicates and checks IBANs.
• Collect invoices from many online portals: GetMyInvoices, as a feeder for your bookkeeping or DATEV.
• Receipt automation with a DATEV export for your tax firm: BuchhaltungsButler.
• Bookkeeping with bank reconciliation, your tax firm does the year-end: Lexware Office or sevDesk.
• Your tax firm books in DATEV: DATEV Unternehmen online.

What an automated receipt check should cover

A tool that only reads receipts does not check them yet. A good receipt check looks at the content before it reaches your books:

• Duplicates: The same invoice arrives by email and again from the supplier portal, or a shop sends an order confirmation and an invoice. Booked twice, the expense counts twice, and so does the input VAT.
• Mandatory details for input VAT: You can only deduct input VAT from a proper invoice (§ 15 UStG). It needs, among other things, the name and address of both parties, the supplier's tax number or VAT ID, an invoice number, the date of supply, and the net amount, VAT rate and VAT amount (§ 14 (4) UStG). Small invoices up to €250 gross need fewer details (§ 33 UStDV).
• VAT rate and amounts: Net, VAT and gross must add up. Typical errors are 19% on restaurant food, which is 7% since 2026, or German VAT on Google or Meta ads, which come without VAT under the reverse charge.
• Missing receipts: For a payment without a receipt you may lack the proof for the deduction. The tool should show these gaps before you file your VAT return.
• Approval and payment details: In teams, a second person often approves an invoice before it is paid. A new IBAN for a known supplier is a warning sign.

Checking does not mean deleting: you keep even a faulty receipt for 8 years. What the GoBD require is covered in our guide to GoBD-compliant bookkeeping.

What automated bank reconciliation should do

In bank reconciliation, the software links every payment to its receipt or invoice. The easy case has the invoice number in the payment reference and the same amount. These cases are hard:

• The invoice arrives weeks before the payment.
• One payment settles several invoices, or a client pays in instalments.
• Bank fees or a foreign currency change the amount.
• Two payments have the same amount and the same date, such as two identical subscriptions.

A good tool matches only clear cases automatically and shows you the rest with a reason. When new bank transactions arrive, it checks open receipts again. How we build and measure this at Norman is in AI bank reconciliation: built for exceptions.

The 7 tools at a glance

Prices are net, as of October 2026, without promotional discounts. Norman with annual billing, Lexware Office and BuchhaltungsButler with monthly billing. Candis's pricing page does not say whether its price is net and names a term of 12, 24 or 36 months.

1. Norman: receipt checks and bank reconciliation in your bookkeeping

Norman reads receipts from the app and from uploads, from forwarded emails, from Gmail and Google Drive, and from WhatsApp and Telegram. The AI recognises the amount, date, supplier, invoice number and VAT and suggests the account under SKR03 or SKR04.

• Duplicates: If the same receipt arrives twice, Norman does not create a second expense. A duplicate means the same supplier with the same invoice number; without an invoice number, the same supplier with the same amount on the same day.
• Bank reconciliation: If the payment is already in your books, Norman attaches the receipt to it. Norman checks receipts without a payment again after every bank import. It links them when the receipt number is in the payment reference or exactly one payment fits by amount and date. If several fit, Norman links none, and you choose.
• Review page: Norman shows receipts without a payment on the review page, with suggestions and their reason: amount match, date match or text match.
• Check before the VAT return: Before every VAT return (UStVA), Norman checks the period for missing receipts, possible duplicates, open input VAT and unusual activity. Nothing goes to the tax office without your approval.
• VAT tips: Norman flags receipts that show VAT while their booking has no input VAT, business meals booked with more input VAT than the receipt shows, and ads or software from abroad booked with German VAT.

Limits: Norman does not run a formal check of all mandatory details under § 14 UStG. For teams in which several people approve every incoming invoice, a tool like Candis is built for that.

Cost: Bookkeeping and receipt scanning are free. One bank connection is included in the free plan for UG, GmbH and freelancers who charge VAT. Freelancers and sole traders get automatic receipt matching, the VAT return and all tax returns in the Pro plan for €21 a month with annual billing (€28 monthly). UG and GmbH pay €39 a month in the Max plan with annual billing (€52 monthly) for the VAT return, annual accounts and all taxes. All prices are net, details on the pricing page.

2. Candis: incoming invoices with checks and approval

Candis specialises in incoming invoices for teams. Invoices arrive through a dedicated import email address, by scan, upload or app. The AI reads the invoice number, amount and VAT rates and suggests the general ledger account, cost centre and tax key.

• Checks: Candis checks invoices against § 14 UStG, spots duplicates when the contact and invoice number already exist, and checks IBANs for risks.
• Approval: You set up multi-level approval workflows yourself.
• Missing receipts: For credit card payments, Candis checks every morning which receipts are missing.
• DATEV: Handover to DATEV Unternehmen online or through DATEV file interfaces.

Limits: Candis mentions bank reconciliation on an industry page, but not in its plan overview. Ask whether your plan includes it.

Cost: From €389 a month with a term of 12, 24 or 36 months.

3. GetMyInvoices: collect and pre-check receipts

GetMyInvoices fetches invoices automatically from online portals, email inboxes and through its app. It reads the invoice number, date and amounts, and line items if you want them.

• Checks: GetMyInvoices spots duplicates and checks invoices against rules you define. On e-invoices it flags missing mandatory details, and an assistant reports typical anomalies.
• Approval: Multi-step approvals come with the Workflows Pro add-on.
• Bank reconciliation: From the Small plan you connect bank accounts through PSD2. GetMyInvoices matches bank and credit card transactions automatically and shows transactions without a receipt.

Limits: For bookings and taxes, you hand over to your bookkeeping software or to DATEV Unternehmen online.

Cost: Small from €39 a month net with one bank account, 5% less with annual billing. Workflows Pro costs €45 a month extra on the Small plan.

4. BuchhaltungsButler: receipt automation with a DATEV export

BuchhaltungsButler combines AI receipt recognition, automatic matching of receipts and payments, and booking rules. For your tax firm, you export in DATEV format.

• Taxes: The VAT return and the EC sales list (ZM) come with the Smart plan. Your tax firm does the annual accounts.
• Approval: Invoice approvals and permissions for teams come with the Premium plan.

Cost: Smart €46.90 a month net with monthly billing, Premium €89.90 (as of September 2026). Extra users and API access can cost more. More in our comparison of BuchhaltungsButler alternatives.

5. Lexware Office: matching suggestions from the smallest plan

Lexware Office reads the amount, date and supplier from receipts you capture with the app's receipt scanner and creates a booking suggestion. You connect bank accounts on every plan, and Lexware matches the transactions against open invoices and expenses.

• Unclear cases: You confirm matching suggestions yourself. If the same amount occurs more than once, Lexware Office makes no suggestion. You assign one payment for several receipts by hand.
• Checks: Lexware Office checks e-invoices for the right format. Approvals come through partner apps.
• Email and portals: Automatic receipt intake by email starts with the XL plan, and invoices from online portals come through partner apps.

Limits: Lexware Office does not create a balance sheet; your tax firm does the year-end.

Cost: S €7.90 a month net, L with bookkeeping, EÜR and VAT €21.90, cancellable monthly.

6. sevDesk: matching at a high level of agreement

sevDesk reads the receipt date, invoice number, amount, VAT and supplier from photos, uploads and forwarded emails. It makes an AI suggestion for the booking category.

• Bank reconciliation: sevDesk detects which transaction belongs to which invoice or expense. It matches automatically at a very high level of agreement, otherwise you get a suggestion to review.
• Missing receipts: An overview shows which receipts are missing and which still need to be linked to a payment.
• Checks: People check receipts for accuracy and completeness in the optional four-eyes check, for €3 per document.

Limits: You prepare the annual accounts in sevDesk and pass the documents to your tax firm.

Cost: Buchhaltung €25.90 a month net.

7. DATEV Unternehmen online: receipts for your tax firm

With DATEV Unternehmen online you photograph receipts in the app, upload them or forward invoices by DATEV Upload Mail. DATEV reads the business partner and IBAN from the receipt image, assigns receipt images to the matching bank transactions automatically and creates booking suggestions.

• Unclear cases: For manual linking, DATEV makes matching suggestions. DATEV has been rolling out the new process in stages since May 2026.
• Checks: DATEV checks e-invoices against the EN 16931 standard. Multi-level approvals come as an add-on product.
• Tax firm: Unternehmen online only works together with a DATEV member, usually your tax firm. The firm does your bookkeeping from it.

Cost: According to DATEV's price list, Unternehmen online costs €11.56 a month net, plus €3.83 for Belege online. Your tax firm bills the bookkeeping on top. More in DATEV alternative for GmbHs.

How to test a tool in one week

Use a real month, not demo data. These six cases show quickly how a tool handles exceptions:

1. One receipt twice: Upload the same invoice once as a PDF and once as a photo. Does the tool count the expense once?
2. Invoice before payment: Upload an invoice whose payment is still to come. Does the tool find the payment on its own after the next bank import?
3. Two equal amounts: Take two subscriptions with the same price. Does the tool ask, or does it quietly assign one payment?
4. Different amount: Take a payment with a fee, in a foreign currency or in instalments. What does the tool show?
5. Faulty invoice: Upload an invoice with the wrong VAT rate or without a tax number. Does the tool flag the error?
6. Payment without a receipt: Leave one expense without a receipt. Where does the tool show the gap?

For each case, note what the tool settles quietly, what it gives you to review and what slips through wrongly. The third number decides.

Receipt checks and bank reconciliation with Norman

1. Connect your bank: Connect your business account. Norman fetches the transactions automatically.
2. Upload receipts: Photograph receipts in the app under Accounting with +, upload PDFs or forward them by email. Norman reads every receipt and looks for the matching payment.
3. Clear open cases: Under Documents, Review documents opens the unclear cases. The Without documents filter under Accounting shows payments without a receipt.
4. Match on demand: Match my documents on the home page compares all open receipts with all bookings without a receipt.
5. Before the VAT return: Review the checks for the period, fix the findings and approve.

The details are in the help center under Book and match receipts.

Frequently asked questions

What is automated bank reconciliation?

In automated bank reconciliation, the software matches every payment on your business account to the right receipt or invoice. It compares the invoice number in the payment reference, the amount, the date and the name. It links clear cases itself and gives you the unclear ones to review.

What does an automated receipt check cover?

Depending on the tool: duplicate receipts, the mandatory details for input VAT, VAT rate and amounts, missing receipts for payments and, in teams, approval before payment. The tools differ a lot: Candis checks against § 14 UStG, Norman checks before every VAT return for missing receipts, duplicates and open input VAT.

Which software detects duplicate invoices?

In this comparison, Norman, Candis and GetMyInvoices name duplicate detection for receipts. Norman creates no second expense for a duplicate receipt and also checks before the VAT return whether a bank transaction duplicates a booking made from a receipt.

Can software fully automate bank reconciliation?

The clear part, yes. Partial payments, combined payments, fees, equal amounts and invoices that arrive before the payment remain cases to review. A good tool settles the clear cases itself and shows you the rest with a reason, instead of forcing everything.

Do I need an invoice with all mandatory details to deduct input VAT?

As a rule, yes: you deduct input VAT with an invoice under § 14 and § 14a UStG (§ 15 (1) UStG). If a detail is missing, ask the supplier for a corrected invoice. Small invoices up to €250 gross need fewer details (§ 33 UStDV).

What does software for receipt checks and bank reconciliation cost?

With Norman, bookkeeping and receipt scanning are free; freelancers and sole traders get automatic receipt matching in the Pro plan for €21 a month with annual billing. Lexware Office starts at €7.90 a month, sevDesk Buchhaltung costs €25.90 a month and GetMyInvoices Small from €39 a month, all net. Specialised tools for teams with approvals, such as Candis, cost considerably more.