Quick answer

A receipt photo now needs a second record

A receipt image on its own proves less than it used to. Keep the matching card or bank record, photograph the real receipt on the day you pay, and never "recreate" a lost receipt with AI—even for a genuine purchase, a made-up document can be treated as falsified.

From viral joke to 71% of fakes

On March 31, 2025, TechCrunch reported that ChatGPT's new image generator was very good at faking receipts. Venture capitalist Deedy Das posted an AI-made receipt for a real San Francisco steakhouse; another user added food and drink stains to make one look handled. TechCrunch's own attempt had giveaways, including a comma where a decimal point should be and totals that didn't add up.

OpenAI said it takes action when people break its usage policies, and that its images include metadata showing they were made by ChatGPT.

By mid-2026 the joke had become a pattern. Expense-audit company AppZen reported that AI-generated receipts went from 0% of the fake receipts it flagged in March 2025 to 70.8% by mid-May 2026. Its sample covered 1,471 AI-generated receipts from 745 employees at 174 companies, claiming $148,143 in total. The AI fakes averaged about $100 each, versus $182 for older template-based fakes—small enough, PYMNTS noted, to slip under automatic-approval limits.

How many people are doing it?

A survey for expense-software company Emburse, carried out by Atomik Research in May 2026 with 2,000 workers in the US and UK, found about four in ten US employees said they had used AI to make a fake expense receipt. Of US respondents, 19% said they had invented a purchase entirely, 15% had inflated a real one, and 6% had used AI to replace a lost receipt for a genuine purchase.

These are self-reported answers to a survey commissioned by a company that sells expense software, and one employment lawyer questioned its basis. Even so, the direction matches what auditors are seeing.

Why this matters even if you'd never fake one

  • The innocent shortcut is the trap. Recreating a lost receipt for a real purchase still produces a document that never existed.
  • Expect more questions. Employers are tightening checks, so genuine claims may need more proof than a photo.
  • Small businesses need a policy. Lawyers at Shipman & Goodwin recommend expense rules that name AI-generated receipts, closer audits of receipts that can't be matched to a transaction, and company cards where possible, because the card processor creates the transaction record independently.

Signs a receipt may be generated

  • No transaction number or tax registration number where you would expect one.
  • Store details that don't match the real location, address or opening hours.
  • Totals that don't add up, or the wrong decimal separator.
  • Wear and stains that look too even, or a print that looks too perfect.

These signs are fading as the tools improve. The most reliable check is matching the receipt to a card or bank transaction with the same date, amount and merchant.

How to keep receipts that stand up

  1. Photograph or scan the receipt on the day you pay, before it fades.
  2. Make sure the amount and date match your card or bank record.
  3. Note how you paid—cash, card or wallet—so the record can be traced.
  4. If you lose a receipt, ask the shop for a copy or use your employer's lost-receipt process instead of making one.
  5. Keep the paper original when a return, warranty, tax rule or employer requires it.
Do it in HigxelCapture the real receipt the same day
  1. Scan the receipt right after paying; Higxel's AI reads the store, date, total and items.
  2. Check every field. Nothing is saved until you tap Save.
  3. Choose the account you paid from, so the expense lines up with your card or bank record.

Install Higxel

Higxel receipt review showing sample editable expense details

Screen shows sample data.

FAQ

Common questions

Is it illegal to submit an AI-made receipt?

Using a fabricated receipt to claim money can be fraud and is commonly grounds for dismissal. The exact legal position depends on where you live.

My receipt faded. Can I recreate it with AI?

Don't. Ask the shop for a copy, show the card or bank record, or follow your employer's lost-receipt process.

Can software tell a receipt was made by AI?

Expense-audit tools are adding checks, and OpenAI says its images carry metadata. A screenshot or re-saved image can lose that metadata, so matching to a real transaction remains the stronger test.

About this article

Written with AI assistance by Higxel Editorial. Example figures are made up to show the method; this is general information, not financial advice. Sources checked October 29, 2026. Some sources describe one country; local rules and costs differ.

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