Troubleshooting transaction receipt matching
Overview
Ramp automatically matches receipts to Ramp card transactions when they're forwarded to [email protected]. If a receipt does not appear on the expected transaction, it is usually due to one of the reasons outlined below. This article covers common reasons and how to address them.
For setup steps, see How to automatically forward receipts to Ramp. For broader receipt submission options, see Submitting receipts and memos for your Ramp funds.
The receipt did not attach at all
The following conditions must be true for the receipt to attach.
- The forwarding email is added to the cardholder's profile. Receipts only match to transactions in the cardholder's account from their Ramp login email or email added under their Profile > Settings > Receipt forwarding . A receipt forwarded by a manager or admin on behalf of the cardholder will not match unless the forwarder's email is added there, or company-wide matching is enabled (see the FAQ). Users with the Assistant permission are an exception: when an Assistant forwards a receipt, Ramp first searches the Assistant's own transactions, then the transactions of the user(s) they are assigned to.
- The email was sent to [email protected]. See Choosing the right Ramp inbox below — receipts sent to
@ap.ramp.comcreate vendor invoice drafts instead, and receipts sent to [email protected] create reimbursements. - The forwarding email was connected before the receipt arrived. The mailbox integration only ingests emails received after an address is connected. Receipts already sitting in the inbox before connection are not pulled in retroactively — forward them manually from the connected address.
- The card charge has already posted. Ramp matches receipts to existing transactions. If the charge has not posted yet, the receipt may either fail to match or attach to an older same-vendor transaction. Wait for the charge to appear in Ramp, then forward.
Choosing the right Ramp inbox
| What you are sending | Where to forward |
|---|---|
| A receipt for a Ramp card transaction | [email protected] |
| A receipt for a personal-card reimbursement | [email protected] |
| A vendor invoice (Bill Pay) | @ap.ramp.com |
The receipt attached to the wrong transaction
Ramp matches receipts conservatively: the amount must match exactly, and either the merchant or the date must also match exactly. Two situations cause an incorrect match anyway.
- Receipt forwarded before the charge posted. When no matching charge exists yet, the receipt attaches to the closest existing same-vendor transaction, which can be days or weeks old.
- Two same-vendor transactions on adjacent days for the same amount. The algorithm can pick the earlier or later one. This is a known matching edge case.
To fix an incorrect match: open the transaction in Ramp, remove the attached receipt, and re-attach to the correct transaction. If the correct charge has not posted yet, wait for it to appear and re-forward the receipt from the cardholder's email.
Amazon receipts
Amazon order confirmation emails do not auto-match because the order confirmation amount does not reliably match the final charge — Amazon bills at shipment, and totals can change due to substitutions, partial shipments, or split orders.
What to forward instead:
- The Amazon shipping confirmation email, or
- The itemized invoice Amazon sends after the order ships.
If neither is available, attach the receipt manually to the transaction in Ramp. For companies with Amazon Business, finance team admins can turn on this integration by navigating to Company > Integrations > Receipt Capture.
Travel and TMC receipts
How a travel receipt matches depends on where the booking was made.
- Booked through Ramp Travel. For pre-paid Ramp Travel bookings (all flights and prepaid hotels), Ramp generates a booking receipt and attaches it automatically once the booking and card transaction are matched. Post-paid hotel bookings work differently: the final receipt/folio is generated by the hotel at checkout and should be sent to [email protected] from the cardholder's email address, or uploaded manually.
- Booked outside Ramp Travel. Forward the airline, hotel, or merchant confirmation to [email protected] from the cardholder's email.
- Booked through a TMC such as Navan or BCD. How the receipt reaches Ramp depends on how the TMC is connected:
- TMC data integration. If your company has connected the TMC to Ramp via its API, Ramp pulls the receipt directly from the TMC — no email forwarding required.
- Email forwarding only. If the TMC is not API-connected and your company instead uses forwarding rules from the TMC's email, the receipt comes from the TMC's address rather than the airline. Add the TMC's address as an additional receipt email on the cardholder's profile so the forwarded email is recognized.
- Booked by someone other than the cardholder. If a travel coordinator or executive assistant booked the ticket, the receipt email may not match the cardholder. The cardholder needs to re-forward the receipt from their own email, or the coordinator's address must be added to the cardholder's profile.
When a receipt still does not match
If all of the conditions above are satisfied and the receipt still has not attached:
- Attach the receipt manually. Open the transaction in Ramp and upload the receipt directly. This is the fastest resolution.
- Forward to [email protected]. Emails sent here are reviewed so Ramp can improve detection for the vendor format that failed.
- Forward the original email, not a forwarded chain. Multi-hop forwards often strip the structured data Ramp uses for matching. Forward the vendor's original email directly from the cardholder's address.
Frequently asked questions
Can someone other than the cardholder forward a receipt?
By default, no — receipts only match to the cardholder whose email sent them. To allow this, add the forwarder's email as an additional receipt email on the cardholder's profile under Profile > Settings. To enable matching across all transactions company-wide, an Admin must contact Ramp Support with the request, "I would like to enable receipt matching across all transactions at my company." Ensure the exact words are used so we can properly route the request.
How long does auto-matching take?
Most receipts match within seconds of arrival. Delays of a few minutes can occur when the vendor email is image-only or PDF-only and requires OCR. Travel bookings can take longer to sync from the airline or TMC.
I got a confirmation that the receipt was added, but the transaction shows no receipt. Why?
The receipt likely matched to a different same-vendor transaction. Search the vendor name under Home > My expenses > type your vendor into the search bar, and check recent transactions. If the receipt is on the wrong transaction, delete the receipt by clicking on the 3-dot menu in the bottom right-hand corner and upload a new receipt to the correct transaction.
Why doesn't Ramp match a receipt when the date is slightly off?
Ramp requires the amount to match exactly and either the merchant or the date to match exactly. A small date discrepancy without an exact merchant match prevents auto-matching, to avoid attaching a receipt to the wrong transaction. Attach the receipt manually when this happens.
Will receipts that arrived in my inbox before I connected the address get pulled in?
No. The mailbox integration only ingests emails received after the address is connected. Forward older receipts manually from the now-connected address.
How do I delete an incorrectly attached receipt?
From your browser, click into the transaction with the receipt you'd like to delete. At the bottom right-hand corner, there is a 3-dot overflow menu. Click on the menu and select Delete receipt.