How much does merchant receipts for plumbers cost?

About £24–30 a month for the tools, on the plans the setup needs. Dext: Business plans are priced by documents a month and users. The page's default of 250 documents and 5 users is £24.17 a month excluding VAT, billed annually at £290; the page says annual is up to 19% cheaper than monthly, so monthly billing costs more (the monthly figure isn't shown on the page; estimated at roughly £30). Extra options such as line item extraction start at £16.50 a month. Needs accounting software, priced separately. A smaller document allowance may be cheaper if the slider offers one. Xero: Ignite is £18 a month (limited to 20 invoices and 10 bills), Grow £39, Comprehensive £55, Ultimate £70, all excluding VAT. New UK customers can get 90% off the base plan for the first 6 months.

About £130 a month saved: £60 of VAT no longer lost on 3 missing receipts, plus 2 hours of typing at £35 an hour (£70). It pays for itself: in about a week, in the worked example.

Which tools do I need?

Dext: Bookkeeping software that captures receipts and supplier invoices from a phone, email or WhatsApp, reads the details and sends them to accounting software such as Xero for you to approve. Xero: Online accounting software for UK small businesses: invoices, quotes, bills and bank feeds, with automated invoice reminders and repeating invoices.

How hard is it to set up?

Some setup needed. 5 steps: Check your accounting software connects to Dext; Xero does. Start Dext's 14-day free trial and set it to publish to your accounting software. Photograph every receipt at the counter, before it goes in the van. Give your regular merchants the email address Dext provides for invoices. Once a week, check and approve what Dext has read, especially the VAT amount.

Merchant receipts for plumbers: photographed, filed, claimed

Photograph merchant receipts at the counter and Dext reads them into your accounting software, priced separately. From about $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month.

At a glance

What it costs$32–40£24–30€29–36A$46–58C$45–56 a month
Worth, in extra profit or time saved in the worked example$173£130€155A$250C$244 a month
Pays for itselfIn about a week
Connecting two tools or some setup timeSome setup needed

Figures come from the worked example below, using its stated assumptions. Tool prices checked October 17, 2026. How we check prices

The problem

A plumber picks up parts from merchants most days, and the paper receipts end up in the door pocket. If 3 receipts a month at $160£120€143A$230C$226 go missing, a VAT-registered business can't reclaim the VAT on them: $27£20€24A$38C$38 each, $80£60€71A$115C$113 a month. Typing up the other 60 or so receipts takes about 3 minutes each, 3 hours a month.

What the AI does

Dext captures receipts and supplier invoices from a phone photo, email or WhatsApp, reads the details and sends them to accounting software such as Xero for you to approve. Merchants that email invoices can send them straight to Dext. The receipt is filed the moment you take the picture, so nothing depends on finding it in the van in January.

A worked example

A VAT-registered plumber in Southampton, already on Xero, buys from merchants about 60 times a month. They sign up for Dext ($40£30€36A$58C$56 a month excluding VAT on monthly billing, for 250 documents and 5 users) and photograph every receipt before leaving the counter.

Before

About 3 receipts a month lost, and 3 hours a month typing up the rest

After

Receipts filed at the counter, with about 1 hour a month checking and approving

What it's worth

About $173£130€155A$250C$244 a month saved: $80£60€71A$115C$113 of VAT no longer lost on 3 missing receipts, plus 2 hours of typing at $47£35€42A$67C$66 an hour ($93£70€83A$134C$132). That is against $40£30€36A$58C$56 a month for Dext on monthly billing, or $32.15£24.17€28.76A$46.41C$45.44 a month billed yearly.

How to set it up

Check your accounting software connects to Dext; Xero does.
Start Dext's 14-day free trial and set it to publish to your accounting software.
Photograph every receipt at the counter, before it goes in the van.
Give your regular merchants the email address Dext provides for invoices.
Once a week, check and approve what Dext has read, especially the VAT amount.

What goes wrong

Dext needs accounting software, priced separately. It reads and files documents; it doesn't replace your books.
Monthly billing is $40£30€36A$58C$56. The yearly plan works out at $32.15£24.17€28.76A$46.41C$45.44 a month but is paid upfront ($386£290€345A$557C$545).
Splitting one receipt into several cost codes needs line item extraction, an extra from $21.95£16.50€19.63A$31.68C$31.02 a month; the basic plan reads the totals.
Ask your accountant how long to keep paper originals before you start throwing them away.

The tools you'll need

Dext
Bookkeeping software that captures receipts and supplier invoices from a phone, email or WhatsApp, reads the details and sends them to accounting software such as Xero for you to approve.
Business plans are priced by documents a month and users. The page's default of 250 documents and 5 users is £24.17 a month excluding VAT, billed annually at £290; the page says annual is up to 19% cheaper than monthly, so monthly billing costs more (the monthly figure isn't shown on the page; estimated at roughly £30). Extra options such as line item extraction start at £16.50 a month. Needs accounting software, priced separately. A smaller document allowance may be cheaper if the slider offers one.
Visit Dext
Price checked Oct 17, 2026
Xero
Online accounting software for UK small businesses: invoices, quotes, bills and bank feeds, with automated invoice reminders and repeating invoices.
Ignite is £18 a month (limited to 20 invoices and 10 bills), Grow £39, Comprehensive £55, Ultimate £70, all excluding VAT. New UK customers can get 90% off the base plan for the first 6 months.
Visit Xero
Price checked Oct 17, 2026

Prices are in the vendor's own currency. Confirm before you buy.

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Last updated October 17, 2026.