Receipt Parser API

v1.0

Transform any receipt (photo, scanned PDF, or digital document) into structured JSON data in seconds using AI.

Overview

Stop manually entering receipt data. The Receipt Parser API uses advanced AI and OCR to accurately extract 20+ fields from any receipt and returns clean, structured JSON — ready for your expense management software, accounting platform, or automation workflow.

🤖 AI-Powered

Frontier models for high-accuracy extraction from any receipt format

📸 OCR Included

Process JPEG/PNG photos and scanned PDFs directly — no pre-processing needed

⚖️ Measurement-Aware

Handles weighted grocery items, fuel by volume, and other measured goods

💡 Perfect For

• Expense management apps automating employee reimbursement
• Accounting and bookkeeping platforms streamlining data entry
• Personal finance apps offering automated spending insights
• Loyalty and cashback platforms verifying purchases
• Tax preparation tools gathering deductible expenses

Quick Start

Base URL

https://api.cparse.com/receipt/v1

Authentication

http

X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

Get your API key from the dashboard. New accounts include free credit — no credit card required.

Quick Example

Upload a receipt and extract all fields:

cURL

bash

curl --request POST \
  --url https://api.cparse.com/receipt/v1/parse \
  --header 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  --form 'file=@receipt.jpg'

Select Specific Fields

Extract only what you need for faster, leaner responses:

bash

curl --request POST \
  --url 'https://api.cparse.com/receipt/v1/parse?fields=merchant_name&fields=total&fields=date&fields=category' \
  --header 'X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY' \
  --form 'file=@receipt.pdf'

Endpoints

GET/fields

Returns all available receipt and line item fields that can be extracted.

Response

json

{
  "receipt_fields": [
    { "name": "merchant_name", "description": "Name of the merchant/store" },
    { "name": "date", "description": "Receipt date (YYYY-MM-DD)" },
    { "name": "total", "description": "Total amount" },
    { "name": "category", "description": "Inferred expense category" },
    "..."
  ],
  "item_fields": [
    { "name": "description", "description": "Item name/description" },
    { "name": "quantity", "description": "Discrete count of the line item" },
    { "name": "measured_amount", "description": "Continuous measurement (e.g. 2.3 for lbs)" },
    { "name": "unit_of_measure", "description": "The unit (e.g. lb, kg, gal)" },
    "..."
  ]
}

GET/health

Health check endpoint. Returns service status.

Response

json

{ "status": "ok", "service": "receipt-parser", "version": "0.1.0" }

POST/parse

Parse a receipt file and return structured JSON data.

Request

Content-Type: multipart/form-data
file (required): PDF, JPEG, PNG, or DOCX receipt file
fields (optional): Array of receipt fields to extract. Omit for all fields.
item_fields (optional): Array of line item fields to extract when items is included.

Response

json

[
  {
    "success": true,
    "file_name": "receipt.jpg",
    "data": {
      "merchant_name": "Super Save Grocery",
      "merchant_address": "123 Main Street, Anytown, CA 90210",
      "merchant_phone": "+1-555-234-5678",
      "date": "2024-05-15",
      "time": "14:32",
      "receipt_number": "R-00482",
      "subtotal": 31.76,
      "tax": 2.54,
      "tip": null,
      "discount": null,
      "total": 34.30,
      "currency": "USD",
      "payment_method": "VISA",
      "card_last_four": "4242",
      "category": "Groceries",
      "is_tax_inclusive": false,
      "cashier_name": "Jessica",
      "register_number": "REG 3",
      "transaction_id": "TXN-20240515-00482",
      "items": [
        {
          "description": "Organic Bananas",
          "quantity": 1,
          "measured_amount": 2.3,
          "unit_of_measure": "lb",
          "unit_price": 0.87,
          "total_price": 1.99
        },
        {
          "description": "Whole Milk",
          "quantity": 1,
          "measured_amount": null,
          "unit_of_measure": null,
          "unit_price": 4.49,
          "total_price": 4.49
        }
      ]
    },
    "ocr_used": true,
    "pages_processed": 1,
    "fields_requested": null,
    "item_fields_requested": null
  }
]

Available Fields

Receipt Fields

Field	Type	Description
`merchant_name`	string	Name of the merchant or store
`merchant_address`	string	Full address of the merchant
`merchant_phone`	string	Phone number of the merchant
`receipt_number`	string	Receipt or transaction number
`date`	string	Receipt date — ISO format (YYYY-MM-DD)
`time`	string	Time of purchase — 24h format (HH:MM)
`subtotal`	number	Subtotal before tax
`tax`	number	Total tax amount
`tip`	number	Tip amount (if present)
`discount`	number	Discount amount (if present)
`total`	number	Final total amount
`currency`	string	3-letter ISO currency code (USD, EUR, GBP…)
`payment_method`	string	Normalized method: VISA, MASTERCARD, CASH, AMEX…
`card_last_four`	string	Last 4 digits of card used
`category`	string	Groceries, Dining, Fuel, Shopping, Travel, Healthcare, Services, or Entertainment
`is_tax_inclusive`	boolean	true if prices include tax (UK/EU VAT), false if tax added at bottom (US/CA)
`cashier_name`	string	Name of the cashier or server
`register_number`	string	Register or terminal ID
`transaction_id`	string	Unique transaction or invoice ID
`items`	array	Line items — see below

Line Item Fields

Field	Type	Description
`description`	string	Item name or description
`quantity`	number	Discrete count (e.g. 2 cans, 1 bag)
`measured_amount`	number	Continuous measure value — e.g. 2.3 for "2.3 lbs". null for standard items
`unit_of_measure`	string	Normalized unit — lb, kg, g, oz, gal, l, ml, ft, m, cm, in. null for standard items
`unit_price`	number	Price per unit or per unit of measure
`total_price`	number	Final line total
`sku`	string	Item SKU or product code (if present)

Error Handling

Status	Error	Solution
400	`invalid_file_type`	Ensure file is PDF, DOCX, JPEG, or PNG
400	`no_text_content`	PDF is scanned — pre-process with OCR before uploading
413	`file_too_large`	Reduce the file size and retry
413	`too_many_pages`	Split the document and retry
413	`image_too_large`	Image width or height exceeds 2048px — resize before uploading
415	`image_not_supported`	Use a text-based PDF or DOCX file
429	`rate_limit_exceeded`	Wait before retrying
500	`internal_error`	Unexpected server error — retry or contact support

Tips

📌 Best Practices

Images and scanned PDFs — JPEG/PNG receipts use OCR. Images must be 2048px or smaller on each side.
Image size limit — Resize images to 2048px or smaller before uploading to avoid a 413 error.
Text-based PDFs work best — For scanned PDFs, ensure they contain selectable text, or pre-process with an OCR tool before uploading.
Select only needed fields — Pass ?fields=total&fields=merchant_name for faster, cheaper responses.
Use item_fields for line items — When including items, scope which item fields you need via item_fields.
Measured items — For grocery or fuel receipts, measured_amount and unit_of_measure capture weighted goods separately from quantity.

🔒 Security & Privacy

✅ Files processed in memory, never written to disk or stored
✅ All requests over HTTPS
✅ API key authentication required on every request
✅ GDPR and CCPA compliant

Code Examples

Python

python

import requests

url = "https://api.cparse.com/receipt/v1/parse"
headers = {
    "X-API-Key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
}

# Extract all fields from an image receipt
with open("receipt.jpg", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(url, files={"file": f}, headers=headers)

print(response.json())

# Extract specific fields only
with open("receipt.pdf", "rb") as f:
    response = requests.post(
        url,
        files={"file": f},
        params={"fields": ["merchant_name", "total", "date", "category", "items"]},
        headers=headers,
    )

print(response.json())

JavaScript (Node.js)

javascript

import FormData from 'form-data';
import fs from 'fs';
import axios from 'axios';

const form = new FormData();
form.append('file', fs.createReadStream('receipt.jpg'));

const response = await axios.post(
  'https://api.cparse.com/receipt/v1/parse',
  form,
  {
    headers: {
      ...form.getHeaders(),
      'X-API-Key': 'YOUR_API_KEY',
    },
  }
);

console.log(response.data);