What Is Gmail auto-forwarding?
Gmail auto-forwarding allows you to forward incoming emails from your Gmail inbox to another email address.
When you forward emails to Magic Mail:
Any receipt or invoice email sent to Magic Mail is automatically converted into an expense in Sage Expense Management.
This is especially useful for receipts from:
Online purchases
Travel bookings
Subscriptions
Merchants that email receipts after checkout
Where to find your Magic Mail ID
Before setting up forwarding, make sure you have your Magic Mail ID handy.
You can find it in both:
Web app → Settings → Preferences → Magic Mail
Mobile app → Settings → Magic Mail
This is the email address you’ll forward receipts to.
How to set up Gmail auto-forwarding
Step 1: Open Gmail settings
Open Gmail
Click the gear icon → See all settings
Go to the Forwarding and POP/IMAP tab
Add a forwarding address
Note: these steps are subject to change depending on Gmail.
Step 2: Add your Magic Mail ID
Click Add a forwarding address
Enter your Magic Mail ID
Click Next
Step 3: Verify forwarding (Important)
When you add a forwarding address, Gmail sends a verification email.
What happens here:
Gmail sends the verification email to your Magic Mail ID
Sage Expense Management automatically forwards this verification email back to your Gmail inbox
You’ll see the email in Gmail with a confirmation link
Click the link to approve forwarding
Once you click the link, forwarding is enabled successfully.
Step 4: Turn on forwarding
Go back to Gmail settings
Select Forward a copy of incoming mail to your Magic Mail ID
(Important) Using Gmail filters to automate receipt capture
To avoid forwarding all emails, you can create filters so only receipts and invoices are forwarded. You will see an option below to 'create a filter'.
Example filters you can create
You can forward emails based on:
Sender emails
Keywords
“receipt”, “invoice”, “payment”, “order confirmation”
Attachments
Forward only emails that contain attachments (PDF receipts)
Combinations
Emails from
[email protected]AND containing “invoice”
From this point on, Gmail will automatically forward matching emails to Magic Mail.
What happens after emails are forwarded?
When an email reaches Magic Mail:
If a matching expense already exists → the receipt is attached automatically
If no matching expense exists → a new expense is created
Why use Gmail auto-forwarding?
Fully automated receipt capture
No need to remember to forward emails
Reduces missed or lost receipts
Common Questions
Will all my emails be forwarded?
No, if you create a filter. Only emails you choose (via filters) will be sent to Magic Mail.
If no filters are created, all emails will be forwarded to Magic Mail. This will end up creating expenses in your Sage Expense Management account that could be spammy. We recommend creating filters based on keywords and senders you are sure are receipts or invoices.
Does this work with non-receipt emails?
All emails you forward or filter will be sent. We recommend forwarding receipt-related emails only.