# Turn a folder of messy receipts into a clean expense report

> It reads crumpled phone photos of receipts and flags the blurry ones for you to check.

Drop your receipt photos and PDFs into one folder. Claude reads each one, pulls out the date, vendor, amount, and category, and builds a spreadsheet with working totals.

- Page: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/receipts-to-expense-report/
- Category: Put your business on autopilot
- Made for: Coaches, Consultants, Creators, Small business owners
- Works in: Claude
- Time: About 15 minutes per batch
- Effort: Advanced
- Note: Needs a paid Claude plan and the desktop app open. AI can misread receipts, so check totals. It isn't tax advice.
- Video: https://thesolocreators.com/media/ai-use-cases/video/receipts-to-expense-report.mp4 (59 seconds, shows it working)

## The prompt

Fill in the parts in [square brackets], or leave them and the AI will ask you for them.

```text
In the folder [FOLDER NAME, e.g. Q3 Receipts], you'll find receipts as photos and PDFs from [DATE RANGE, e.g. July to September]. Build an Excel spreadsheet called [SPREADSHEET NAME, e.g. Q3 Expenses] with one row per receipt and these columns: date, vendor, category, amount, payment method if shown, and a short description. Use these categories: [YOUR CATEGORIES, e.g. software, travel, meals, education]. Add a summary tab with totals by category and by month, using real formulas. If a receipt is blurry, missing a total, or looks like a duplicate, mark it VERIFY in a separate column instead of guessing. Don't move, rename, or delete any of my original files.
```

## Step by step

1. Put all your receipts (photos and PDFs) in one folder on your computer.
2. Open the Claude desktop app and start a Cowork task (on the new Claude experience, just ask in any chat).
3. Give Claude access to that folder and paste the prompt.
4. Review the VERIFY rows and spot-check totals before you file anything.

## What you'll get

A tidy expense spreadsheet with category and monthly totals, and every questionable receipt flagged for review.

## Video transcript (59 seconds)

[0:00] This is a clean expense report, with totals by category and by month.

[0:05] And it started as a folder of crumpled receipt photos.

[0:08] I ran a SaaS company for 18 years, and receipts never got more fun.

[0:13] So let's rewind.

[0:15] Put every receipt in one folder on your computer, photos and PDFs too.

[0:19] Open the Claude desktop app, and give it access to that folder.

[0:23] Then paste the prompt, and it'll build an Excel sheet, one row per receipt.

[0:28] Add your own categories, like software, travel and meals.

[0:31] Ask for a summary tab with real formulas, too.

[0:35] And this is what's so cool. If a receipt is blurry or looks like a duplicate, it marks it VERIFY instead of guessing.

[0:42] Pretty awesome, isn't it?

[0:44] It needs a paid Claude plan. And AI can misread a receipt, so check the totals.

[0:49] I put it on thesolocreators.com/prompts, free, with 500 more.

[0:55] Hit follow so you catch the next one.

## Good to know

**Which AI tools does this work in?** It works in Claude. On this page, Claude opens with your prompt already typed in. Needs a paid Claude plan and the desktop app open. AI can misread receipts, so check totals. It isn't tax advice.

**How long does it take?** About 15 minutes per batch. It's rated "Advanced". There are 4 steps, listed above.

**What do I need before I start?** Just your details for 4 blanks: folder name, date range, spreadsheet name and your categories. You can skip any, and your AI will ask for them.

**What will I get back?** A tidy expense spreadsheet with category and monthly totals, and every questionable receipt flagged for review.

Idea spotted on the official docs, shared by Anthropic: https://support.claude.com/en/articles/13345190-get-started-with-claude-cowork. The prompt is The Solo Creators' own version.

## Go further

Ready-made skills in the Solo Creators AI Studio (https://thesolocreators.com/studio/) that fit this: Second Brain (Give your AI a memory it reads across every project, so it finally knows your business); Watch It For Me (Drop any video link and get the step-by-step playbook, the full timestamped transcript, and the best quotes. Without watching it).

From AI Use Cases and Prompts by The Solo Creators: https://thesolocreators.com/prompts/. Free to use; please link back to the page when you share it.