What naming format and metadata does ExpenseBot use when it uploads receipts to my Google Drive?

Every receipt PDF that ExpenseBot uploads to your Drive folder lands with a date-prefixed filename, a populated description field, and the file's Drive modified-date stamped to the actual transaction date — so Drive's native sort, search, and date-filter all work for period-based accounting (VAT quarters, audit packs, year-end tax prep).

Filename format

YYYY-MM-DD Vendor Amount.pdf

Example: 2026-02-04 NTWRX 18.50.pdf

The ISO date prefix means Drive's default Name sort gives you chronological order automatically — no opening files to figure out what's what. Same applies in any file browser, on any OS.

Drive metadata fields

When the PDF is uploaded, ExpenseBot also writes:

• Description field: Receipt date: 2026-02-04 | Vendor: NTWRX | Amount: £18.50 | Currency: GBP
• Modified date (modifiedTime): stamped to the actual receipt transaction date, not the upload timestamp
• Custom properties: structured metadata so Drive search queries like before:2026-04-01 filter on the actual transaction date rather than when ExpenseBot processed the email

Sort your Drive folder by Modified or by Name and either will give you proper chronological order.

Bulk download by date range (ZIP)

When you need every receipt for a specific period — a VAT quarter, an audit pack, year-end docs — generate a report and download the ZIP:

1. My Reports → New Report → Date Range
2. Pick the date range (e.g. 2026-01-01 to 2026-03-31 for Q1 VAT)
3. Optionally filter by tag (e.g. exclude Personal) — Personal is pre-filled by default
4. Generate the report → click the download icon → pick ZIP (Receipts)

You'll get a single archive containing:

• Every Drive-linked receipt PDF for the date range, named the new way
• index.csv — a mapping of filename → date → vendor → amount → tag, ready to attach to your VAT/audit submission
• README.txt — a short admin-facing summary describing the contents

The files inside the ZIP are already in chronological filename order, so it's ready to hand to an accountant, drop into a tax submission folder, or attach to an HMRC/CRA upload without renaming.

My older receipts still have the old naming — what about those?

The new naming and metadata apply to all new uploads. For historical receipts already in your Drive from before the new format shipped, ExpenseBot can run a one-shot backfill that renames the files, writes the descriptions, and stamps the modified date — all from the receipt data already in your sheet, with no re-scanning. If your folder has old-format filenames you want updated, contact support and we'll run it for your account.

Important: don't try to force the new format by deleting your old PDFs from Drive and re-running a Gmail scan — that won't work (the scanner skips already-labeled emails). See the deleting-drive-files-and-rescan entry for why.