ExpenseBot Guide & FAQ
Quick Start Guide
Watch the 2-Minute Overview
This short video shows you everything you need to get started with ExpenseBot — how to capture receipts (email, photos, PDFs, Gmail), create a report, and share it with your accountant or finance team so they can import it into their accounting system.
Watch the Quick Start video:
Solutions By Role
For Freelancers
- Super simple — just login, snap a photo, done
- No app to download — works in any browser with your Google account
- All receipts automatically appear in your Google Sheets
- Reports created in familiar spreadsheet format
- Import from PDFs, screenshots, or let our Gmail agent auto‑capture receipts
- One‑click sharing with your accountant — complete with all documentation
- AI organizes and categorizes expenses automatically
- Handles both expenses and invoices seamlessly
See how freelancers use ExpenseBot:
For Google Workspace Companies
Once invited, each member of your team can use ExpenseBot to capture and submit expenses under their own company domain. No separate accounts needed — your team simply logs in with their existing Google Workspace credentials.
See the complete workflow from purchase to approval:
Benefits for your organization:
- Team logs in with company domain — no separate accounts
- Create expense reports in your corporate Google Sheets
- Secure storage in your corporate Google Drive
- Gmail AI agent automatically captures receipt emails
- One‑click report sharing with finance team
- Built‑in Google Sheets collaboration features
- AI validates expenses against your corporate policy
- Simple license management and team assignments
- Organization‑wide analytics (Coming Soon)
- Virtual cards for budget control (Coming Soon)
For Accountants
- Eliminate client expense headaches
- Review and approve reports directly in browser
- Reports delivered in familiar spreadsheet format
- Export to ANY accounting software with AI G/L mapping
- Automatic invoice and expense separation
- Built‑in policy compliance validation
- Approved reports lock automatically to prevent tampering
See how accountants streamline expense management:
For QuickBooks Users
- Expenses: One‑click sync creates detailed bill in QuickBooks
- Invoices: Auto‑creates vendor bills with AI‑powered vendor matching
- Track billable expenses for client reimbursement
For CFO Consultants
- Save clients time and money across all departments
- Seamless ERP system integration
- Complete expense workflow with automatic report locking
- Works with all accounting packages, direct QuickBooks integration
- Delivers reports in familiar Google Sheets format
For Investment Managers
- AI‑powered expense compliance that reads your Form ADV
- Automatic fund vs. adviser allocation with SEC‑defensible citations
- Bulk invoice processing — handle hundreds of PDFs at once
- Auto‑retrieval of Form ADV directly from SEC database
- Vendor contract matching with renewal alerts
- One‑click push to QuickBooks or export to any accounting system
- Complete audit trail for SEC examinations
See how investment managers automate expense compliance:
Automated Receipt & Invoice Capture
Email Import
How do I submit receipts I receive by email?
You can easily forward any receipt emails to ExpenseBot. Simply forward your email to receipts@expensebot.ai and ExpenseBot will automatically process:
- PDF attachments containing receipts
- Receipt details embedded directly in the email body
- Image attachments of receipts
All forwarded receipts will automatically appear in your ExpenseBot spreadsheet:
Can I forward receipts from another email address?
Yes. Add it as an Email Alias in Settings. If most receipts arrive at the Gmail you signed up with, you can skip this.
How can I import receipts from my Gmail inbox?
Connect Gmail and let the AI find receipts automatically — no forwarding rules required:
Photo Import
How do I take a photo of a receipt and submit to ExpenseBot?
How can I import photos of receipts from Google Photos?
ExpenseBot makes it easy to find and import receipts directly from Google Photos:
How do I import screenshots and images from my device?
If you have screenshots, saved images, or other receipt photos stored directly on your device (not in Google Photos), you can import multiple images at once:
Document Import
How do I import multiple PDFs from my device?
Does ExpenseBot handle duplicate receipts?
Yes! ExpenseBot automatically detects and eliminates duplicate receipts to keep your reports accurate.
Does ExpenseBot handle multi currency?
Yes, we handle currency from any country and convert it back to your home currency using the exchange rate from the date of the receipt itself.
Report Creation & Submission
Creating Reports
How do I create a tailored expense report for a trip, project or client?
Use tags to group expenses, then create specialized reports using the Report Wizard:
Reconciling Your Expenses
How do I reconcile my credit card statement with my expenses?
ExpenseBot's Credit Card Reconciliation helps match your statement with expenses, find missing receipts, and update exchange rates:
Sharing Reports
How do I share my expense report with a manager or accountant?
Share your report quickly with our One‑Click Sharing feature:
Review & Approval
How do I approve expense reports as a manager or accountant?
When you receive access to a report, here's what you can do:
How do approved reports get locked to prevent tampering?
Once a report is approved in ExpenseBot, it becomes read‑only and locked in your Google Drive. This ensures compliance and preserves a secure audit trail for your finance team.
Expense Management & Organization
How do I manage tags to organize my expenses?
Tags let you group expenses by business trip, client, or project so you can create separate reports:
How do I customize expense categories?
ExpenseBot automatically determines the correct expense category account. Here's how you can customize them:
How do I add my Employee ID to my report?
Go to your main ExpenseBot spreadsheet, click the Settings tab, and enter your Employee ID in cell B2. Now all reports will include your Employee ID.
How do I delete a report?
Use the Report Wizard to delete or undo a report:
For Finance Teams
Invite Clients
How do I invite clients to use ExpenseBot and share reports with me?
Invite clients and enable automatic report sharing to streamline collaboration:
Communication & Collaboration
As a reviewer, how do I communicate with the submitter about expenses?
Leave comments on individual expenses or add notes about the entire report:
Compliance & Controls
How does the ExpenseBot AI determine compliance with Expense Policies?
Upload your policy PDF and ExpenseBot evaluates any report against it instantly.
Export & Integration
What accounting software does ExpenseBot support?
ExpenseBot integrates with a wide range of accounting software:
- QuickBooks: Direct one‑click sync for both expenses and invoices
- Sage Canada: Export ready‑to‑import files
- Sage USA: Export ready‑to‑import files
- FreshBooks: Export with automatic G/L mapping
- Zoho Books: Export with custom field mapping
- Xero: Export formatted for easy import
Our AI export maps expenses to the correct G/L accounts for any accounting system, saving hours of manual categorization.
Can I connect QuickBooks?
Yes, you or your accounting professional can submit your reports to QuickBooks.
View QuickBooks Integration GuideHow does ExpenseBot handle invoices vs expenses in QuickBooks?
Invoices are created as individual bills in QuickBooks for proper vendor tracking, while regular expenses are consolidated into a single bill for efficient processing. This automated separation saves time and ensures accuracy.
Team Administration
What can I do as a Team Administrator?
Admins can manage licenses, sync G/L accounts, and standardize tags across the team:
Administrator Capabilities:
- Assign Licenses: Allocate licenses to team members
- Sync G/L Accounts: Keep consistent accounts across your organization
- Manage Tags: Create and sync project/client/department tags
- Team spending insights: Ask the chat assistant questions like “Summarize my team spending this year”
These features ensure consistency while saving time through AI automation.
Can we get insights across our entire team's expenses?
Yes. View spending patterns, category breakdowns, and trends across all team members.
How do I sync expense categories and G/L accounts for my team?
Upload your company's expense categories and G/L accounts to ensure consistent coding across all team members:
How do I sync project tags across my team?
Create and manage standardized tags for projects, clients, or departments, then sync them to your team members to ensure consistent coding.
How do I purchase ExpenseBot licenses for my team?
Purchase multiple licenses at once and assign them to team members:
How do Google Workspace Admins install ExpenseBot for their organization?
Install ExpenseBot from the Google Workspace Marketplace to deploy for your domain and centrally manage access.
Benefits of Workspace‑wide installation:
- Deploy to all users or specific organizational units
- Centralized license management
- Single sign‑on with existing Google Workspace credentials
- Control app permissions and access
- Monitor usage across your organization
Note: Requires Google Workspace Admin privileges. Once installed, users can access ExpenseBot via the Google apps menu.
General Information
Do I need a Gmail account to use ExpenseBot?
ExpenseBot works with different types of email accounts depending on your role:
For Expense Tracking Users
Sign in with a Google account. This includes:
- Standard Gmail accounts (@gmail.com)
- Google Workspace accounts (e.g., yourname@yourcompany.com)
- Google accounts created with any existing email address
If your company uses Google Workspace, you already have a Google account and can sign in directly to ExpenseBot — no additional setup needed.
Create one using your existing email address in a few steps:
- Go to the Google Account Sign‑up page
- Enter your name and basic information
- Choose “Use your existing email”
- Enter your current email (e.g., yourname@company.com)
- Verify the code Google sends you and set a password
Quick Summary
- Expense Users: Need a Google account
- Report Reviewers: Any email works
- Google Workspace Users: Just sign in
- Creating an Account: Takes ~2 minutes
Do I need an app?
No — just sign in at https://www.expensebot.ai
Tips & Best Practices
Receipt Management
- After submitting a photo of a receipt to ExpenseBot, you can delete it from your camera roll.
- For restaurant receipts, include the itemized receipt and the credit‑card slip in the same photo to capture tax, tip, and total.
- Write Tag names directly on receipts before photographing for auto‑grouping by client, project, or trip.
Organization Best Practices
- Invite someone to approve or review your reports.
- Review yellow highlighted cells to check AI suggestions.
- All ExpenseBot data is stored in your Google Drive “ExpenseBot Expenses” folder.
Privacy & Security
How does ExpenseBot handle my data?
ExpenseBot uses a privacy‑first approach. Unlike most apps, ExpenseBot does not store your data. All data (photos and spreadsheets) is stored on your own Google Drive, accessible only by you.
Can I reset my account or delete my data?
Yes, under Settings, choose Reset Account to delete the ExpenseBot folder on your Drive and start fresh. This won't affect your subscription status.
Support
How to Get Help
Email Support
Our team is available Monday–Friday, 9 AM–6 PM EST.
Contact Support: support@expensebot.aiDocumentation
Browse our guides and tutorials in the sections above.
Response Times
We typically respond within 24 business hours.
For urgent matters, include "URGENT" in your email subject line.