Extract Data from Trip Receipts with GPT-4.1-mini, Google Sheets & Email Notifications

# Automated Expense Reporting Workflow With GPT-4.1-mini ## ☀ Who's it for This workflow is designed for employees who need to submit expense claims for business trips. It automates the process of extracting data from receipts/invoices, logging it to a Google Sheet, and notifying the finance team via email. Ideal users: - Employees submitting business trip expense claims - HR or Admins reviewing travel-related reimbursements - Finance teams responsible for processing claims ## ℹ How it works / What it does 1. **Employee submits a form** with trip information (name, department, purpose, dates) and uploads one or more receipts/invoices (PDF). 2. **Uploaded files are saved to Google Drive** for record-keeping. 3. Each PDF is passed to a **DocClaim Assistant agent**, which uses GPT-4.0 and a structured parser to extract structured invoice data. 4. The data is **transformed and formatted** into a standard JSON structure. 5. Two parallel paths are followed: - Invoice records are appended to a **Google Sheet** for centralized tracking. - A detailed **HTML email** summarizing the trip and expenses is generated and sent to the **finance department** for claim processing. ## ✅ How to set up 1. **Create a form** to capture: - Employee Name - Department - Trip Purpose - From Date / To Date - Receipt/Invoice File Upload (multiple PDFs) 2. **Configure file upload node** to store files in a specific Google Drive folder. 3. **Set up DocClaim Agent** using: - GPT-4.0 or any LLM with document analysis capability - Output parser for standardizing extracted receipt data (e.g., vendor, total, tax, date) 4. **Transform extracted data** into a structured claim record (Code Node). 5. **Path 1**: Save records to a Google Sheet (one row per expense). 6. **Path 2**: - Format the employee + claim data into a dynamic **HTML email** - Use `Send Email` node to notify the finance department (e.g., `finance@yourcompany.com`) ## 📋 Requirements - n8n running with access to: - Google Drive API (for file uploads) - Google Sheets API (for logging expenses) - Email node (SMTP or Gmail for sending) - GPT-4.0 or equivalent LLM with document parsing ability - PDF invoices with clear formatting - Shared Google Sheet for claim tracking - Optional: Shared inbox for finance team ## © How to customize the workflow - **Add approval steps**: route the email to a manager before finance - **Attach original PDFs**: include uploaded files in the email as attachments - **Localize for other languages**: adapt form labels, email content, or parser prompts - **Sync to ERP or accounting system**: replace Google Sheet with QuickBooks, Xero, etc. - **Set limits/validation**: enforce max claim per trip or required fields before submission - **Auto-tag expenses**: add categories (e.g., travel, accommodation) for better reporting

Platform
n8n
Category
Business Operations & ERPs
Price
$14.99
Creator
Trung Tran

How to import this workflow into n8n

  1. 1Purchase or download the workflow to get the n8n workflow JSON file.
  2. 2In your n8n instance, open Workflows and choose "Import from File" (or paste the JSON with Ctrl+V on the canvas).
  3. 3Open each node marked with a credential warning and connect your own accounts and API keys.
  4. 4Run the workflow once manually to verify the data flow, then toggle it to Active.

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