# Recording Expenses with AI
> Source: https://www.fuze-store.com/docs/store/ai-connections/importing-your-expenses

# Recording Expenses with AI

Receipts pile up faster than anyone types them in. If you've connected an AI
assistant, you can share a stack of photos, an invoice, or a supplier statement
and ask it to record them. You get a preview of every expense it would create,
and **nothing is written until you approve it in the chat**.

  Every imported expense arrives as **Pending**, exactly as if it had been typed
  in by hand. Someone still approves each one in the app. There is no setting
  that changes this — it's how the import is built.

## Before you start

  
    Follow [Setting up an AI connection](/docs/store/ai-connections/setting-up-oauth)
    if you haven't already.
  
  
    On the approval screen, tick **Expense Import**. It is never granted
    automatically. See [Understanding permissions](/docs/store/ai-connections/understanding-scopes).
  
  
    The AI matches each receipt to an expense category and payment method you
    **already have**. It never creates new ones. Add the ones you use in
    **Expenses → Categories** before your first import.
  

  Imports only work if you granted the matching **Import** permission on the
  Fuze Store approval screen when you connected. If you unticked it — or you're
  not sure — reconnect and leave it ticked. See
  [Connecting ChatGPT](/docs/store/ai-connections/connecting-chatgpt).

## How it works

  
    Send the AI photos, a PDF invoice, a statement, or just type the amounts out.
    Ask it to record them as expenses.
  
  
    It reads each amount and date, matches a category and payment method, and
    reports back a list with a total. Nothing has been written yet.
  
  
    This is the step that matters. Read the amounts against the receipts in front
    of you. If something's off, correct it and ask for a new preview. The preview
    expires on its own after **30 minutes**.
  
  
    On approval every expense is created in a single batch, all Pending. If any
    part fails, the whole import is rolled back — you never get half a ledger.
  
  
    Open **Expenses** and work through the Pending list as usual.
  

## What it records

| Field | Notes |
|---|---|
| **Amount** | Required. Must be more than zero |
| **Date** | Required — the date on the receipt, not today |
| **Description** | What it was for |
| **Category** | Matched to a category you already have |
| **Payment method** | Matched to a payment method you already have |

Up to **100 expenses** per import. A bigger batch still works — ask the AI to
split it, for example one week at a time. A preview nobody actually reads defeats
the point of having one.

## What it will never do

- **It never approves an expense.** Everything lands Pending.
- **It never creates a category or a payment method.** If a receipt doesn't match
  one you have, that's an error you'll see in the preview, and the AI will ask
  you which existing one to use.
- **It never guesses an amount.** If a total is unreadable on a photo, it asks
  you rather than inventing a number.
- **It never touches orders, payments, catalog, or settings.**
- **It never writes without your approval**, and that approval covers only the
  one preview you read.

## Getting a good result

  A sharp, flat, well-lit photo of a receipt reads far better than a crumpled one
  at an angle. If a receipt is faded, type the amount out instead.

- **Check the dates.** A receipt photographed today may be from last week. The
  preview shows the date it read for each one.
- **Say which category** if your receipts don't make it obvious — "these are all
  Supplies" saves a round trip.
- **Do one batch at a time** so the preview stays short enough to actually check.

## Troubleshooting

- **The AI says it can't write** — the Expense Import permission wasn't granted,
  or your role doesn't cover recording expenses. Reconnect and tick it, or ask a
  store owner about your role.
- **"You have no staff record in this store"** — expenses are recorded against a
  staff member. Organisation admins reach a store through the organisation and
  aren't staff members there, so ask the store owner to add you as staff, or have
  a staff member run the import.
- **A category wasn't found** — add it in the app first, then re-preview.
- **The preview expired** — previews last 30 minutes. Ask for a new one.
- **Nothing happened after you approved** — ask the AI for the import status; it
  can look the session up and tell you whether it completed or failed.

## Related guides

- [Expenses overview](/docs/store/expenses/overview)
- [AI Connections Overview](/docs/store/ai-connections/overview)
- [Setting up an AI connection](/docs/store/ai-connections/setting-up-oauth)
- [Understanding permissions](/docs/store/ai-connections/understanding-scopes)
- [Which tools work with Fuze Store](/docs/store/ai-connections/tool-availability)