Automate Expense Tracking & Budget Alerts for Small Businesses with n8n

n8n monitors Expensify for new expenses, logs them in Google Sheets and alerts the team on Slack if budgets are exceeded.

• n8n installed.
• Expensify accounts with API access.
• Google Sheets API enabled.
• Slack account with bot token.

1. Prepare n8n Environment

• Navigate to http://localhost:5678 (or your n8n URL) and log in with your credentials. In the sidebar, click “Workflows,” then select “+ New” and name it (e.g., “Expense Tracker”). Click “+” on the canvas to open the node selector.

2. Trigger Node: Expensify

• Node: HTTP Request

• Settings:

• URL: https://integrations.expensify.com/Integration-Server/ExpensifyIntegrations

• Method: POST

• Body: { "type": "report", "credentials": { "partnerUserID": "<ID>", "partnerUserSecret": "<Secret>" } }

• Output: New expense data (e.g., {{ $json.reports[0].amount }}).

3. Log Expense Node: Google Sheets

• Node: Google Sheets

• Settings:

• Operation: Append

• Spreadsheet ID: Expense sheet

• Range: A:C

• Values: {{ [$node["HTTP Request"].json.reports[0].created, $node["HTTP Request"].json.reports[0].amount, $node["HTTP Request"].json.reports[0].merchant] }}

• Output: Expense logged.

4. Check Budget Node: Function

• Node: Function

• Settings:

• Code:

const total = $node["Google Sheets"].json.reduce((sum, row) => sum + row[1], 0); return [{ json: { overBudget: total > 5000 } }];

• Output: Budget status.

1. Alert Node: Slack

• Node: Slack

• Settings:

• Credentials: Slack Bot Token

• Channel: #finance

• Text: Budget Alert: Expenses at ${{ $node["Google Sheets"].json.reduce((sum, row) => sum + row[1], 0) }}

• Condition: {{ $node["Function"].json.overBudget }}

• Output: Alert sent if over budget.

• Flow: HTTP Request → Google Sheets → Function → Slack.

• Execution: ~15 seconds per expense.

• Saves ~1 hour/week on tracking.

• Prevents overspending with alerts.

• Maintains financial visibility.

• API Fail: Check Expensify credentials.
• Budget Logic: Verify Function code.

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