Automate Expense Tracking with n8n: Typeform to Airtable Workflow

Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a freelance graphic designer who juggles dozens of projects and clients every month. One headache she deals with regularly is keeping track of her business expenses. After client meetings, Sarah is often buried under a stack of paper receipts or pictures of emailed invoices that she must manually enter into her expense sheets. This process takes hours each week, with errors creeping in from mistyped amounts or forgotten receipts. What frustrates her the most is how this tedious work interrupts her creative flow and delays invoicing.

This workflow uniquely addresses Sarah’s challenge by automating the full journey—from capturing expense receipts via an online form to extracting key data from those receipts and instantly saving it into a structured Airtable database. Not only does it save her precious time, but it also eliminates costly human errors in expense tracking.

What This Automation Does

This n8n workflow streamlines expense tracking with a clear, automated process. Here’s what happens when it runs:

• Triggers automatically each time Sarah uploads a receipt to her Typeform expense form.
• Downloads the receipt image from the form submission URL for processing.
• Extracts detailed information from the receipt using Mindee’s AI-powered receipt recognition, including total amount, merchant name, date, time, and category.
• Sets structured data fields inside the workflow to organize extracted values for further use.
• Appends the processed expense record into an Airtable “Expenses” table, keeping all data centralized and accessible.
• Reduces manual data entry by automating every step, saving Sarah multiple hours per week.

Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n account for workflow automation.
• Typeform account with a form that includes a file upload field (to upload receipts). 📧
• Mindee account and API for AI-driven receipt data extraction. 🔐
• Airtable account with a base and table configured to store expenses data. 📊

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Set Up Typeform Trigger Node to Capture Receipts

In n8n, click Add Node > Typeform Trigger.

Enter your Typeform formId to listen for new responses where users upload receipts. You must connect your Typeform API credentials under credentials.

After saving, test by submitting your form with a receipt upload. You should see the webhookURL active under Typeform settings.

Common mistake: Forgetting to add the file upload question in the Typeform form will result in missing receipt URLs.

2. Use HTTP Request Node to Download Receipt Image

Add an HTTP Request node next, connect it after the trigger.

Set Method to GET, and for URL, use expression {{$node["Get Receipt"].json["Upload receipt"]}} which dynamically pulls the receipt file URL from the Typeform data.

Set Response Format to File to ensure the receipt image downloads as a binary file.

Expected output: The receipt image is downloaded for the next node to analyze.

3. Extract Receipt Data Using Mindee Node

Add a Mindee node and connect it after the HTTP Request node.

Assign your Mindee receipt API credentials.

This node auto-analyzes the uploaded receipt image and extracts key details such as total amount, merchant name, date, time, and category.

Verify the extracted data by reviewing the node’s output in preview mode.

Tip: Ensure your Mindee account has access to receipt extraction features.

4. Organize Extracted Data with Set Node

Add a Set node next to structure the extracted data into meaningful fields.

Map data from the Mindee node into clear variables like Amount, Merchant, Date, Time, Category, and Receipt URL (which comes from Typeform node).

This clean structuring simplifies later operations and Airtable integration.

5. Append Data into Airtable

Finally, add an Airtable node configured to append a new record.

Choose the appropriate Airtable base and table (“Expenses” in this case).

Map the fields set previously to Airtable columns, confirming all data flows correctly.

Once done, trigger the workflow manually or wait for a receipt submission to see the full automation in action.

Customizations ✏️

• Change Receipt Category Mapping: In the Set Information node, modify the Category field expression to use custom logic or static values based on your needs.
• Store Additional Data: Add more fields in Airtable and extend the Set node with additional mappings such as payment method or notes.
• Notify Upon New Expense: Insert a Slack or Email node post-Airtable to alert you instantly when a new expense is logged.
• Validate Receipt Upload: Use a Function node after Typeform trigger to check if the file URL is valid before continuing the process.
• Batch Processing: Extend the workflow with a Loop or Batch node to process multiple receipts at once, useful for end-of-day batch uploads.

Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “No receipt URL found from Typeform data”.
Cause: The Typeform response doesn’t include the file upload question or the user didn’t upload a file.
Solution: Double-check your Typeform form to ensure a file upload question is present and verify submissions include attachments.

Problem: “Mindee node returns error or empty data”.
Cause: The uploaded file format may not be supported or the API key is misconfigured.
Solution: Confirm Mindee supports the receipt file type (usually JPEG, PNG, PDF). Recheck API credentials and quotas.

Problem: “Airtable append operation fails”.
Cause: Incorrect base/table names or missing required fields.
Solution: Verify Airtable credentials, confirm table name is “Expenses” and all required columns are defined and mapped properly in n8n.

Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Confirm Typeform webhook is active and correctly receives form submissions.
• Test Mindee extraction outputs with sample receipt images.
• Verify Airtable credentials and the “Expenses” table setup with proper columns.
• Run test receipts through the workflow and audit data accuracy in Airtable.
• Backup your Airtable base before running production to avoid unwanted data loss.

Deployment Guide

Activate the workflow in n8n after all credentials are set and tested.

Monitor workflow executions via n8n execution logs to catch errors or failed nodes promptly.

Set up notifications (optional) for workflow failures or successful runs.

FAQs

Q: Can I use Google Forms instead of Typeform?
A: This specific workflow is built with Typeform’s webhook trigger in mind. Google Forms would require a different trigger node and file upload handling.

Q: Does using Mindee consume API credits?
A: Yes, Mindee receipt extraction is a paid API and may have usage limits depending on your plan.

Q: Is my receipt data secure?
A: All data transfers happen over secure HTTPS channels; credentials are stored encrypted in n8n. Mindee and Airtable also ensure enterprise-grade data security.

Q: Can this workflow handle dozens of receipts daily?
A: Yes, n8n and the integrated services can scale to handle high volumes, subject to API rate limits.

Conclusion

By setting up this n8n workflow, you’ve automated the tedious and error-prone process of expense tracking from receipt uploads through Typeform, detailed extraction with Mindee, and seamless storage in Airtable. This automation not only saves you several hours every week but also ensures your financial records are accurate and up to date.

Next, consider automating invoice generation based on these expense records or integrating Slack notifications for real-time team expense tracking updates. With this solid foundation, your financial data management is primed for efficiency and scalability.