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AI-Process Receipt in Make

PDF4me AI-Process Receipt is a Make module that reads a receipt PDF or photo and returns structured expense data, covering merchant details, line items, subtotal, tax, and total. Use it to automate expense submissions, reimbursement tracking, or tax-deduction batches without manually retyping receipt data into a spreadsheet.

What this module does

PDF4me, AI-Process Receipt reads a receipt PDF or image inside a Make scenario and returns a structured bundle of expense data, merchant name, address, phone and website, every line item with quantity and price, subtotal, tax, total, and payment method. It supports 11 receipt categories (meal, hotel, fuel, healthcare, subscriptions, and more) and works with both digital receipts and photographed paper receipts with no template configuration needed.

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Authenticating Your API Request​

Every PDF4me module in Make requires a valid Connection. Create or select one that holds your PDF4me API key so the scenario can authenticate receipt extraction requests securely.

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Important Facts You Should Not Miss​

11 Receipt Categories
Set Receipt Type to meal, hotel, supplies, fuel, transportation, healthcare, subscriptions, and more, or leave blank for generic AI detection. Setting the type improves field recognition accuracy for that specific receipt category.
Full Merchant & Line-Item Data
Returns merchant name, address, phone, website, store number, every line item with quantity and price, subtotal, tax, total, and payment method, all in the module output bundle ready to map downstream.
Independent Extraction Toggles
Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, and Calculate Totals are independent toggles, disable any section you do not need to keep the output bundle lean and processing fast.
AI-Process Receipt module in Make: extract expense data from receipt PDF or image

PDF4me AI-Process Receipt module extracting structured expense data in a Make scenario.

Parameters​

Required: Connection, Receipt Name, Document, and Input Data Type. All other fields are optional, enable only what your workflow needs.

ParameterRequiredWhat it doesExample
ConnectionRequiredPDF4me API connection. Click Add and paste your API key if connecting for the first time.Your PDF4me connection
Receipt NameRequiredFilename of the receipt including extension: used for format detection and processing accuracy.receipt_march.pdf
DocumentRequiredBinary receipt file mapped from a preceding module such as Dropbox Get File or Gmail Get Attachment.[Buffer from Get File]
Input Data TypeRequiredFormat of the input: Binary Data, Base64 String, or URL: choose based on how your preceding module delivers the file.Binary Data
Receipt TypeOptionalCategory hint for the AI: meal, supplies, hotel, fuel and energy, transportation, communication, subscriptions, entertainment, training, healthcare, or generic.meal
Analyze ItemsOptionalSet to Yes to extract individual line items with name, quantity, unitPrice, totalPrice, category, and description.Yes
Extract Merchant InfoOptionalSet to Yes to extract merchant name, address, phone, website, and store number.Yes
Calculate TotalsOptionalSet to Yes to extract subtotal, tax amount, and total amount from the receipt.Yes
Custom Field KeysOptionalOptional array of extra field names to extract beyond standard receipt data.["loyalty_points"]

Output​

FieldTypeWhat it contains
merchantNameStringName of the store or merchant printed on the receipt.
merchantAddressStringMerchant's address, when Extract Merchant Info is enabled and the receipt shows one.
subtotalNumberPre-tax subtotal amount, populated when Calculate Totals is enabled.
taxAmountNumberTax amount extracted from the receipt, populated when Calculate Totals is enabled.
totalAmountNumberFinal total amount charged, populated when Calculate Totals is enabled.
paymentMethodStringPayment method shown on the receipt, such as cash or card, when detected.
analyzeItemsArrayLine items, each with name, quantity, unitPrice, totalPrice, category, and description, populated when Analyze Items is enabled.
merchantInfoListArrayAdditional merchant detail fields, populated when Extract Merchant Info is enabled.

How Do I Process Receipts in Make with PDF4me AI?​

  1. Add PDF4me → AI-Process Receipt to your Make scenario.
  2. Select Connection (or click Add to create one with your PDF4me API key).
  3. Set Input Data Type to Binary Data (most cloud storage sources return binary).
  4. Map the receipt binary from the previous module and set Receipt Name including the file extension.
  5. Optionally set Receipt Type (e.g. meal or hotel) and enable Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, and Calculate Totals as needed.
  6. Run the scenario: extracted expense data appears in the output bundle ready to map downstream.

When Should I Use AI-Process Receipt?​

Typical SetupsCommon Make scenario patterns using AI-Process Receipt.
Employee expense submission
  1. Gmail Watch detects a new email with a receipt attachment from an employee.
  2. Get Attachment retrieves the binary, then AI-Process Receipt extracts merchant, amount, and line items.
  3. QuickBooks Create Expense posts the receipt as a categorised expense with all fields pre-filled.
  4. Slack notifies the finance team that a new expense has been logged for review.
Hotel stay reimbursement
  1. Dropbox Watch Folder detects a hotel receipt uploaded by a travelling employee.
  2. AI-Process Receipt (Receipt Type: hotel) extracts nightly rate, dates, taxes, and total.
  3. Google Sheets Add Row logs all fields to the reimbursement tracking sheet.
  4. Slack sends a notification to the approver with the total amount and submission date.
Annual tax deduction batch
  1. Scheduled trigger lists all receipts for the tax year from a Google Drive folder.
  2. Iterator loops through each file, Get File → AI-Process Receipt.
  3. Aggregator sums totals by receiptType (meals, travel, supplies).
  4. Google Sheets exports the category totals ready for tax preparation, all in one scenario run.

Practical Tips​

The three extraction toggles are independent
Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, and Calculate Totals can be turned on or off separately. Disable any section you do not need to keep the output bundle smaller and processing faster.
Receipt Type is a hint, not a requirement
Leaving Receipt Type blank still works, the AI falls back to generic detection. Set it only when you know the category and want higher field-recognition accuracy.
Input Data Type must match what the prior module sends
Binary Data, Base64 String, and URL are not interchangeable. Check what your Dropbox, Gmail, or Google Drive module actually outputs before setting this field.
Custom Field Keys extends extraction beyond the defaults
Use this array to pull additional named fields, such as loyalty program numbers, that are not part of the standard merchant or line-item output.
Line items live in a nested array
analyzeItems is an array of objects, not flat fields. Use an Iterator module downstream to process each line item individually, for example when posting to an accounting system.

Cheat Sheet​

Extracted expense fields feed directly into recordkeeping. For how long to retain receipts and supporting documents, see the IRS recordkeeping guidance for US businesses. For general guidance on digitizing paper documents so they stay readable by OCR and AI extraction tools, see the Federal Agencies Digitization Guidelines Initiative.

FieldValue
Input Data TypeBinary Data (common), Base64 String, or URL
Receipt Typemeal, hotel, fuel and energy, or leave blank
Analyze ItemsYes, to get the analyzeItems line-item array
Extract Merchant InfoYes, to get merchantName, merchantAddress, merchantInfoList
Calculate TotalsYes, to get subtotal, taxAmount, totalAmount

Frequently Asked Questions​

What receipt types does AI-Process Receipt support?+
The module supports 11 receipt categories: meal, supplies, hotel, fuel and energy, transportation, communication, subscriptions, entertainment, training, healthcare, and generic. Setting the Receipt Type improves AI extraction accuracy for that category. Leave it empty for generic detection on any receipt.
What fields are returned in the analyzeItems output?+
Each item in the analyzeItems array contains: name, quantity, unitPrice, totalPrice, category, and description: covering every line item on the receipt. Enable Analyze Items in the module settings to populate this array. Use an Iterator module to loop through individual line items downstream.
Do I need to set Receipt Type for the module to work?+
No: Receipt Type is optional. The AI processes any receipt without it using generic detection. Setting it (for example hotel or meal) improves field recognition accuracy for that specific receipt category without any other configuration changes needed.
Can AI-Process Receipt read photographed receipts?+
Yes. PNG, JPG, and JPEG inputs are fully supported: including smartphone photos of paper receipts. For best results: clear, even lighting and the full receipt in frame. Crumpled or partially obscured receipts may reduce extraction accuracy.
Where do merchant and financial details appear in Make?+
All fields appear in the module output bundle. Click any downstream module field and map keys directly: for example merchantName, totalAmount, or analyzeItems[].unitPrice. Use an Iterator module to process individual line items from the analyzeItems array one by one.
How long should I keep digitized receipt records for taxes?+
Retention periods vary by jurisdiction and expense type. Extracted fields from this module, merchantName, totalAmount, date, and category, can be logged to a spreadsheet or database automatically to build that record without manual entry.

Same Task on Other Platforms​

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