AI-Process Receipt in n8n

Q: Does the output tell me if extraction was uncertain?

Yes. The warnings array flags data-quality issues encountered during processing, and fallbackUsed indicates whether a fallback extraction method was needed, useful for routing low-confidence results to manual review.

AI-Process Receipt is an n8n node by PDF4me that extracts merchant details, transaction data, line items, and totals from receipt PDFs and images using AI. Use it to automate expense capture, receipt digitization, or expense-report data entry without manual keying, across 11 specialized receipt categories.

What this node does

PDF4me: AI-Process Receipt parses a receipt PDF or image and returns structured merchant information, transaction date/time, line items, and financial totals, plus category-specific fields for hotel, fuel and energy, training, and healthcare receipts. Accepts input via Binary Data, Base64 String, or URL. Ideal for expense automation, spend analysis, and receipt digitization workflows.

Authenticating Your API Request

Every PDF4me node in n8n requires a valid Credential to connect with. Create or select one that holds your PDF4me API key so the workflow can authenticate AI extraction requests securely.

Get your API Key

Important Facts You Should Not Miss

Receipt Name drives format detection

Unlike many PDF4me actions, Receipt Name is required regardless of input type, its file extension (.pdf, .png, .jpg, .jpeg) tells the AI engine how to decode the file for optimal accuracy.

Receipt Type is a hint, not a hard filter

Setting Receipt Type to hotel, fuel and energy, training, or healthcare improves accuracy for that category's specialized fields (roomNumber, fuelQuantity, courseName, patientName), but the node still returns standard fields if left as generic.

This is extraction, not bookkeeping

The node returns structured data from the receipt image or PDF; it does not itself post entries to an accounting system or reconcile against a budget. Route the output into your expense or ERP tool downstream.

What Parameters Does AI-Process Receipt Need?

Required: Input Data Type and Receipt Name, plus the field matching your chosen input type (Input Binary Field, Base64 Receipt Content, or Receipt URL). Receipt Type, Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, Calculate Totals, and Custom Field Keys are all optional, enable only what your workflow needs.

Parameter	Required	What it does	Example
Input Data Type	Required	Format of the receipt input. Choose Binary Data (from a previous node), Base64 String, or URL.	`Binary Data`
Input Binary Field	Conditional	Name of the binary property on the incoming n8n item that holds the receipt. Required when Input Data Type is Binary Data.	`data`
Base64 Receipt Content	Conditional	Base64-encoded receipt content. Required when Input Data Type is Base64 String.	`JVBERi0xLjQK...`
Receipt URL	Conditional	Publicly reachable HTTPS URL to the receipt file. Required when Input Data Type is URL.	`https://example.com/receipt.pdf`
Receipt Name	Required	Filename of the input receipt with the correct extension (.pdf, .png, .jpg, .jpeg), used for format detection and processing accuracy.	`receipt_2026_03_15.pdf`
Receipt Type	Optional	Category hint for the AI: meal, supplies, hotel, fuel and energy, transportation, communication, subscriptions, entertainment, training, healthcare, or generic.	`supplies`
Analyze Items	Optional	Set to true to extract individual line items with name, quantity, unit price, and category. Default false.	`true`
Extract Merchant Info	Optional	Set to true to extract merchant name, address, phone, website, and store number. Default false.	`true`
Calculate Totals	Optional	Set to true to extract subtotal, tax amount, and total amount. Default false.	`true`
Custom Field Keys	Optional	Array of extra field names to extract beyond standard receipt data, returned in additionalInfo.	`["loyaltyPoints"]`

Output Fields

Field	Type	What it contains
`success`	Boolean	True when extraction succeeded. Use to route error-handling branches.
`receiptType`	String	The receipt type extracted or supplied, e.g. supplies, hotel, fuel and energy.
`transactionDateStr`	String	Transaction date in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD).
`transactionTime`	String	Transaction time (HH:MM:SS format), when present on the receipt.
`receiptNumber`	String	Receipt or transaction identifier printed on the receipt.
`analyzeItems`	Array	Line item objects with name, quantity, unit price, total price, and category, present when Analyze Items is enabled.
`merchantInfoList`	Array	Merchant name, address, phone, website, cashier name, and store number, present when Extract Merchant Info is enabled.
`financialInfoList`	Array	Subtotal, tax amount, total amount, payment method, and card last four digits, present when Calculate Totals is enabled.
`roomNumber, checkInDate, checkOutDate`	String	Hotel-specific fields, populated when Receipt Type is hotel.
`fuelType, fuelQuantity, fuelUnit, vehicleNumber`	Mixed	Fuel and energy-specific fields, populated when Receipt Type is fuel and energy.
`trainingProvider, courseName`	String	Training-specific fields, populated when Receipt Type is training.
`healthcareProvider, patientName, insuranceInfo`	String	Healthcare-specific fields, populated when Receipt Type is healthcare.
`additionalInfo`	Object	Values for any Custom Field Keys requested beyond standard receipt data.
`warnings`	Array	Data-quality warnings encountered during extraction, empty array when none.
`fallbackUsed`	Boolean	True when a fallback extraction method was needed, useful for flagging low-confidence results.
`jobId`	String	Unique identifier for the AI processing job, used for tracking and debugging.

How Do I Set Up AI-Process Receipt in n8n?

Add PDF4me to your n8n workflow and choose the AI-Process Receipt action.
In Credential to connect with, select your PDF4me credential or click Create New Credential and paste your API key.
Set Input Data Type to Binary Data (default), Base64 String, or URL and supply the matching source field.
Set Receipt Name with the correct extension (.pdf, .png, .jpg, .jpeg).
Optionally set Receipt Type to a specific category for better accuracy on hotel, fuel and energy, training, or healthcare receipts.
Enable Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, and Calculate Totals as needed, and add Custom Field Keys for anything beyond standard fields.
Execute the node and map the extracted fields into your expense tool, spreadsheet, or accounting system.

Typical Setups

Workflow ExamplesCommon n8n workflow patterns using AI-Process Receipt.

Email receipt capture into an expense sheet

A Gmail trigger fires on emails with a receipt attachment.
PDF4me AI-Process Receipt runs with Extract Merchant Info and Calculate Totals enabled.
merchantName, totalAmount, and transactionDateStr are appended to a Google Sheets expense log.

Itemized fuel and energy receipts for fleet tracking

A mobile-upload webhook receives a photographed fuel receipt from a driver.
PDF4me AI-Process Receipt runs with Receipt Type fuel and energy, extracting fuelQuantity, fuelUnit, and vehicleNumber.
The record is written to a fleet-management database keyed by vehicleNumber.

Hotel folio parsing for travel expense reports

A traveler uploads a hotel folio PDF through a form.
PDF4me AI-Process Receipt runs with Receipt Type hotel, extracting roomNumber, checkInDate, and checkOutDate alongside the standard totals.
The parsed data flows into the company's travel expense-report workflow.

Line-item spend analysis from batch receipt uploads

A Loop Over Items node iterates a batch of receipt files from a shared Drive folder.
PDF4me AI-Process Receipt runs with Analyze Items enabled to break out individual line items.
analyzeItems is flattened and appended to a BigQuery table for category-level spend analysis.

Practical Tips

Set Receipt Name even with Binary Data

The extension drives format detection regardless of input type; a mismatched or missing extension can reduce accuracy.

Only enable the toggles you need

Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, and Calculate Totals each add processing and payload size; skip any your downstream workflow does not consume.

Check warnings and fallbackUsed

Route items with a non-empty warnings array or fallbackUsed true to a manual-review queue instead of trusting the extraction blindly.

Match Receipt Type to unlock specialized fields

roomNumber, fuelQuantity, courseName, and patientName only populate when Receipt Type matches the corresponding category.

Custom Field Keys is additive, not a filter

It adds extra fields to additionalInfo; it does not restrict or replace the standard merchant, item, or financial fields.

This is extraction, not reconciliation

Pair the output with your accounting or expense system for matching against budgets, policies, or approvals.

Cheat Sheet

Field	Value
Action	`AI-Process Receipt`
Input Data Type	`Binary Data`
Input Binary Field	`data`
Receipt Name	`receipt.pdf`
Receipt Type	`generic (or a specific category)`
Analyze Items	`true`
Extract Merchant Info	`true`
Calculate Totals	`true`
Custom Field Keys	`[] (optional)`
Credentials	`PDF4me API credential`

Common Questions

Which fields are required for AI-Process Receipt?+

Four: the receipt input (via Input Data Type), Receipt Name, and the field matching your chosen input type. Receipt Type, Analyze Items, Extract Merchant Info, Calculate Totals, and Custom Field Keys are all optional.

What receipt types does this node support?+

Eleven categories: meal, supplies, hotel, fuel and energy, transportation, communication, subscriptions, entertainment, training, healthcare, and generic. Setting Receipt Type helps the AI engine target the right fields, such as room number for hotel or fuel quantity for fuel and energy.

Can I extract custom fields beyond the standard receipt data?+

Yes. Custom Field Keys accepts an array of additional field names the AI should look for beyond the standard merchant, line-item, and financial fields, returned in the additionalInfo object.

Does the output tell me if extraction was uncertain?+

Yes. The warnings array flags data-quality issues, and fallbackUsed indicates whether a fallback extraction method was needed, useful for routing low-confidence results to manual review, similar in spirit to the confidence-scoring approach described in Microsoft's Document Intelligence receipt model documentation.

Can I process image receipts, not just PDFs?+

Yes. The node accepts .pdf, .png, .jpg, and .jpeg receipt files. Set Receipt Name with the matching extension so the AI engine can apply the correct format handling.

Is this a bookkeeping or reconciliation tool?+

No, it extracts structured data from the receipt; matching that data against a budget, policy, or ledger is a separate step in your expense or accounting system, the same division of labor described in general receipt-automation guides such as DocuClipper's receipt data extraction overview.

AI-Invoice Parser

Same AI extraction engine tuned for invoices, with line items, vendor details, and payment terms.

AI-Process Bank Statement

Extracts transactions and balances from bank statements, a natural companion for expense reconciliation.

AI - Document Parser

General-purpose extraction with an Analyzer Template for document types beyond the specialized parsers.