Expense Tracker

Expense Tracker

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

• Build a business expense tracking database in Notion from scratch
• Replace a spreadsheet, shoebox of receipts, or mental math system for tracking expenses
• Categorize expenses by IRS Schedule C categories for tax preparation
• Flag tax-deductible purchases so nothing gets missed at year-end
• Import existing transactions from a bank statement export, CSV, or manual list

DO NOT use this skill for:

• Personal budgeting or household expense tracking (this is for business expenses)
• Invoicing or accounts receivable (use an invoice-template skill instead)
• Payroll processing or tax filing (requires dedicated software and professionals)
• Full double-entry bookkeeping or chart of accounts (use QuickBooks or Wave)

Quick Reference: Expense Tracker Features

Quick Reference: Database Schema

Payment Methods

Credit Card, Debit, Cash, Bank Transfer, PayPal, Other

Default Tags

monthly, quarterly, annual, client-billable, reimbursable, pending-receipt, large-purchase, subscription, one-time

Quick Reference: Expense Categories (IRS Schedule C Aligned)

THESE CATEGORIES ARE FOR TRACKING PURPOSES ONLY. CONSULT A TAX PROFESSIONAL FOR DEDUCTION ELIGIBILITY AND COMPLIANCE.

Tax Deduction Flags

DEFAULT: Set Tax Deductible to "Verify" when deductibility is not obvious. Let the user's accountant make the final call.

Core Workflow

EVERY EXPENSE TRACKER STARTS BY GATHERING BUSINESS DETAILS AND CREATING THE DATABASE WITH THE FULL SCHEMA BEFORE ADDING ANY TRANSACTIONS -- NEVER ADD PAGES TO A DATABASE THAT IS MISSING PROPERTIES.

Step 1: Gather Requirements

1. Business type -- sole proprietorship, LLC, S-corp, partnership
2. Notion parent page -- where should the expense database live
3. Fiscal year -- calendar year (Jan-Dec) or custom fiscal year
4. Currency -- USD default; confirm or change
5. Custom categories -- any additions to the 15 defaults
6. Existing expenses -- transactions to import (CSV, list, or dictated)
7. Tax situation -- any known deduction rules or accountant preferences

If the user provides only items 1 and 2, proceed with all defaults.

Brief template for vague requests:

I'll build your expense tracker in Notion. Quick answers needed:

1. What type of business entity? (sole prop, LLC, S-corp)
2. Which Notion page should I create the tracker under?
3. Fiscal year? (default: January - December)
4. Currency? (default: USD)
5. Any expense categories beyond the 15 defaults?
6. Do you have existing expenses to import?

Step 2: Locate the Parent Page in Notion

1. Call notion-search with the page name or keywords the user provided
2. Confirm the page ID with the user if multiple matches exist

IF THE PAGE IS NOT FOUND: Ask for exact title or URL, retry with shorter keyword. After 3 failed searches, stop: "I cannot find that page. Check Settings > Connections in Notion and verify the integration has access."

Step 3: Create the Database in Notion

1. Call notion-create-database with the parent page ID and full schema:

Database title: Business Expenses

Properties to create:

Expense Name       -> title
Date               -> date
Amount             -> number (format: dollar)
Category           -> select
  options: Advertising (blue), Car & Truck (brown), Contractors (purple),
           Education (pink), Insurance (orange), Legal & Professional (yellow),
           Meals (red), Office Expenses (gray), Rent & Lease (green),
           Software & Subscriptions (blue), Supplies (orange),
           Taxes & Licenses (yellow), Travel (pink), Utilities (gray),
           Other (default)
Vendor             -> rich_text
Payment Method     -> select
  options: Credit Card (blue), Debit (green), Cash (yellow),
           Bank Transfer (purple), PayPal (orange), Other (gray)
Tax Deductible     -> select
  options: Full (green), Partial (yellow), None (red), Verify (gray)
Receipt            -> url
Notes              -> rich_text
Client/Project     -> rich_text
Recurring          -> checkbox
Tags               -> multi_select
  options: monthly (blue), quarterly (purple), annual (orange),
           client-billable (green), reimbursable (pink),
           pending-receipt (red), large-purchase (yellow),
           subscription (brown), one-time (gray)

2. Verify with notion-fetch on the returned database ID
3. Confirm creation with a summary of all configured properties

IF DATABASE CREATION FAILS: Verify parent page ID with notion-fetch, retry once. If it fails again: "Please go to the parent page > three-dot menu > Connections and ensure the integration has 'Can edit' access."

Step 4: Seed with Existing Expenses

SKIP THIS STEP if the user has no existing expenses to import.

1. Parse the user's expense data (CSV, bank statement, bullet list, or natural language)

2. Map each expense to the schema:

   • Expense Name -- short, descriptive (e.g., "Adobe Creative Cloud - January")
   • Date -- transaction date from the data
   • Amount -- dollar amount; NEVER guess amounts
   • Category -- match to the closest IRS category
   • Vendor -- extract business name
   • Payment Method -- infer from context, default to "Credit Card"
   • Tax Deductible -- set from category rules; default "Verify" when uncertain
   • Recurring -- check true for subscriptions and monthly services
   • Tags -- infer from context (e.g., subscription = monthly + subscription)

3. Call notion-create-pages to add expenses in batches

4. Report seeding results with category breakdown and totals

IF EXPENSE DATA IS AMBIGUOUS: Present interpretation before creating pages. IF BATCH CREATION PARTIALLY FAILS: Report successes/failures, retry individually, provide manual entry details if retries fail.

Step 5: Set Up Views and Deliver

Notion MCP does not support creating views programmatically. Provide exact instructions:

RECOMMENDED VIEWS (create these in Notion):

1. ALL EXPENSES (Table) — Sort: Date descending. No filter.
2. THIS MONTH (Table) — Filter: Date is "This month". Group by: Category.
3. BY CATEGORY (Table) — Group by: Category. Sort: Amount descending.
4. TAX DEDUCTIONS (Table) — Filter: Tax Deductible is "Full" OR "Partial".
   Group by: Category. Sort: Date ascending.
5. NEEDS ATTENTION (Table) — Filter: Tax Deductible is "Verify" OR Tags
   contains "pending-receipt". Sort: Date ascending.

USAGE GUIDE (deliver to every user):

ADDING AN EXPENSE (same day as purchase):
1. Click "+ New" in "All Expenses"
2. Enter Expense Name, Amount, Date, Category, Vendor, Payment Method
3. Set Tax Deductible: Full (clearly business), Partial (mixed use),
   None (personal), Verify (unsure — flag for accountant)
4. Paste receipt link if available; check "Recurring" for subscriptions

MONTHLY REVIEW (30 min, end of month):
1. Open "This Month" — check totals by category
2. Open "Needs Attention" — resolve "Verify" items, upload missing receipts

TAX TIME PREP (annually):
1. Open "Tax Deductions" — filter by tax year
2. Group by Category to match Schedule C line items
3. Resolve remaining "Verify" items
4. Share database with your accountant via Notion sharing

PARTIAL DEDUCTIONS: Set to "Partial", record business-use % in Notes
(e.g., "Home internet — 40% business use")

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER (include in every delivery):

DISCLAIMER: This expense tracker is for record-keeping and organization
purposes only. It does not constitute tax advice. Consult a qualified
tax professional for deduction eligibility, compliance, and filing.

Example 1: Freelance Web Developer

User request: "I'm a freelance web developer, sole prop. Track my expenses in Notion under 'Freelance Finances'. I have some recent expenses to add."

Execution:

1. Requirements: Sole prop, parent "Freelance Finances", calendar year, USD, 8 expenses
2. Search: notion-search for "Freelance Finances" -> pg_fin456. Confirmed.
3. Create: notion-create-database with full schema -> db_exp789
4. Seed 8 expenses:

Expenses imported: 8 of 8 successful

  SOFTWARE & SUBSCRIPTIONS:
    Adobe Creative Cloud - January      $54.99   Credit Card   Full
    GitHub Pro - January                $4.00    Credit Card   Full
    Notion Team Plan - January          $10.00   Credit Card   Full
    AWS Hosting - January               $127.43  Credit Card   Full

  CONTRACTORS:
    Logo redesign - Sarah Kim Design    $750.00  PayPal        Full
    Copywriting - Jake Torres           $400.00  Bank Transfer Full

  OFFICE EXPENSES:
    Standing desk riser                 $189.99  Debit         Full
    USB-C hub and cables                $67.50   Credit Card   Full

Total: $1,603.91 | Recurring: $196.42/mo (4 subscriptions) | All fully deductible

5. Delivered: Views + usage guide + disclaimer. Next steps: create views, add February subscriptions, log expenses same-day, schedule monthly review.

Example 2: E-Commerce Store Owner

User request: "I run a small e-commerce shop selling handmade candles. LLC. My Notion page is 'Candle Biz Operations'. I have about 10 recent expenses."

Execution:

1. Requirements: LLC, parent "Candle Biz Operations", calendar year, USD, 10 expenses
2. Search: notion-search for "Candle Biz Operations" -> pg_candle321. Confirmed.
3. Create: notion-create-database with full schema -> db_candle654
4. Seed 10 expenses:

Expenses imported: 10 of 10 successful

  SUPPLIES:
    Soy wax bulk order (50 lbs)         $189.00  Credit Card   Full
    Fragrance oils assortment (12 pk)   $84.50   Credit Card   Full
    Wicks and labels bundle             $42.00   Debit         Full
    Glass jars (case of 48)             $156.00  Credit Card   Full

  ADVERTISING:
    Instagram Ads - January             $250.00  Credit Card   Full
    Etsy Promoted Listings - January    $87.30   Debit         Full
    Facebook Ads - January              $150.00  Credit Card   Full

  TRAVEL:
    Craft fair booth rental - Portland  $175.00  Cash          Full
  CAR & TRUCK:
    Gas and tolls for Portland trip     $63.20   Cash          Partial

  SOFTWARE & SUBSCRIPTIONS:
    Shopify Basic Plan - January        $39.00   Credit Card   Full

Total: $1,236.00 | Recurring: $526.30/mo | Full (9), Partial (1)
Tip: Tag inventory with "one-time" and ad spend with "monthly" to separate
cost of goods from operating expenses at tax time.

5. Delivered: Views + usage guide + disclaimer. Next steps: create views, upload 2 cash receipts, record business-use % for Car & Truck, log expenses same-day.

Pre-Delivery Checklist

Run this before delivering. DO NOT SKIP ANY ITEM.

Pre-Delivery Checklist:
  [x] Database created and accessible
  [x] All 12 properties configured
  [x] Category options correct (15 IRS-aligned)
  [x] Payment methods present (6)
  [x] Tax Deductible options correct (4)
  [x] Amount formatted as dollar
  [x] Date and Recurring properties configured
  [x] Tags configured (9 defaults or custom)
  [x] All expenses seeded, no duplicates, amounts verified
  [x] Tax disclaimer delivered
  [x] View instructions and usage guide delivered
  [x] Database under correct parent page

Recovery and Troubleshooting

Notion Search Returns No Results

1. Ask for exact page title (case-sensitive)
2. Try shorter keyword (e.g., "Finance" instead of "Business Finance Dashboard")
3. Confirm the page is shared with the Notion integration
4. After 3 failures: "Check Settings > Connections in Notion and verify integration access."

Database Creation Fails

1. Verify parent page ID with notion-fetch
2. Check for permission errors
3. Retry once
4. If still fails: "Go to parent page > three-dot menu > Connections > ensure 'Can edit' access."

Expense Seeding Partially Fails

1. Report which expenses succeeded and which failed
2. Retry failed expenses individually
3. If retries fail, provide details for manual entry

Notion API Rate Limits

1. Pause 10 seconds between batches, reduce to 5 per call
2. DO NOT skip expenses due to rate limits -- slow down and retry

User Is Unsure About Categories

1. Present the category table
2. Map to most likely category
3. If ambiguous, default to "Other" with Tax Deductible = "Verify"
4. Add Note: "Category uncertain -- review with accountant"

User Wants to Modify Schema Later

Notion MCP does not support modifying schemas. Instruct the user: click "+" to add property, click column header > "Edit property" to modify, or add new category options via "Edit property" on the Category column.

Large CSV Import

1. Parse headers and present mapping for confirmation
2. Process in batches of 10-15 per notion-create-pages call
3. Report progress after each batch
4. 50+ rows: Warn that import takes several minutes due to API limits

Anti-Patterns

• DO NOT provide specific tax advice -- this is a tracking system, not a tax advisory service
• DO NOT assume deductibility without flagging -- when in doubt, set to "Verify"
• DO NOT mix personal and business expenses -- advise separate tracking
• DO NOT guess or fabricate dollar amounts -- only record what the user provides
• DO NOT create the database without the full property schema
• DO NOT skip the tax disclaimer -- every delivery must include it
• DO NOT categorize car expenses as 100% deductible -- almost always partial
• DO NOT promise IRS compliance -- this organizes records, not guarantees audits
• DO NOT create views programmatically -- provide manual instructions
• DO NOT deliver without the usage guide -- the tracker requires daily operation knowledge