---
title: "Receipts to Expense Report (Python Script) | MCC Solutions"
description: "Build an expense report from a folder of PDF, email and photo receipts: date, vendor, total and category, with monthly totals and a duplicate check."
url: "https://mcc-solutionsnj.com/bookkeeping/receipt-expense-report-python-script"
---

Paid script

# A folder of receipts to an expense report

Drop your PDF receipts, saved receipt emails and receipt photos in one folder and get an expense report by category and month. It can also copy them into a tidy Year/Month/Category folder tree.

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Paid script

## Receipt Expense Report

Buy this script on its own for $29, one time. No membership needed. It runs on your own computer and nothing you enter leaves it. Read how it works and the questions below first.

The [Automation Suite](/bookkeeping/automation-suite) includes this and 10 more tools for $99. Members get this included. [See the membership](/membership) or [sign in](/membership/login). Already bought it? Email me my access link.

How it works

## How it works

The script reads each receipt in the folder. From **PDFs, .eml emails, .txt and .html files** it pulls the date, vendor and total, preferring lines like Total, Amount due or You paid and skipping Subtotal, Tax and You saved. Photos can't be read without OCR, so name them like **2026-03-14_Staples_42.17.jpg**, or type the details into the **needs_details.csv** it creates and run it again. Your typed entries are kept for later runs. Each receipt is categorized with a keyword rules file you can edit. You get **expenses.csv**, a summary by category and month (Markdown and a printable HTML page), and a **possible duplicates** list. The optional **--organize** step only copies files. Your originals are never moved, renamed or deleted.

FAQ

## About this calculator

**What do I need to run it?**

Python 3.9 or newer on Windows, Mac or Linux. Email, text and photo receipts need nothing else. To read PDF receipts, install the free pypdf package with pip install pypdf. Try it on the built-in demo with --demo.

**Can it read my receipt photos?**

It does not do OCR (text recognition), so it never guesses at a photo. Name the photo with the date, vendor and amount (for example 2026-03-14_Staples_42.17.jpg), or fill in the needs_details.csv file it gives you and run it again.

**Will it change or delete my receipt files?**

No. It only reads your receipts. The optional organize step copies them into Year/Month/Category folders with clear names and leaves the originals where they are.

**Is this tax advice?**

No. It is a general-information tool for organizing your own records. The categories are suggestions. Meals, travel and equipment have special rules, so check with a tax professional.

See [all free tools](/free-tools). More free tools: [Cash flow and burn rate calculator](/bookkeeping/cash-flow-and-burn-rate-calculator), [EBITDA calculator](/bookkeeping/ebitda-calculator), [Employee cost calculator](/bookkeeping/employee-cost-calculator), or [see all free tools](/free-tools).

Free

### Month-End Close Checklist (PDF)

The five-day close, one page to print. Enter your email and we send a link to confirm it is yours, then the download. We may email you about new toolkits, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

General information, not tax or legal advice. [How we write and check our tools](/editorial-standards).

## Want your books and numbers handled?

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