How to Automate Expense Tracking with Email

Email automation in Koala Budget is the easiest way to keep your finances up to date. Forward your receipt emails and watch expenses appear automatically. This guide will walk you through the process step by step.

Before You Start

Make sure you have:

• Created a bank account in Koala Budget
• Access to emails that contain receipts or purchase confirmations
• A stable internet connection

Step 1: Navigate to Mail Automation Settings

1. Open Koala Budget
2. Tap on the Account section
3. Select Mail Automation
4. Tap + Add New Email

Step 2: Create Your Automation Email

1. Select the bank account you want to link expenses to
2. The system will generate a unique email address for you
3. This email will look like: [email protected]

Security Note: Each automation email is unique to you and can only create expenses in your selected account.

Step 3: Configure Allowed Senders (Optional)

For extra security, you can whitelist specific email addresses:

• Add your own email address
• Add specific merchant emails (e.g., [email protected])
• Leave empty to accept emails from anyone (to this unique address)

Step 4: Set Up Email Templates

Templates help the AI extract data more accurately:

1. Go to the Templates section
2. Create a template for common receipt formats
3. Define regex patterns for:
   • Shop name
   • Purchase date
   • Amount
   • Item description

Example patterns:

• Shop: Shop: (.+)
• Amount: Total: ¥(\d+)
• Date: Date: (\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2})

Step 5: Forward Receipt Emails

Now you can forward receipts to your automation email:

1. Receive a receipt email
2. Forward it to your unique automation address
3. The AI will parse the email and extract expense data
4. Go to Categorize Expenses to review and save

Managing Automation Emails

View and manage your automation emails:

• Enable/Disable: Toggle automation on or off
• Edit Settings: Update allowed senders and default templates
• Delete: Remove an automation email you no longer need

Email Parsing Features

Our AI can extract:

• ✅ Shop/Merchant name
• ✅ Purchase date and time
• ✅ Total amount
• ✅ Item descriptions
• ✅ Currency (JPY, EUR, USD)

Troubleshooting Common Issues

"Email not received"

Check that you forwarded to the correct unique address shown in settings.

"Parsing failed"

Try creating a custom template for that merchant's email format.

"Wrong amount extracted"

Review the template patterns and adjust regex to match your receipt format.

Privacy & Security

Your security is our top priority:

• 🔒 Unique email addresses per account
• 🛡️ Optional sender whitelisting
• 🔐 All data encrypted at rest
• ✅ You review expenses before they're saved

Ready to automate your expense tracking? Set up email automation today! 🐨