Automated Invoice Processing with Claude and Make

Bookkeeping & Accounting Automation

Intermediate2-3 hoursLow

MakeClaude (Anthropic API)QuickBooks OnlineGmail

Quick Answer

Connect Gmail to Make, use Claude to extract invoice data from PDF attachments, and automatically create draft bills in QuickBooks. Human review happens at the end before posting. Takes 2-3 hours to set up and runs automatically from that point.

The Problem This Solves

Finance teams spend hours each week manually keying invoice data into accounting systems. This workflow reduces that to a review-and-approve task taking minutes instead.

About This Workflow

This workflow eliminates manual invoice data entry by connecting your email inbox to QuickBooks through an AI-powered pipeline. When a vendor invoice arrives by email, Make triggers automatically, extracts the PDF attachment, sends it to Claude for structured data extraction, and creates a draft bill in QuickBooks for human review and approval. The workflow handles variable invoice formats from different vendors without requiring template configuration for each one.

Tools Required

MakeAutomationView on Finatune Visit Website

Claude (Anthropic API)AI EngineView on Finatune Visit Website

QuickBooks OnlineOutputView on Finatune Visit Website

GmailData SourceVisit Website

Step-by-Step Blueprint

Create Make scenario with Gmail trigger

Make

In Make, create a new scenario. Add a Gmail Watch Emails module configured to monitor your accounts payable inbox for emails with PDF attachments.

Extract PDF attachment

Make

Add a Make module to download the email attachment. Filter to only process PDF files to avoid processing non-invoice attachments.

Send PDF to Claude for extraction

Claude

Add an HTTP module in Make to call the Claude API. Send the PDF as a base64-encoded document with a prompt instructing Claude to extract vendor name, invoice number, date, line items, amounts, and payment terms as structured JSON.

Use this prompt →

Parse Claude response

Make

Add a Make JSON Parse module to convert Claude's structured JSON response into individual data fields that Make can map to QuickBooks fields.

Create draft bill in QuickBooks

QuickBooks Online

Add a QuickBooks Online Create Bill module in Make. Map the extracted fields from Claude's response to the corresponding QuickBooks bill fields. Set status to Draft so a human reviews before posting.

Send Slack notification for review

Slack

Add a Slack Send Message module to notify your finance team that a new draft bill is ready for review. Include the vendor name and amount in the message.

Cost Estimate

$19-50/month

Make Pro plan $16-19/month annual. Claude API costs vary by invoice volume - approximately $0.01-0.05 per invoice at standard rates. QuickBooks Online subscription required separately.