---
name: invoice-organizer
description: >
  Categorize invoices and receipts by vendor, expense category, and tax bucket,
  detect duplicates, and produce a tax-ready monthly summary. Use during
  bookkeeping, tax prep, expense reimbursement, or when the user mentions
  receipts, invoices, expenses, bookkeeping, or tax categorization.
license: MIT + Commons Clause
metadata:
  version: 1.0.0
  author: borghei
  category: personal-productivity
  domain: bookkeeping
  updated: 2026-05-04
  python-tools: invoice_categorizer.py
  tech-stack: bookkeeping, tax
---

# Invoice Organizer

Bulk-categorize a CSV of invoices or receipts, detect duplicates, and produce a tax-ready monthly summary.

---

## Table of Contents

- [Keywords](#keywords)
- [Quick Start](#quick-start)
- [Core Workflows](#core-workflows)
- [Tools](#tools)
- [Reference Guides](#reference-guides)
- [Templates](#templates)
- [Best Practices](#best-practices)

---

## Keywords

invoice, invoices, receipt, receipts, expense, expenses, bookkeeping, accounting, tax, tax prep, categorization, vendor, reimbursement, monthly summary

---

## Quick Start

### Categorize 200 Receipts in 1 Minute

1. Export receipts from your bank or expense tool as a CSV with columns: `date,vendor,description,amount,currency`
2. Run:
   ```bash
   python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv
   ```
3. Review the categorized output and override anything wrong via the rules file
4. Export the monthly summary for handoff to your accountant

---

## Core Workflows

### Workflow 1: Monthly Bookkeeping

**Goal:** Convert a month of unstructured receipts into a categorized, tax-ready summary in under 10 minutes.

**Steps:**
1. Export receipts as CSV from your bank, card, or expense tool
2. Run: `python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv`
3. Review the **uncategorized** bucket — these need rules added or manual override
4. Add rules to `assets/category_rules.json` for any recurring vendors
5. Re-run; uncategorized count should drop each month as the rules file grows
6. Drop the monthly summary into `assets/monthly_summary_template.md`

**Expected Output:** Categorized expense list + monthly totals by category + duplicate-suspect list.

**Time Estimate:** 10 minutes/month after initial rules are seeded.

### Workflow 2: Duplicate Detection

**Goal:** Catch double-entered receipts before they reach the books.

**Steps:**
1. Run: `python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv --json`
2. Inspect the `duplicates_suspected` list
3. Confirm whether each is a true duplicate (same charge entered twice) or a coincidence (same amount on different days at different vendors)
4. Remove confirmed duplicates from the source CSV; re-run

**Expected Output:** Cleaned CSV with no duplicate rows.

**Time Estimate:** 2-3 minutes per month.

### Workflow 3: Vendor Spend Review

**Goal:** Find spend creep — vendors whose monthly total grew significantly without you noticing.

**Steps:**
1. Run categorizer for the last 3-6 months separately
2. Compare per-vendor totals month-over-month
3. Flag any vendor where total grew > 25% with no obvious business reason
4. Either renegotiate, switch, or accept; revisit quarterly

**Expected Output:** Vendor-spend trend list with flagged growth.

**Time Estimate:** 15 minutes per quarter.

---

## Tools

### invoice_categorizer.py

Reads a CSV of receipts/invoices and:

- **Categorizes** each row by vendor + description against rules in `assets/category_rules.json` (extensible)
- **Aggregates** totals per category and per vendor
- **Detects** likely duplicates (same vendor + amount within 3 days)
- **Flags** uncategorized items for manual review

```bash
# Human-readable summary
python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv

# JSON for programmatic use
python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv --json

# Use a custom rules file
python scripts/invoice_categorizer.py receipts.csv --rules my-rules.json
```

**Expected CSV columns:** `date, vendor, description, amount` (currency optional)
**Date formats accepted:** `YYYY-MM-DD`, `MM/DD/YYYY`, `DD/MM/YYYY`

---

## Reference Guides

- **`references/expense_categorization_guide.md`** — Standard expense categories, common tax buckets (US Schedule C, UK self-employment, generic), how to map vendors to categories

---

## Templates

- **`assets/category_rules.json`** — Default rules; extend with your recurring vendors
- **`assets/monthly_summary_template.md`** — Format for handing the monthly summary to an accountant

---

## Best Practices

- **Categorize monthly, not annually.** Annual catch-up bookkeeping always misses receipts and produces guess-categorization.
- **Grow the rules file over time.** First month: 30% uncategorized. Sixth month: < 5%. The compounding return on rule-writing is high.
- **Keep evidence.** Categorization is bookkeeping; receipts (PDFs, photos) are tax evidence. Store separately from this script's output.
- **Don't trust auto-categorization for tax filing.** Use it for prep; have a human (you or your accountant) sign off before filing.
- **Currency consistency.** If you have multi-currency receipts, convert at month-end FX rate before this script; it does not handle FX.

---

## Integration Points

- Pairs with `finance/` skills for budgeting and forecasting
- Feeds into `c-level-advisor/cs-cfo-advisor` cash-flow workflows
- Used by solo-founder persona for monthly close