🎯 What you'll have at the endYou'll hand Claude one month of bank and invoice files and get back a matched spreadsheet with a list of anything missing.

⚡ One-click install

Checked install pages (app stores, official sites and template pages): tap to get it straight away.

⬇️ Download Claude for desktopOfficial download page ⬇️ n8n template: reconcile invoices and bank statementsn8n template

🧰 Before you start

A paid Claude plan (Pro, Max, Team or Enterprise)
The Claude desktop app (Mac or Windows) for Cowork features
Your bank statement for the month (download as CSV if possible) and the invoices as PDFs, in one folder

⏱️ Time needed20 minutes per month

💵 Rough costPaid Claude plan (Pro from about USD 20/month)

🪜 Step by step

🐣 Beginner mode: showing the 5 essential steps only. Extra steps are hidden; tap 🚀 Advanced at the top to see all 6.

✅ 0 of 6 steps done 📄 Printable page

1
☐
Make a folder
On your computer create a folder like 'Reconcile 2026-10' and put the bank statement and all invoice PDFs inside.
Mark as done
2
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Open Cowork
Open the Claude desktop app, choose Cowork and give it access to that folder only.
Mark as done
3
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Paste the prompt
Copy the 'Reconcile' prompt below and run it.
Mark as done
4
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Check the 'unmatched' list
Look at payments with no invoice and invoices with no payment. Find the missing ones or note why.
Mark as done
5
☐
Save for your accountant
Keep the spreadsheet and renamed files in the folder and send it to your accountant.
Mark as done
6
☐
Optional: automate
If you want this to run automatically from Google Sheets, try the n8n template (install button). It uses OpenAI and needs some setup.
➕ Extra step: hidden in 🐣 Beginner mode Mark as done

💬 Copy-paste prompts

Tap Copy prompt, paste it into your AI (Grok, ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini), then replace the [yellow bits] with your own details.

💬 Reconcile

In this folder are my bank statement for [month] and invoice PDFs.
1. Clean up supplier names (e.g. 'TNB*BILL 123' becomes 'TNB').
2. Categorise each payment: [rent, utilities, salaries, marketing, software, supplies, other].
3. Match each invoice to a payment by amount (MYR), date (within 7 days) and supplier.
4. Make a spreadsheet: date, supplier, category, amount, invoice number, matched (yes/no), file name.
5. List unmatched payments and unmatched invoices separately.
6. Rename invoice files 'YYYY-MM-DD supplier amount.pdf'.
Don't delete anything. Ask me if something is unclear.

⚠️ Tips & common mistakes

Work on a copy of the files the first time.
Never share online banking passwords with an AI; use downloaded statements.
Ask your accountant which categories they use and give Claude that list.

🌟 Why it's worth it

💡 Why it mattersReconciling by hand takes hours and errors cause tax headaches. This gets your accountant a clean file.

🏷️ Real exampleA reviewer tested it in Claude Cowork: vendor names cleaned, expenses categorised, invoices matched, missing ones flagged, an Excel file built and invoice files renamed.

🔌 Connects to:Bank statement (CSV or PDF)Invoice PDFsExcel / Google Sheets

📰 Found via Substack review & n8n templates: Claude Cowork: 10 use cases I tested (bank reconciliation) ↗