Expense report challenge
A hands-on Cowork activity. You'll take a real-world mess — a folder of receipts in every format, a few with problems baked in — and turn it into a clean, accurate expense report using Claude in Cowork.
The challenge
Turn the folder of receipts into an accurate expense report. Your finished work must include two things:
1. A spreadsheet — itemized expenses, categories, and totals.
2. A single PDF — the backup receipts, compiled in order.
Finished early? Have Claude create a
CLAUDE.md with the rules worth repeating, plus a reusable template for future expense runs.Try it without the steps first. The walkthrough below stays hidden until you open it.
Download the practice receipts
A folder of mixed-format receipts to work from.
Step-by-step walkthrough — try not to open unless you're stuck
1Download the receipts and move them to a folder on your desktop
Download the practice set above and put all the files in one new folder on your desktop.
2Mount Cowork to that folder
In Cowork, select the folder you just made so Claude can see every file in it.
3Ask Claude for a summary of the documents
Have Claude read everything and tell you what's there before doing anything else.
Example prompt
Here's a folder of receipts. Before we do anything, read each one and give me a summary — vendor, date, amount, and what kind of expense it is. Flag anything unusual.
4Process, rename & de-duplicate — in one pass
Pull the details from each receipt, give the files clear names, and catch anything that appears twice.
Example prompt
Go through all the receipts: pull out the key details, then copy them into a clean folder and rename the copies as date_vendor_category_amount. Flag any duplicates and anything that isn't a reimbursable receipt.
5Build the expense report and the receipts PDF
Turn the cleaned-up receipts into your two deliverables.
Example prompt
Build an Excel expense report with categories and totals, and compile all the receipts into a single PDF in date order. Convert any foreign-currency amounts to USD and note the rate. Leave out anything personal or non-reimbursable.
6Create a CLAUDE.md file if you have time
Write the rules down so next time is faster.
Example prompt
Create a CLAUDE.md in this folder with the rules for expenses — the categories, what counts as reimbursable, how to handle foreign currency and duplicates, and the file-naming convention we used.
7Create a reusable template if you have time
Make a blank version of the report you can refill next month.
Example prompt
Save a blank version of this expense report as a template I can reuse for next month's receipts.