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Receipts and Expenses

Reclassify Miscoded Expenses in Excel with AI

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What the source describes

In this Journal of Accountancy Tech Q&A, a CPA and accounting professor shows an accountant uploading a journal entry log where every expense was coded to Office Supplies. ChatGPT scans the Description column for keywords like laptop and monitor and builds a formula that adds a Reclassified Account column, for example moving those items to Computer Equipment. The author stresses checking the AI's work and never entering client or confidential information into ChatGPT.

Result or outcome

According to the source, this approach makes it easy to automate account corrections across hundreds or thousands of transactions and improves accuracy and audit readiness, provided the accountant verifies the formula's results.

How to run it

  1. Export the expense or journal entry log to Excel and remove client names and any confidential details before sharing it with an AI assistant.
  2. List the keywords that identify miscoded items, such as laptop or monitor, and the account each group of items should move to.
  3. Paste the prompt on this page into ChatGPT, Claude, Grok or Gemini, or upload the de-identified log, to get a keyword formula that adds a reclassified account column.
  4. Ask the assistant to break the formula down if it is complex, then filter rows where the suggested account differs from the original.
  5. Review each changed row against its source document, then prepare reclassification entries for the confirmed changes only.

Try it yourself

Copyable prompt

I have an Excel expense log where many purchases were coded to one catch-all account, [account name]. Columns are: Date (A), Vendor (B), Description (C), Amount (D), Account (E). Please write an Excel formula for column F, "Suggested Account", that checks the Description for keywords and returns a better account. Use these mappings: [keyword list] = [account], [keyword list] = [account]. If no keyword matches, return the original account from column E. Also explain how the formula works in plain language and give me a quick way to filter for rows where F differs from E so I can review each change before posting. I have removed all client names from the data.

Replace the [bracketed] placeholders. Remove client names, account numbers, and personal data before pasting into any AI tool.

What to review

The author stresses checking the AI's work, so test the formula on rows you already know the answer to and confirm keyword matches did not catch unrelated items, such as a monitor stand or a laptop bag. Confirm the reclassified totals tie back to the original account balance, and check equipment capitalization questions with the client's accountant before posting.

Related free download: 50 AI Prompts for Bookkeepers (Prompt pack (PDF))

Source: Journal of Accountancy

See also

Not professional advice. This is general information, not accounting, tax, legal or financial advice. Check AI output yourself and consult a licensed professional for your situation. See our Terms of Use.

This entry summarizes a public source. Features, plans, and availability change, so confirm details with the vendor. Tool names are trademarks of their respective owners.

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