Getting started guide

Get started with TeleExpense

Learn how to connect your own Google Sheet, log expenses through Telegram, automate regular transactions, and view useful spending insights.

Telegram expense trackingYour own Google SheetAutomation and insights

Open TeleExpense in Telegram and send:

Telegram command/start

Follow the instructions in Telegram to:

  1. 1Open the Google Sheets template provided by TeleExpense.
  2. 2Go to File → Make a copy to save your own copy in Google Drive.
  3. 3Share your copied Sheet with the email address shown in Telegram and give it Editor access.
  4. 4Copy the full URL of your Google Sheet and send it back to TeleExpense in Telegram.

Once the setup is confirmed, TeleExpense will be ready to save expenses directly to your Google Sheet.

TeleExpense Telegram message explaining how to copy and connect a Google Sheet

Open the User Setup tab in your copied Google Sheet and update the expense categories and payment types to match how you manage your spending.

For example, you can add categories such as Food, Transport, Shopping, and Bills, together with payment types such as Cash, PayNow, or Credit Card.

TeleExpense uses this setup when suggesting and saving transactions, so configuring it early makes expense logging faster and your reports more useful.
TeleExpense Google Sheet User Setup tab with expense categories and payment types

The fastest way to log an expense is to send the amount and description directly to TeleExpense:

Telegram command/addexpense

Enter the amount first, followed by a comma and a short description. You can also use the guided command and follow the prompts:

10, fish and chips

Prefer using a receipt? Send a clear photo directly to TeleExpense. It will extract the amount and description, then ask you to review the category and payment type before saving the expense to your Google Sheet.

TeleExpense Telegram conversation confirming a quick expense entry
Quick expense message
TeleExpense extracting an amount and description from an uploaded receipt photo
Receipt photo upload

For regular payments such as subscriptions, insurance, rent, or salary, send:

Telegram command/recurring

Choose Add Recurring, select Expense or Income, and follow the prompts. Recurring expenses can be scheduled monthly, quarterly, every six months, or annually. Recurring income is added monthly.

TeleExpense will automatically add the transaction on the selected date and notify you when it has been logged. You can return to the same menu to edit or remove it.

Tip: Choose the 28th or earlier if you want a monthly transaction to be added consistently, including in February.
TeleExpense recurring transaction menu with options to add, remove, or edit recurring entries

TeleExpense can turn supported bank transaction alert emails into ready-to-review expenses in Telegram. To generate your private forwarding address, send:

Telegram command/emailalias

Keep this address private. Next, use the Email Auto-Logging Setup Guide to enable transaction alerts from your bank and create Gmail filters that forward supported alerts to your TeleExpense address.

When an alert arrives, TeleExpense prepares the expense in Telegram. Review the details and confirm it to save the transaction to your Google Sheet.

Although TeleExpense can process supported emails from services such as Grab or Shopee, we recommend forwarding bank transaction alerts only. Forwarding both can create duplicate transactions when your bank also reports the same payment.
TeleExpense Telegram message showing an email-alert transaction ready for review

To check your spending without opening your Google Sheet, send:

Telegram command/insights

Day Expense

View your expenses for today or another date.

Monthly Report

Generate a complete summary for a selected month.

Expense Category

See how much was spent in each category.

Payment Type

View spending by payment method.

Follow the Telegram prompts to select the date, month, or report you want. When checking today's transactions, enter tdy as a shortcut.

TeleExpense insights menu with daily expense, monthly report, category, and payment options

Ready to start tracking?

Open TeleExpense in Telegram and send /start to connect your Google Sheet. Once connected, logging an expense can be as quick as sending 10, fish and chips.