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Automate employee reimbursement workflow with Gmail, Google Drive & AI validation

Pramod RathourePramod Rathoure
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2/3/2026
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Reimbursements used to be a headache.

Employees submitted receipts through emails, managers got stuck in approval chains, and finance teams spent hours checking for duplicates, updating sheets, and sending follow-up emails.

So, we automated it.

Using n8n, we built a smart Employee Reimbursement Workflow that does everything… in just a few clicks.

Here’s how it works.] When an employee uploads a receipt, the workflow first checks for duplicates. If the file is new, it’s uploaded to Google Drive instantly. Next, a unique tracking ID is generated—no manual typing, no mistakes. Then, all the details are logged in Google Sheets in real time, ready for records. And finally, the Finance team gets an email notification with everything they need to process the payment—no chasing, no missing info.

The impact? We’ve cut processing time by over 70%, reduced errors to nearly zero, and made the entire process stress-free for employees and finance alike.

This isn’t just automation—it’s giving people their time back.

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Automate Employee Reimbursement Workflow with Gmail, Google Drive & AI Validation

This n8n workflow streamlines the employee reimbursement process by automating the submission, validation, and recording of expense claims. It leverages AI for receipt validation, integrates with Google Drive for storage, Google Sheets for record-keeping, and Gmail for notifications.

What it does

This workflow simplifies the employee reimbursement process through the following steps:

  1. Triggers on Form Submission: The workflow starts when an employee submits an expense claim via an n8n form.
  2. AI-Powered Receipt Validation: It sends the submitted receipt (presumably an attachment from the form) to OpenAI for validation (e.g., to extract details or verify legitimacy).
  3. Conditional Processing: Based on the AI validation result, the workflow branches:
    • If Valid:
      • Stores the validated receipt in Google Drive.
      • Records the expense details in Google Sheets.
      • Sends an approval email via Gmail.
    • If Invalid:
      • Sends a rejection email via Gmail, notifying the employee of the issue.
  4. Merge Paths: Both valid and invalid paths merge back, allowing for potential further unified processing or logging.
  5. Code Execution (Placeholder): Includes a Code node, which could be used for custom logic, data transformation, or logging at various points in the workflow.
  6. Google Sheets (Placeholder): Another Google Sheets node is present, suggesting potential additional interactions with spreadsheets, perhaps for reporting or other data lookups.

Prerequisites/Requirements

To use this workflow, you will need:

  • n8n Instance: A running n8n instance.
  • Google Account: Configured credentials for Google services (Gmail, Google Drive, Google Sheets) with appropriate permissions.
  • OpenAI API Key: An OpenAI API key for AI-powered receipt validation.

Setup/Usage

  1. Import the workflow: Download the JSON provided and import it into your n8n instance.
  2. Configure Credentials:
    • Set up your Google OAuth2 credentials for the Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Gmail nodes.
    • Configure your OpenAI API key credential for the OpenAI node.
  3. Configure n8n Form Trigger: Customize the "On form submission" node to collect the necessary employee reimbursement details and receipt attachments.
  4. Customize AI Validation (OpenAI node): Adjust the prompt or model in the OpenAI node to perform the desired receipt validation logic.
  5. Customize Google Drive: Specify the folder where receipts should be stored.
  6. Customize Google Sheets: Define the spreadsheet and sheet where reimbursement data will be recorded.
  7. Customize Gmail Notifications: Tailor the content of the approval and rejection emails.
  8. Activate the workflow: Once configured, activate the workflow to start automating your reimbursement process.

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