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# Create expense

> Creates an expense in a workspace with merchant, date, amount, currency and category. Inputs, cURL, Python and Node.js examples and an example response.

Source: https://cotlet.dev/docs/api/expensify/create_expense

Docs sections: [Get started](https://cotlet.dev/docs.md) · [REST API](https://cotlet.dev/docs/api.md) · [MCP](https://cotlet.dev/docs/mcp.md) · [SDKs & CLI](https://cotlet.dev/docs/sdks.md) · [Integrations](https://cotlet.dev/docs/integrations.md)

Creates an expense in a workspace with merchant, date, amount, currency and category.

Expensify API: https://cotlet.dev/docs/api/expensify.md

`POST https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/expensify/expenses`

Access: write. Confirm: waits for the user's OK before it runs.

Creates one expense in your account, not on a report yet. Category and tags must exist in the workspace (read them with get_workspace), and the expense can be marked reimbursable or billable. Returns the new expense ID; add a receipt with attach_receipt and put it on a report with add_expense_to_report. By default you confirm each call; you can switch that off for this tool.

## Parameters

| Name | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `workspace` | string | yes | Workspace name or ID from list_workspaces, e.g. 'Acme Studio'. |
| `amount` | number | yes | Amount as a decimal number, e.g. 42.50. |
| `currency` | string | yes | Three-letter currency code, e.g. 'USD'. |
| `merchant` | string | yes | Merchant name as on the receipt. |
| `date` | date | yes | Date of the expense, YYYY-MM-DD. |
| `category` | string | no | A category of the workspace, from get_workspace. |
| `tags` | string[] | no | Tags of the workspace, from get_workspace. |
| `description` | string | no | Short note shown on the expense. |
| `reimbursable` | boolean | no | Default: true. |
| `billable` | boolean | no | Default: false. |

## Request

**cURL**

```bash
curl -X POST https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/expensify/expenses \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $COTLET_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"workspace":"Acme Studio","amount":42.5,"currency":"USD","merchant":"Blue Bottle Coffee","date":"2026-10-12","category":"Meals","description":"Coffee with client before the Northwind kickoff"}'
```

**Python**

```python
result = client.call("expensify", "create_expense", {"workspace":"Acme Studio","amount":42.5,"currency":"USD","merchant":"Blue Bottle Coffee","date":"2026-10-12","category":"Meals","description":"Coffee with client before the Northwind kickoff"})
```

**Node.js**

```js
const result = await cotlet.call('expensify', 'create_expense', {"workspace":"Acme Studio","amount":42.5,"currency":"USD","merchant":"Blue Bottle Coffee","date":"2026-10-12","category":"Meals","description":"Coffee with client before the Northwind kickoff"});
```

**CLI**

```bash
cotlet call expensify create_expense --data '{"workspace":"Acme Studio","amount":42.5,"currency":"USD","merchant":"Blue Bottle Coffee","date":"2026-10-12","category":"Meals","description":"Coffee with client before the Northwind kickoff"}'
```

## Example response

```json
{
  "expense_id": "T7f3a9c",
  "workspace": "Acme Studio",
  "merchant": "Blue Bottle Coffee",
  "date": "2026-10-12",
  "amount": 42.5,
  "currency": "USD",
  "category": "Meals",
  "description": "Coffee with client before the Northwind kickoff",
  "reimbursable": true,
  "has_receipt": false,
  "report_id": null,
  "created_at": "2026-10-14T09:31:00+02:00"
}
```

Previous: [Export report](https://cotlet.dev/docs/api/expensify/export_report.md)
Next: [Attach receipt](https://cotlet.dev/docs/api/expensify/attach_receipt.md)

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## For AI agents: sign your user up

Is your user asking you to sign them up for Cotlet? You can do it for them, no account or key needed.

1. Read the fields and their allowed values: GET https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/access-requests
2. Ask the user for each value: email, apps, what you will do with them. If they leave the password to you, generate a strong one and show it to them.
3. Show the user what you will send, then POST it as JSON to https://cotlet.dev/api/v1/access-requests.

One call creates the account and sends the access request; we email the user when access is granted.