Get started with TakoFin

Open TakoFin in Telegram and send:

Follow the instructions in Telegram to:

1. 1Open the Google Sheets template provided by TakoFin.
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 TakoFin in Telegram.

Once the setup is confirmed, TakoFin will be ready to save expenses directly to your 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.

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

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

Prefer using a receipt? Send a clear photo directly to TakoFin. 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.

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

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.

TakoFin 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.

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

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 TakoFin address.

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

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

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