Why Use Google Sheets?

Perfect for creating custom reports, dashboards, and financial tracking with the flexibility of spreadsheet formulas. Ideal if you:

• Want full control over data visualization and reporting

• Have existing Google Sheets templates you want to automate

• Need to share financial data with family, partners, or accountants

• Love building custom charts, pivot tables, and formulas

Prerequisites

• Google account

• At least one bank connected in Lunch Flow

How to Set Up

1. Add Google Sheets as a destination

• Go to the Destinations page in Lunch Flow

• Click "Add Destination"

• Select "Google Sheets"

2. Choose a spreadsheet template

• Overview Template (recommended): Pre-configured with balances and transactions, including merchant logos and categories

• Blank Sheet: Start with a clean slate

• Use existing spreadsheet: Paste the URL of your existing Google Sheet

3. Share the sheet with our service account

• Open your Google Sheet

• Click the Share button

• Add the service account email as an Editor

• The service account email is displayed in the setup form—you can copy it with one click

4. Connect your sheet

• Copy the Google Sheet URL from your browser

• Paste it into the "Google Sheet URL" field

• Click "Add Destination"

5. Configure your destination

• Select accounts: Toggle which bank accounts to sync to the sheet

• Enable transaction enrichment (optional): Automatically detect merchant names and categories from your transactions

• Sync now: Click the "Sync Now" button to immediately sync your transactions, or wait for the automatic daily sync

Spreadsheet Structure

Your Google Sheet will have these columns:

Transaction Enrichment

Transaction enrichment automatically detects merchant names and categories from your bank transactions using AI, adding them as new columns in your sheet.

What You Get:

• Cleaned merchant names: Normalized merchant names (e.g., "STARBUCKS LONDON" → "Starbucks")

• Automatic categorization: Transactions are categorized into predefined categories like:

  • Food & Beverage

  • Transport

  • Shopping

  • Entertainment

  • Bills & Utilities

  • Health

  • Travel

  • Home

  • Education

  • Business Services

  • Personal Care

  • Charity

  • Income

  • Investments

  • Groceries

  • Other

How to Enable:

1. Go to your Google Sheets destination configuration page

2. Toggle on Transaction Enrichment in the Configuration section

3. Click Sync Now to apply enrichment to new transactions

Note: Enrichment only applies to new transactions. To apply enrichment to existing transactions, delete them from the sheet and sync again to re-import with enrichment enabled.

Sync Behavior

How Syncing Works:

• Daily updates: New transactions added automatically

• No duplicates: Same transaction won't appear twice

• Append only: Older transactions stay in place

Customization

Create Pivot Tables

Build custom reports:

• Monthly spending by category

• Income vs expenses

• Account balances over time

• Merchant frequency

Charts and Visualizations

Create visual insights:

• Spending trends line charts

• Category breakdowns pie charts

• Monthly comparisons bar charts

Best Practices

Keep Original Structure

✅ Add new columns to different sheets, rather than modify existing ones
✅ Add rows below (for manual entries)
❌ Don't delete sync columns
❌ Don't rename sync columns

Use Separate Sheets

Create multiple sheets within the same spreadsheet:

• Raw Data: Keep this untouched (synced data)

• Analysis: Create pivots and charts here

• Budget: Build your budget tracking

Advanced Tips

Filter Views

Create saved filters without affecting others:

• Go to Data → Filter views → Create new filter view

• Set criteria (date range, accounts, amounts)

• Save and name your view

Conditional Formatting

Highlight important transactions:

• Red for large expenses (>$500)

• Green for income

• Yellow for pending transactions

Sharing

Share with family or accountant:

• Click "Share" button

• Add email addresses

• Set permissions (view or edit)

Alternative: CSV Export

If you prefer more control or use Excel, consider CSV/OFX export instead for:

• Import to Excel

• Import to other software

• One-time data pulls

🔒 Security & Privacy

Your data is synced via secure, authorized Google APIs. Lunch Flow only accesses the specific spreadsheet you authorize—nothing else.

👉 Learn more about our Security & Privacy — encryption, compliance, and data protection.