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Before Payday, Use Claude Skills to Categorize Expenses and Find Hidden Charges

May 17, 2026
5 min read
Money in wallet
Make the most of your money
In this article:
  1. 1. Privacy is Important
  2. 2. Skill 1: Categorize Your Expenses
  3. 3. Skill 2: Find Hidden Charges and Fees
  4. 4. Two Follow-Up Skills for Recurring Charges
  5. 5. What to Review Before Payday
  6. 6. A Clearer Statement Can Give You a Clearer Next Step

Key takeaways

  • Downloadable Claude Skills can help turn a bank or credit card statement into clear spending categories.
  • Start with expense categorization, then use a hidden-fee check to spot charges you may want to verify.
  • Use what you find to choose one small next step before payday, like checking a fee or reviewing a recurring charge.
A bank statement can tell you a lot before payday. It can show the snack runs, the subscriptions you forgot about, the bill that hits two days too early, and the small fees that are easy to miss.
Claude Chat can help you review that information faster. Think of a skill as a reusable instruction sheet for Claude. You still make every money decision yourself, but the skill can organize a statement, group expenses, and flag charges you may want to check.

Privacy is Important

Anthropic says Skills are available on Free, Pro, Max, Team, and Enterprise plans. You can copy paste any of the b
elow and just ask Claude to convert it into a skill or You can see the tutorial here

Before you upload a statement, protect yourself:
  • Remove account numbers, Social Security numbers, addresses, full names, and other personal details.
  • Do not upload passwords, login details, check images, or account credentials.
  • Treat the output as a first pass. AI can misread merchant names or miss context.
  • Confirm every fee, cancellation, or plan change yourself before acting.
If you want the non-AI version first, Earnin's guide to tracking expenses explains how statement review, categories, and spending logs work together.

Skill 1: Categorize Your Expenses

Use this when you have a CSV, spreadsheet or export from a bank or credit card statement. It helps you see where your money went without building a perfect budget first.
---
name: expense-categorizer
des
cription: Categorize uploaded bank or credit card transactions and summarize spending patterns.
---

# Expense Categorizer

When I upload transactions, categorize each line into one of these groups:

- Housing
- Utilities
- Groceries
- Dining
- Transportation
- Insurance
- Medical
- Debt payments
- Subscriptions
- Childcare or family
- Shopping
- Cash withdrawals
- Fees
-
Transfers
- Income
- Needs review

Rules:
- Use the merchant name, amount, and date.
- Put unclear transactions in "Needs review" instead of guessing.
- Flag repeated charges, unusually high purchases, and fees.
- Do not give investment, tax, legal, credit, or debt advice.
- End with a short summary: top 5 categories, biggest surprises, and 3 questions I should answer.

Try this prompt: "Use my Expense Categorizer skill on this uploaded statement. Show me where my money went and what needs review."
Look closely at anything in "Needs review." That is where unclear merchant names, duplicate-looking charges, and one-off purchases can hide.

Skill 2: Find Hidden Charges and Fees

Use this when you want to scan a bill, statement, or receipt for costs that are easy to skip over. This can include returned-payment or NSF fees, monthly account fees, late fees, service charges, or add-ons you do not recognize.
---
name: hidden-fee-finder
description: Review bills and statements for fees, add-ons, rate changes, and charges that may be avoidable.
---

# Hidden Fee Finder

When I upload a bill, statement, or receipt, look for:

- O
verdraft fees
- Returned-payment or NSF fees
- ATM fees
- Monthly maintenance fees
- Late fees
- Convenience or service fees
- Foreign transaction fees
- Cash advance fees
- Equipment rental charges
- Premium add-ons
- Introductory rates that may expire
- Duplicate or unexplained charges

For each item, create a table with:
- Charge name
- Amount
- Why it matters
- What I can check next
- Possible next step, such as cancel, downgrade, ask for a waiver, switch payment method, or call the provider

Rules:
- Do not claim a fee is illegal.
- Tell me what to verify with the provider.
- If the document is unclear, say what information is missing.
- Remind me not to share private account details in chat.


Try this prompt: "Use Hidden Fee Finder on this phone bill and tell me what charges I should verify before I call the provider."
The CFPB has called out junk fees such as surprise overdraft fees and surprise depositor fees. That does not mean every fee on your bill can be removed. It does mean it is worth knowing what you are paying, why it was charged, and what the provider says your options are.
For more context on bank fees, Earnin has a guide to avoiding overdraft fees and a quick read on everyday fees you may be able to avoid.

Two Follow-Up Skills for Recurring Charges

Once you categorize expenses and flag fees, the next question is usually simple: what keeps repeating?
NerdWallet reported that one data writer saved $122.48 per month after reviewing and cutting subscriptions. Your result may be different, but the lesson is useful: small recurring charges can be hard to feel one by one and easy to spot together.

Subscription Audit

Use this when you want to find recurring charges across two or three months of statements.
---
name: subscription-audit
description: Find recurring subscriptions, memberships, trials, and app charges from uploaded transactions.
---

# Subscription Audit

When I upload transactions, find charges that look recurring.

Group them into:
- Streaming and entertainment
- Music and podcasts
- Apps and software
- Fitness and wellness
- Food delivery or memberships
- Shopping memberships
- News and education
- Cloud storage
- Gaming
- Other recurring charges

For each charge, show:
- Merchant
- Amount
- Frequency if you can infer it
- Last charge date
- Keep, review, or cancel recommendation
- Why it may be worth reviewing

Rules:
- Do not cancel anything for me.
- Flag annual or quarterly charges that may not appear every month.
- Suggest checking Apple Subscriptions, Google Play subscriptions, email receipts, and the provider website.
- End with a "cancel first" list for charges that look unused, duplicate, or low value.


Try this prompt: "Use Subscription Audit on these three months of transactions. Find recurring charges and help me decide what to review."
If
you find a charge you want to stop, this Earnin guide explains how to stop automatic payments from your bank account.

Cheaper Alternatives Finder for Subscriptions / Services

Use this after you have a list of subscriptions, services, or regular purchases.
---
name: cheaper-alternatives-finder
description: Suggest lower-cost alternatives for subscriptions, services, and recurring purchases.
---

# Cheaper Alternatives Finder

When I share a list of subscriptions or recurring purchases, help me find cheaper options.

For each item, suggest:
- Free alternative
- Cheaper paid alternative
- Downgrade option
- Bundle or unbundle idea
- Pause or seasonal-use option
- What I might lose by switching

Focus on:
- Streaming
- Cell phone plans
- Internet
- Cloud storage
- Meal kits and delivery
- Fitness apps or gyms
- News and magazines
- Shopping memberships
- Security cameras or smart home services

Rules:
- Do not assume every paid service should be canceled.
- Keep recommendations realistic for a busy person.
- Mention trade-offs like ads, slower service, fewer features, or household sharing limits.
- End with the 3 easiest swaps to test this month.


Try this prompt: "Use Cheaper Alternatives Finder on my subscription list. I want to keep what I actually use and cut what I will not miss."

What to Review Before Payday

If you only have 20 minutes, start with two questions:
  • Which expense categories took more money than I expected?
  • Which fees, add-ons, or recurring charges should I verify?

Finally, look for timing problems. A bill may be affordable on paper but stressful if it lands before payday. Use the results from these skills to make a simple plan:
  • Move a due date if the provider allows it.
  • Cancel or pause one low-value subscription.
  • Ask for one fee waiver or plan downgrade.
  • Put reminders before annual renewals.
  • Keep a short list of charges to check next month.

Do not let an AI tool make financial choices for you. Let it make the statement easier to read, then make the decision yourself.

A Clearer Statement Can Give You a Clearer Next Step

The goal is not to hand your money or decisions over to AI. The goal is to make your money easier to see before payday.
Start with one redacted statement or one bill. Run the Expense Categorizer first. Then run Hidden Fee Finder on anything that looks confusing or expensive. One clear charge, one canceled subscription, or one question for a provider can be enough to give you a little more breathing room.