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Overview

The Zapier integration connects Smartbills to over 7,000 applications, enabling you to build custom automation workflows without writing code. Use Smartbills triggers to start workflows when expenses or reports change, or use actions to create expenses from other apps.

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Key Features

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Prerequisites

  • Zapier account (Free plan supports basic Zaps; Starter or higher for multi-step)
  • Smartbills Business plan or higher
  • Smartbills API key

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Setup

1

Open Zapier

Go to zapier.com and sign in to your account.
2

Search for Smartbills

In the Zapier app directory, search for Smartbills.
3

Create a Zap

Click Create Zap and choose Smartbills as the trigger or action app.
4

Connect Your Account

Enter your Smartbills API key when prompted. You can find this in Settings > API Keys in the Smartbills dashboard.
5

Configure and Test

Set up the trigger/action fields, test the connection, and activate the Zap.

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Available Triggers

Use these triggers to start a Zap when something happens in Smartbills:

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Available Actions

Use these actions to create or update data in Smartbills:

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Example Workflows

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Expense to Google Sheets

Automatically log every new expense to a Google Sheets spreadsheet:
  1. Trigger: Smartbills, New Expense
  2. Action: Google Sheets, Create Spreadsheet Row

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Slack Notification on Approval

Notify a Slack channel when a report is approved:
  1. Trigger: Smartbills, Report Approved
  2. Action: Slack, Send Channel Message

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Email Receipt to Expense

Create an expense when a receipt is forwarded to a specific email:
  1. Trigger: Email by Zapier, New Inbound Email
  2. Action: Smartbills, Create Expense

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Weekly Summary to Email

Send a weekly expense summary to finance managers:
  1. Trigger: Schedule by Zapier, Every Week
  2. Action: Smartbills, Find Expenses (search)
  3. Action: Email by Zapier, Send Outbound Email

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CRM to Expense Tracking

Create a Smartbills expense when a deal closes in your CRM:
  1. Trigger: HubSpot/Salesforce, Deal/Opportunity Won
  2. Action: Smartbills, Create Expense

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Configuration Tips

Use Zapier Filters to run Zaps only for expenses above a certain amount or from specific categories.
Use Zapier Paths (available on Professional plan) to route different expense types to different destinations.
Test your Zap with a sample expense before activating to ensure the data maps correctly.

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Data Sync

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Troubleshooting

Check that the Zap is turned on and that the Smartbills connection is active. Test the trigger step to verify data is flowing.
Verify your API key is correct and has not been revoked. Generate a new key in Settings > API Keys if needed.
Some fields are only available after the expense is fully processed (e.g., OCR-extracted data). Add a delay step if needed.
Zapier may hit Smartbills API rate limits on high-volume Zaps. Add a delay between actions or reduce the Zap’s polling frequency.
Zapier will pause Zaps that fail repeatedly. Check the Zap history for error details and fix the underlying issue before re-enabling.