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AI suggestions & rules

Who it’s for: Owners and admins (your bookkeepers use suggestions day to day) Where: Rules (second row of the top bar), and the Suggest accounts button on bills, expenses and receipts Before you start: Nothing. Rules work for every company. AI suggestions are switched on for a company by Sturdy Bid.

SturdyBooks can suggest which account a bill, expense or receipt line belongs in. Suggestions come from two places:

  • Your categorization rules — “this vendor always goes to that account”. Always on, instant, and exactly what your company said.
  • AI — when it’s on for your company, it suggests an account for the lines no rule covers, and it can read receipt photos.

Nothing is ever posted by a suggestion. A suggestion only fills in (or offers) an account; a person reviews the document and saves it.

Steps

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  1. Open Rules. The note at the top says whether AI suggestions are on for your company. When they’re on, it also shows how much of this month’s AI budget has been used.

    The Rules page with the note: AI suggestions are on for this company. This month: $0.03 of $5.00 used across 7 lines.

  2. When AI suggestions aren’t on, the note says so — suggestions then come from your rules only.

    The Rules page with the note: AI suggestions aren't on for this company, so suggestions come from these rules only.

    Turning AI suggestions on is decided per company by Sturdy Bid, not by a switch in your books. To ask about it for your company, get in touch.

  3. Add rules for the vendors you always file the same way — fuel stations, your supply house, your software. See Make a categorization rule. Rules answer before AI does, and win.

  4. Your team uses Suggest accounts on bills, expenses and receipts. See Use category suggestions.

  5. When the same vendor has gone to the same account three times on someone’s say-so, SturdyBooks offers Make it a rule. Taking the offer files that vendor automatically from then on — it’s listed on Rules as made by Accepted offer.

You’ll know it worked when…

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The note on Rules shows your company’s AI status, and Suggest accounts fills in or suggests accounts on bill and expense lines.

Notes & limits

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  • An AI suggestion fills in an empty account only when it’s at least 90% sure; below that it’s shown as a hint with a Use button. A rule always fills in. Neither ever replaces an account someone already picked.
  • If this month’s AI budget is used up, suggestions come from your rules until next month — the note on Rules says so.
  • Reading receipt photos is part of the same switch. With AI off, receipts wait as Not read and are typed in by hand — see The receipts inbox.
  • AI sees only what it needs to suggest an account. See Privacy & AI for what it sees and never sees.
  • Only owners, admins and bookkeepers can ask for suggestions and make rules; viewers can see the rules.