AI
What the AI switch in Forbidden Finance controls, what is sent to the AI model when receipt reading is on, and what changes when you turn it off.
Overview
Settings > AI holds one switch: Let AI read my receipts. It controls whether receipts you photograph or email in are read by an AI model, and it is off until you turn it on.
With the switch on, Forbidden Finance reads the merchant, date, totals, line items, and the store's printed address from your receipts, and suggests a spending category — all of it presented for you to check before anything is saved. With it off, receipts are stored and attached exactly the same way; you enter the details yourself.
What Is Sent When It Is On
Receipt photos and forwarded receipt emails — including the email text, since an order confirmation is often the email itself — are sent to an AI model that reads the document. What comes back is shown to you to confirm, and is stored encrypted with your account's own keys, the same way the images themselves are.
The store's printed address can be saved on the transaction as its location. On a shared account, anyone who can see that transaction sees where you bought it too — see Scan a Receipt.
What Still Works With It Off
Everything except the reading:
- Photographed receipts still attach to their transactions — the form shows "Receipt attached — AI reading is off. Enter the details yourself."
- Emailed receipts still land in Receipts awaiting filing, marked Ready to file.
- You fill in the details yourself, and the receipt stays attached as your record.
Receipts still count toward your monthly receipt allowance either way — the allowance counts receipts stored, not receipts read.
Turning It Off Again
Turning the switch off stops AI reading from your next receipt onward. Receipts that were already read keep their details — nothing is un-read retroactively. You can turn it back on at any time; receipts added in between can be read later with Scan with AI.
Availability
The switch appears on every plan, because deciding what may be read of your data is not a paid feature. Receipt scanning itself is available from Starter up — see Scan a Receipt for plans and allowances.