Merchant-Based Expense Categorization

I have several months of bank and credit-card statements in CSV/PDF format and I need every line item tagged to its correct merchant so I can finally see where the money is really going. Your task is pure transaction categorization—no forecasting, no fraud checks—just clean, accurate labeling that lets me track expenses at a glance.

Here’s what I will pass over: the raw statements plus a small starter list of common vendors I already recognize. From there I’m expecting you to standardize merchant names, handle duplicates or misspellings, and return a file I can sort or pivot instantly. Excel, Google Sheets, Python, or any other tool you prefer is fine as long as the final output is a spreadsheet I can open without extra software.

Deliverables
• A fully categorized transaction file with a dedicated “Merchant” column
• A summary sheet that totals spend by merchant for quick reference
• A short note on any assumptions or rules you applied so I can maintain the file going forward

Accuracy matters more than speed; if a transaction is unclear, flag it rather than guessing. Let me know your approach and a realistic turnaround time when you reply.