How to Make an Expense Report (Step by Step)

To make an expense report, collect every receipt for the period or trip, list each expense on its own line (date, vendor, description, category, amount and currency), total the lines, attach the receipts, add the business purpose, and submit it for approval by the deadline in your company's policy. If your company uses an expense system, it asks for the same information in its own form.

Below is a step-by-step walkthrough, a template you can copy into Excel or Google Sheets, and the mistakes that most often get reports sent back.

What an expense report is for

An expense report is a request to be paid back for business costs you covered yourself, or a record accounting for costs paid on a company card. It answers three questions for whoever approves it:

1. What did you spend? Each expense, with its amount.
2. Was it for business? The purpose of the trip, meeting or purchase.
3. Can you prove it? Receipts or other evidence for each line.

Employers usually have tax reasons for wanting this done properly. In the US, for example, IRS Publication 463 (chapter 6) explains that under an "accountable plan" employees must adequately account to their employer for expenses within a reasonable period and return any excess advance. When those rules are met, reimbursements generally aren't treated as wages. Other countries have their own rules. The practical takeaway is the same everywhere: complete, well-documented reports get paid faster.

Step 1: Check your company's policy first

Before you start, find your expense policy and note:

• the deadline for submitting (for example, within a set number of days after the trip or month end)
• limits: per-diem rates, hotel caps, meal limits, mileage rates
• what isn't reimbursable (alcohol, upgrades, personal extras, fines)
• whether itemized receipts are required, and above what amount
• the format: a company spreadsheet template, an expense app, or a form
• who approves it, and whether a cost center or project code is needed

If there's no written policy, ask your manager or finance team. Agreeing the rules beforehand saves rejected lines later.

Step 2: Gather every receipt

Collect everything for the period or trip:

• paper receipts from your wallet, bag and car
• email receipts and booking confirmations (flights, trains, hotels, ride-hailing)
• hotel folios, the itemized bill rather than just the booking confirmation
• receipts in apps (ride-hailing, food delivery, parking)
• your card statement, as a checklist to spot anything you've missed

Photograph paper receipts and save everything as files in one folder for the report, for example Expenses/2026-03 Berlin trip.

Missing one? See lost a receipt? What to do for how to recover it or document it instead.

Step 3: List each expense on its own line

Use one row per receipt. A typical layout:

Tips:

• Use the date on the receipt, not the date you paid your card bill.
• Write the business purpose for each line, or once at the top if the whole report is for one trip. For meals, note who attended.
• Split mixed items. If a hotel bill includes a personal minibar charge, list only the business part and note the deduction.
• Keep categories consistent with the ones your company uses (airfare, lodging, meals, ground transport, mileage, supplies and so on).

Step 4: Handle currencies and mileage

Foreign currency. Record the original amount and currency, then convert using the method your policy specifies. That might be the rate on your card statement, a published daily rate or a fixed monthly rate. If you paid by card, the statement shows exactly what you were charged in your home currency, which is often the simplest figure to use.

Mileage. If you drove your own car, list each trip with date, start, destination, purpose and distance, then multiply by your company's mileage rate. Keep the log as your evidence.

Step 5: Total it and attach the evidence

• Total the home-currency column. Many people also subtotal by category, since approvers and accounts teams often want it.
• Subtract any cash advance you received. The result is what you're owed, or what you owe back.
• Attach the receipts. In a spreadsheet, number the files to match the rows (01, 02, 03…). In an expense app, attach each image to its line.

In Excel or Google Sheets, =SUM() gives the total and =SUMIFS() gives category subtotals. The receipt spreadsheet guide shows the formulas.

Step 6: Review before you submit

Most rejected reports fail on simple things. Check that:

• every line has a receipt, or a documented explanation if it doesn't
• nothing is listed twice, such as a booking confirmation and the final invoice for the same hotel
• dates fall within the trip or period
• amounts match the receipts exactly
• personal items are removed
• every line has a business purpose
• limits and per-diems are respected, with a note for anything over

Then submit by the deadline, with your manager's approval if that's needed.

A faster way to fill in the lines

Typing a dozen receipts is fine. Typing sixty from a long trip, or a month of client lunches, is where reports drag. You can speed it up in a few ways:

• Log as you go. Add each receipt to the report on the day, from your phone.
• Use your company's expense app if there is one. Many read receipt photos.
• Batch-convert the folder. ReceiptBatch takes a folder of receipt photos and PDFs and returns one spreadsheet row per receipt, with date, vendor, subtotal, tax, tip, total, currency and a suggested category. You check and correct the table, download it as Excel or CSV, and paste the rows into your company's template. The trip receipts to expense report page shows how it works for a business trip.

Whatever tool you use, keep the original receipt images. Your finance team will want them, not just the figures.

Expense report template (copy this)

Create a sheet with:

• Header: employee name, department or cost center, report period or trip, business purpose, manager, submission date
• Lines: Date, Vendor, Description / purpose, Category, Amount, Currency, Exchange rate, Amount in home currency, Paid with, Receipt file
• Summary: total by category, grand total, less advances, amount due
• Sign-off: employee and approver names and dates

Save one blank copy as your template, and make a new copy for each report.

FAQ

What should be included in an expense report?

For each expense: date, vendor, description and business purpose, category, amount and currency, payment method, and a receipt. For the report as a whole: your name, the period or trip, the total, any advance, and approval.

How often should I submit expense reports?

Follow your company's policy. Many ask for reports monthly or within a set number of days after a trip. Submitting promptly also makes receipts easier to find.

Can I submit a bank statement instead of receipts?

Policies vary, but most companies want itemized receipts, especially for meals and hotels. A statement shows payment, not what you bought. See is a bank statement enough instead of a receipt?

Do self-employed people need expense reports?

Not in the same sense, since there's no one to reimburse you. But keeping the same kind of list, one line per receipt with a category and purpose, is exactly what you need for your tax records.