Expense Report Template
A clean expense report you can copy into any spreadsheet in five minutes. Tax-aligned categories, mileage, per diem, and receipt tracking built in.
The template
Paste this into Google Sheets or Excel. Rename the tab to the employee and month.
| Date | Category | Merchant | Description | Amount | Currency | Reimbursable | Receipt ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-02 | Travel | United Airlines | SFO to JFK | 842.10 | USD | Yes | RCP-0001 | Client visit |
| 2026-07-03 | Meals | Sushi Kappo | Client dinner (4 people) | 218.40 | USD | Yes | RCP-0002 | 50% deductible |
| 2026-07-03 | Transport | Uber | JFK to hotel | 64.00 | USD | Yes | RCP-0003 | |
| 2026-07-04 | Lodging | Marriott Marquis | 2 nights | 512.00 | USD | Yes | RCP-0004 | |
| 2026-07-04 | Mileage | - | 28 miles at 0.67 | 18.76 | USD | Yes | - | Personal car |
| 2026-07-05 | Office | Amazon | Ethernet cable | 19.99 | USD | Yes | RCP-0005 | Client site setup |
Categories to use
These map cleanly to US Schedule C and to most international small-business tax return lines.
- Travel: flights, trains, taxis outside your home city.
- Transport: local rides, parking, tolls.
- Meals: business meals with clients or during travel (partially deductible in most jurisdictions).
- Lodging: hotels and short-term stays during business trips.
- Mileage: personal-vehicle mileage at the current authority rate.
- Office: supplies, small equipment, subscriptions, telecom.
- Marketing: events, ads, sponsorships, samples.
- Professional services: legal, accounting, consulting.
- Other: anything that does not fit above. Keep this small.
Receipt attachment rules
Receipts required for every expense over the local reporting threshold (75 USD in the US, similar elsewhere). Photograph the paper receipt at the time of the expense; label the file with the reference number from the report; store all receipts in a single folder per month.
Reconciliation
At month end, sum the report by category and compare to the corresponding card statement lines. Every report line should have a matching card transaction; every card transaction not on a report is either a personal charge on the card or a missing expense. Resolve both before closing the month.
Sign-off
The last row should read: Employee signature, Manager signature, Finance signature, Date. Print or e-sign; keep for the retention period required by your jurisdiction.