Expense Claim / Report
List your receipts by date and kind of cost, add mileage and daily allowances, subtract any advance, and see what you are owed or must return.
Free. Fill in, print, save as PDF or download as Word without an account. Saving to your account needs a free account.
Country versions
- International
- United States *
- United Kingdom *
- Korea *
- Japan *
- Germany *
* check with local advice
A template, not advice.
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What it is
An expense claim is how you get back money you spent for your work: train tickets, a hotel night, a dinner with a client, printing for a workshop. It tells the employer what was bought, when, what it cost and why, so that accounting can check it against the receipts and pay you. A clear claim is paid faster, and a claim with receipts and a stated purpose is also what a later review expects to find.
This form works like a paper expense report. Each receipt gets one line, and the amount goes into the column of its kind (travel, lodging, meals or other), so the line totals, the totals per kind and the grand total appear without a calculator. Below the table you can add mileage (distance times your employer's rate) and a daily allowance (days times the daily rate), subtract an advance you already received, and the form shows either the amount payable to you or the amount you must return. Everything is added up from the numbers you type. The form works out no tax and does not know your employer's rates, so you type the rates yourself. The country versions change the column names (Japanese accounts, a German note for business meals), the unit of distance and the approval boxes.
When to use it
- You paid for something for work and want the money back.
- You travelled for work and want one sheet for tickets, hotel and meals.
- Your employer asks for receipts listed by date and kind of cost.
- You received an advance and need to settle it against what you spent.
- You are self-employed and want a tidy log of business costs for your own books.
How to fill it in
- Check your name and department, which come from your saved details, and write the purpose of the expenses.
- Choose the currency of the claim. Convert a receipt in another currency first and note the original amount in the description.
- Add one line per receipt: the date, what it was, the receipt number, and the amount in the column of its kind.
- Add mileage and daily allowances only if your policy pays them, using the rates your employer sets.
- Type any advance you received, then read the last two boxes: the amount payable to you or the amount to return.
- Attach the receipts, print or download the claim, sign it and send it for approval.
Common mistakes
- Mixing two currencies in one claim, so the totals mean nothing.
- Putting one amount into two columns of the same line, which counts it twice.
- Writing no purpose, or only "misc.", which is the first thing accounting asks about.
- Claiming mileage and a taxi for the same trip.
- Using a rate you found online instead of the one your employer's policy sets.
- Forgetting the advance, so the same money is paid twice.
Steps at a glance
- Fill in
- Check the preview
- Save as PDF, Word or Excel
Country versions
Pick the country you need. Each version uses the wording and layout commonly found there; a version marked “check with local advice” should be read by someone who knows the local rules before it is used.
- International (XX): Written in English, Korean, Japanese, German
- United States (US): Written in English – check with local advice
- United Kingdom (GB): Written in English – check with local advice
- Korea (KR): Written in Korean, English – check with local advice
- Japan (JP): Written in Japanese, English – check with local advice
- Germany (DE): Written in German, English – check with local advice
Designs
The same form in several designs. The fields and the wording stay the same; only the look changes.
- Boxed form
- Ledger
- Compact
- Banner
- Warm
- Plain (black and white)
- Modern
- Formal
- Side band
- Classic
- Minimal
- Executive
Your details fill it in
Fields that ask for your name, address or company details are filled from My details, so you do not type them again; you can still change any field for one form. Signed in, your details stay in your account; otherwise they stay in this browser only. A passport, identity or social security number is never saved.
Questions
- Does the form tell me what my employer will refund?
- No. What is refunded depends on your employer's policy and, for tax purposes, on your country's rules. The form lists the costs and adds them up; accounting decides what is paid.
- What if a receipt is in a foreign currency?
- A claim has one currency. Convert the receipt with the rate your policy names (the card statement or a company rate), put the converted amount in the table, and write the original amount and currency in the description. For a trip with many foreign receipts, the business trip report has an exchange-rate column.
- Do I need the original receipts?
- Usually you need the original or a clear copy, and some employers accept photos. Ask your accounting team. Tax rules on records differ by country; the notes under each country name the main ones as a starting point.
- Does the form calculate VAT or other tax?
- No. Amounts are added as you type them. If accounting needs the tax part of a receipt, ask for it or write it in the description. This is a general template, not tax advice.
- Is this form legal, tax or accounting advice?
- No. It is a template: it gives you the usual structure and wording, not advice. Rules differ by country and case, so have someone qualified read anything that matters before you sign, send or file it.
- Which countries and designs does it come in?
- It comes in 6 country versions: International, United States, United Kingdom, Korea, Japan, and Germany. 12 designs.
Billing a client for these expenses? Open the expense reimbursement invoice template
A form is a template, not legal, tax or accounting advice. Rules differ by country and case.