Expense reimbursement invoice template
Expense reimbursement invoice template: bill a client for travel, hotels and mileage paid on their behalf, item by item with dates and receipts attached.
Templates by industry
- Rail fares to client site, return trips
- Hotel, two nights (receipts attached)
- Mileage at the agreed rate per km
Preparation guide
Example workflow
Confirm scope and quantities
Example: reconcile the approval and work record for "Rail fares to client site, return trips" to establish the quantity for this invoice.
Record delivery and acceptance
Check completion for every line, including "Mileage at the agreed rate per km". Hand over the final report or activity record with the versions of the inputs reviewed.
Send the billing record
Send the final charges, delivery reference and due date to the customer, then reconcile payment against the invoice number.
Travel, hotels and mileage are often agreed as recoverable on top of a consultant’s or contractor’s fee, but they arrive in the books as a pile of receipts. An expense invoice turns that pile into lines the client can approve: what was spent, on which date and why. Sending it separately from the fee invoice lets the client route it to a different budget, and makes clear that no profit is being made on the costs.
Fields to prepare
- Deliverables and line items
- Rail fares to client site, return trips, Hotel, two nights (receipts attached), Mileage at the agreed rate per km: record the quantities actually supplied and the service period.
- Rail fares to client site, return trips
- Give the dates and the route of each trip and attach the tickets; a return fare counts as one line per journey.
- Hotel, two nights (receipts attached)
- Bill hotels at the amount on the receipt, less anything the client’s travel policy excludes, such as minibar charges.
- Mileage at the agreed rate per km
- Write the kilometres driven and the agreed rate per km; the route and the date let the client check the distance.
- Assignment and inputs
- Identify the subject, source versions, and the inputs the client will supply with their due dates.
- Time and completion basis
- State the hourly or fixed-fee basis, meeting allowance, output format and review rounds.
- Scope to agree
- List each cost with its date and receipt, say whether it is passed on at cost or with an agreed handling fee, and keep it off the invoice for your fees.
Before sending
- Does “Rail fares to client site, return trips” show the quantity actually supplied, not the quantity first quoted?
- Is “Hotel, two nights (receipts attached)” charged at the rate the customer agreed to, with any change approved?
- Is “Mileage at the agreed rate per km” finished and accepted, or does it belong on a later invoice?
Show 3 more
- Check whether meeting preparation and follow-up revisions are included in the fee.
- Name the person who can approve additional research or a change in scope.
- Match completed work to the order or approval record, and confirm the payment due date and amounts already received.
Worked example with sample figures
The figures below are invented to show how the template adds up: 3 lines in USD, with an example tax rate of 8%.
| Item | Quantity × unit price | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Rail fares to client site, return trips | 3 × $96.00 | $288.00 |
| Hotel, two nights (receipts attached) | 2 × $140.00 | $280.00 |
| Mileage at the agreed rate per km | 240 × $0.42 | $100.80 |
| Subtotal | $668.80 | |
| Sales tax (8%) | $53.50 | |
| Total | $722.30 | |
Net amount $668.80, sales tax $53.50, total payable $722.30.
What the document must show
The details an invoice has to show, and why each one matters, are set out in the guide below.
The sales tax depends on where the work is supplied, so set the rate that applies to your customer before sending.
Official rate reference: US government: state and local taxes
Full requirements: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example
Frequently asked questions
Do I add tax to expenses I re-invoice?
It depends on whether the cost is a disbursement paid purely as the client’s agent, which in many systems passes through without tax, or a cost of your own service, which follows the tax of your fee. The distinction is technical; ask your adviser before you set the rate.
Can I put expenses on the same invoice as my fees?
You can, but a separate invoice is easier for clients who approve expenses against a travel budget or a policy, and it keeps a disputed hotel bill from holding up payment of your fee.
How is the sales tax worked out on this invoice?
The worked example above uses an example rate of 8%: $53.50 on a net amount of $668.80, for a total of $722.30. The editor recalculates all three when you change a quantity, a price or the country.
Can I download it as Excel, Word or PDF?
Yes. A PDF needs no account: fill in the template and use Print / PDF. The Excel and Word files download from this page with a free account, and the spreadsheet keeps its formulas, so changing a quantity updates the tax and the total.
Can I use it in another language or currency?
Yes. The document language can be set to any of 33 languages, and changing the country setting updates the currency, the date format and the tax rate.
Read next
Reading for the Expense reimbursement invoice template: How to write an invoice: a step-by-step example and Credit note vs invoice (and credit memo): how to issue one. The VAT and GST calculator works out the tax line for you. To gather the receipts, mileage and advances first, open the Expense Claim / Report form.