Expense Report Template: Templates and Setup

Use one report ID for a defined claimant and period. Enter each cost with its business purpose and receipt reference. Keep claimed and approved amounts in separate fields. Total only the approved lines, then subtract the advance already paid. A negative balance means money should return to the business. The report records review; it does not approve itself or determine tax treatment.

Choose the expense report template

The pack includes an Expense Report tab, a Claim Balance tab and editable Word forms. There are also printable PDFs for A4 and Letter paper. Use the spreadsheet when you want the stated totals to calculate. Use Word or paper when the review process needs a simple form with manual totals.

Keep the form's purpose clear. It records a request and the decision on that request. It is not automatically another expense in the business's books. If the original card purchase is already in the cost register, repayment or settlement must not create the same cost a second time.

Preview the report fields

Do not collect bank logins or full card details through an expense form. Payment instructions belong in the business's controlled payment process. A receipt reference is enough to connect this report to private supporting documents.

Enter a report without losing the source trail

Give the report a stable ID, then use that same ID on every included line. A supplier name is not an ID; the same supplier can appear in many reports. Check each cost date against the reporting period and state any exception rather than silently moving the date.

Write the purpose in enough detail for someone outside the trip or purchase to review it. A category such as Travel cannot explain who travelled, where the cost arose or why it relates to the business. Keep the purpose concise and leave sensitive client information out of a shared description when a private reference will do.

Enter the requested amount as claimed. The reviewer enters a separate approved amount and status. If only part is approved, preserve both figures. Overwriting the claim with the approved amount loses the record of what the claimant asked for.

Work the approved total and advance

In the fictional example, two lines receive approval for 80 and 100. The approved total is 180. An advance of 200 has already been paid. The balance is 180 - 200 = -20, which means 20 is to return to the business.

Do not force that result to zero. Zero would imply no balance remains. A negative result is a useful outcome of the calculation, and the payment record should describe how the return was handled. Keep the settlement reference after the payment or return occurs.

The spreadsheet sums approved amounts only for the selected report ID and Approved status. An entered amount with a different status should not count as a completed approval. Review the selected ID and any lines still marked Submitted or Returned before treating a total as final.

Review exceptions before settlement

A missing receipt, unclear purpose or duplicate claim needs a specific action. Return the line for clarification, seek the source or record the business's decision under its policy. The form does not supply an automatic right to reimbursement.

Check for costs paid directly by the business. A company-paid hotel bill may belong in the trip's record but not in the employee's requested repayment. Make that distinction clear so the same cost is not reimbursed twice. Advances also need a reference to the actual earlier payment.

After approval, keep the report and evidence together by ID. Record the payment date and reference in the settlement process. “Approved” and “paid” describe different events; the former should not make the latter appear complete.

Choose a format and protect access

Excel gives you a local workbook. Sheets can hold an imported private copy for an agreed shared review. Word gives you a document that can follow a manual sign-off process. PDF is suited to printing. None of those formats removes the need to decide who may see a claim.

Restrict access to the claimant and intended reviewers. Keep receipts in private storage with matching IDs. Export a final reviewed copy for the period, and retain the live decision record if later corrections occur. A broad public link is not an appropriate way to gather private claims.

FAQ: expense reports

Is a claim the same as a business expense?

A claim requests repayment or records review of a cost. The business may already have recorded that underlying purchase elsewhere. Link the claim to the original event and settlement rather than counting each as a new cost. The correct records depend on who paid and how the business keeps its accounts.

What if an advance exceeds the approval?

Keep the negative result. Approved amounts minus the paid advance show what remains to settle. If 180 is approved against a 200 advance, the balance is minus 20. That means a return of 20, subject to the business's settlement process. Do not hide the difference by clamping the result to zero.

Can I use this for per diem?

Use the separate per-diem tab when the business policy uses an allowance. Record eligible units, the entered policy rate and its source. Do not add an allowance and repayment of actual costs for the same covered item. A public government rate is not a universal entitlement for private employees.

Does the form replace approval software?

It records fields and manual decisions. It does not provide automatic routing, verified signatures or a full approval audit system. A business can use the form in its own review process. If access, routing or audit requirements exceed the file, compare tools based on those specific needs and documented limits.

Sources and checks

Checked 15 October 2026. The examples are fictional and the arithmetic is original.

• IRS records: Business recordkeeping and supporting documents.
• Excel SUMIFS: Official multiple-criteria sum syntax.
• Sheets SUMIFS: Official Sheets multiple-criteria sum syntax.
• IRS books: Publication 583, December 2024 edition, Recordkeeping System section.

Related records and guides

• how to keep track of business expenses
• expense reimbursement form template
• expense report template excel
• expense report template google sheets
• expense report template word
• per diem expense report template
• travel expense report template
• business expense spreadsheet
• business expense tracker

Verdict on the expense report template

Use the expense report template to preserve the request, evidence and decision as distinct records. Check the approved lines and advance before settlement, and keep the payment reference separate from approval.