Expense Report Builder

Build a report from your receipts

Replace the fictional entries with your own. Use Entries to record the date, merchant, category, business purpose and payer. Add expenses, refunds, dated business mileage or an allowance under your own per diem policy. Report details holds the claimant, company, reporting period, approver, currency, receipt references and advance. Review & export shows every entry beside its calculated amount.

Company-paid costs stay in the cost record but do not become another payment to the claimant. A refund reduces its category. Pending and declined entries stay visible; only approved employee-paid entries marked for reimbursement enter the approved balance. A partial approval can be entered in the report’s currency. A blank approved amount uses the full entry amount when its status is Approved.

Keep the report and supporting records together

Use the source receipt’s own reference in the matching entry. The report keeps the reference rather than uploading a private receipt. Preserve the original documents and give the reviewer access through your normal business process. A missing reference remains visible in the report review.

For mixed currencies, enter the original currency and the reporting-currency amount received for one original unit, together with the exchange-rate source and date. A change of currency label does not fetch a rate. Enter extra sales tax only if it is not already included in the amount; the tool records cash costs and does not decide a tax deduction.

Save, restore and hand off your report

The worksheet saves on this device. Download an editable draft before switching devices or clearing browser storage. You can restore that draft or import a CSV previously exported by this tool. Imported entries replace the existing worksheet after confirmation, and all rows must use the same report details and reporting currency.

The Excel file includes the report details, totals and complete line data. CSV preserves the input fields and calculated amounts for a spreadsheet; it does not preserve a spreadsheet formula model. Print or save PDF produces the itemized handoff with claimant and approver sign-off space. Clear the saved entries when you finish on a shared device.

Method and recordkeeping

Amounts are rounded to cents per entry. The approved balance is approved, requested employee-paid costs and refunds after the entered advance. Company-paid and unrequested items remain separate. All tax, exchange and allowance amounts are entered by you. An allowance and an actual meal or lodging claim for the same date, category and trip are flagged together so you can retain the appropriate request.

Business mileage uses the IRS schedule in effect on the trip date, checked 28 October 2026. The history covers 2011–2026 and includes every split period in that IRS table. IRS benchmark mileage is in USD; use a converted cash entry for a report in another currency. Keep eligible parking and tolls as separate expense entries. The mileage calculator provides a detailed trip worksheet.

The amount, time, place and business purpose of travel belong in the supporting record, as described in IRS Publication 463. Your business decides what qualifies and who approves it. Neither an entered approval label nor a printed signature line provides an electronic signature or payment authorization.

For the blank and worked downloadable forms, open the expense report template. For cost benchmarks and original survey findings, see the business expense statistics.

Rates will be reviewed before January 2027 and at any announced midyear change. Report a calculation or source correction through the contact form, using a fictional example.