WorkbamiFinance & approvals
Expense report template: free Excel & Word download with example
An expense report is the form an employee fills in to get paid back for business costs they covered themselves: travel, client meals, software, supplies. A good template makes the claim easy to approve and easy to audit.
Below you get a free expense report template in Excel (with automatic totals) and Word, an explanation of every field, a filled-in example, and the receipt and approval rules finance teams actually check.
What is an expense report?
An expense report (also called an expense claim or reimbursement form) lists each business expense with its date, purpose, category, amount and receipt, adds them up, and routes the total to a manager and to finance for approval and payment.
It protects both sides: the employee gets reimbursed quickly, and the company has documented evidence that each cost was ordinary, necessary and business-related, which matters for tax deductions, VAT/sales-tax recovery and audits.
When to use it
- After a business trip: flights, trains, hotels, taxis, mileage and per diem meals.
- When you paid out of pocket for a client lunch, conference ticket, software subscription or office supplies.
- To reconcile a company card statement: each card line needs a purpose and a receipt even if no money is owed back.
- Monthly, for recurring small costs (parking, phone, internet) if your policy allows a monthly claim instead of one per expense.
- Before a cash advance is closed: the report shows what the advance was spent on and what must be returned.
Expense report template: every field explained
The downloadable files contain exactly these fields. Keep the header block on every claim and add one line per receipt.
Claim header
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Employee name | Full name of the person who paid and will be reimbursed. | Jordan Lee |
| Employee ID / department | Payroll ID and team, so finance books the cost to the right cost center. | E-1042 / Sales |
| Report period | First and last date covered by the claim. | Oct 6 – Oct 10, 2026 |
| Business purpose | One sentence: why the costs were incurred (trip, client, project). | Client workshop with Acme Corp, Chicago |
| Project / cost center | Code the costs should be charged to, if your company uses them. | PRJ-2026-117 |
| Payment method | How the costs were paid: personal card, cash, company card. | Personal card |
Expense lines (one per receipt)
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Date on the receipt, not the date you file the claim. | 2026-10-07 |
| Category | Use your chart of accounts names: travel, lodging, meals, mileage, supplies, software. | Lodging |
| Description / vendor | Who you paid and what for; for meals, list attendees and companies. | Hilton Chicago, 2 nights |
| Amount | Total paid including tax and tip, in the currency you paid. | 412.80 |
| Tax (VAT/GST) | Tax shown on the invoice, if your company reclaims it. | 48.10 |
| Receipt no. | Number you write on the receipt or the scan's file name, so lines match receipts. | R-03 |
Totals and approval
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Total claimed | Sum of all lines (the Excel file calculates it). | 1,036.40 |
| Less advances | Any cash advance or per diem already paid. | 300.00 |
| Amount due to employee | Total claimed minus advances. | 736.40 |
| Employee signature & date | Confirms the costs are true and business-related. | Jordan Lee, 2026-10-13 |
| Approver signature & date | Manager who confirms the business purpose. | Priya Shah, 2026-10-14 |
Expense report example (filled in)
A three-day client trip filed in US dollars. Notice that every line has a receipt number and the meal line names the guests.
| Employee | Jordan Lee (E-1042), Sales |
|---|---|
| Period | Oct 6 – Oct 10, 2026 |
| Purpose | Client workshop with Acme Corp, Chicago |
| Cost center | PRJ-2026-117 |
| Advance received | $300.00 |
Expense lines
| Date | Category | Description | Receipt | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-06 | Airfare | Round trip NYC–ORD, economy | R-01 | $386.40 |
| 2026-10-06 | Ground transport | Taxi O'Hare → hotel | R-02 | $52.20 |
| 2026-10-07 | Lodging | Hilton Chicago, 2 nights | R-03 | $412.80 |
| 2026-10-07 | Client meal | Dinner with 2 Acme guests (A. Ruiz, K. Cho) | R-04 | $148.50 |
| 2026-10-08 | Mileage | Rental return detour, 52 mi at policy rate | R-05 | $36.50 |
| Total claimed | $1,036.40 |
Total claimed $1,036.40 − advance $300.00 = $736.40 reimbursed. Mileage uses the company rate, not the actual fuel receipt.
Free download
Free, no sign-up. Opens in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers, Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice.
Open the downloaded file in Nobami, our web office, to edit it right away.
How to fill in an expense report
- Collect every receipt. Photograph paper receipts the same day; keep itemized receipts, not just card slips.
- Fill in the header. Name, department, period, business purpose and cost center, so the approver understands the claim without asking.
- Add one line per receipt. Date, category, vendor and amount exactly as on the receipt; number each receipt to match its line.
- Separate tax and foreign currency. Enter tax separately if your company reclaims it, and note the exchange rate or attach the card statement for foreign charges.
- Check totals and advances. Let the spreadsheet add up the lines, subtract any advance and check that the result matches your receipts.
- Sign and submit for approval. Attach the receipts, sign, and send it to your manager within the deadline in your expense policy (often 30 days).
Tax and record-keeping notes (US, UK and elsewhere)
United States: reimbursements are tax-free to the employee when the company runs an accountable plan, meaning expenses have a business connection, are substantiated within a reasonable time and any excess advance is returned. The IRS expects documentary evidence such as receipts for lodging and for any other expense of $75 or more, and records are usually kept for at least three years after the return is filed.
United Kingdom: HMRC expects companies to keep records, including expense receipts, for six years from the end of the financial year; mileage claimed at or below the approved mileage allowance payment rates is not taxable.
Elsewhere, rules on receipts, per diems and retention differ by country. Check the local versions of this page for Korea, Japan, Germany, France, Spain, Brazil and more.
Sources
- IRS Publication 463, Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses (checked October 29, 2026)
- IRS: How long should I keep records? (checked October 29, 2026)
- GOV.UK: Expenses and benefits for employers (checked October 29, 2026)
General information, not legal or tax advice. Thresholds and rates change; confirm with your accountant or the official source before you rely on them.
Common expense report mistakes
- Submitting a card slip instead of an itemized receipt, especially for meals and hotels.
- Leaving the business purpose blank or vague ("meeting"), which forces the approver to ask.
- Mixing personal items (minibar, a family member's ticket) into a business line.
- Claiming the same receipt twice, once on the card reconciliation and once as out-of-pocket.
- Missing the submission deadline, which can make a reimbursement taxable or simply unpaid.
- Typing totals by hand instead of letting the sheet add them up.
Expense report FAQ
What should an expense report include?
Employee and department, the period and business purpose, one line per expense with date, category, vendor, amount and receipt number, the total, any advance deducted, and the employee's and approver's signatures.
Do I need a receipt for every expense?
Most company policies require one for every line. In the US the IRS requires documentary evidence for lodging and for other expenses of $75 or more, but your company policy can be stricter.
How long do I have to submit an expense report?
It depends on your policy; 30 to 60 days after the expense is common. Under a US accountable plan, substantiation must happen within a reasonable time.
Can I use this expense report template in Google Sheets?
Yes. Upload the .xlsx file to Google Drive and open it with Google Sheets; the total formulas keep working. The Word version opens in Google Docs.
What is the difference between an expense report and an invoice?
An invoice is sent by a supplier to request payment. An expense report is filled in by an employee to be paid back for costs they already paid on the company's behalf.