Free Expense Report Template

What a completed expense report looks like

Here is the filled-in example that ships on the second tab of the template. It shows a short business trip: a few travel and meal expenses, one software charge, and a mileage line. Every row names the date, the category, the merchant, a short description, how it was paid, and the amount.

Keep one currency per report so the total means something. If a trip mixed currencies, convert each line to your reporting currency before you add it, or run a separate report per currency.

What is in the expense report template

The blank template has two parts: a short header for the person and the period, and the expense table itself.

• Who and when. Name, department, manager, the period the report covers, and the business purpose. This is what an approver looks at first.
• The expense table. One row per expense, with columns for date, category, merchant or vendor, description, payment method, and amount.
• The totals. A subtotal that adds up every amount, a line for any advance or company-card spend already covered, and the total reimbursable amount owed back to the person.
• Sign-off. Space for the employee and the approver, since most finance teams need a name against the numbers.

The Excel version does the arithmetic for you: the subtotal and the total reimbursable are live formulas, so the figure updates as you type. The CSV is a plain version of the same layout for Google Sheets, Numbers, or any tool that imports a spreadsheet.

How to fill out an expense report

1. Add your details. Fill in your name, the period, and the business purpose at the top.
2. List each expense on its own row. Work from your receipts. Put the date, pick a category, name the merchant, and add a one-line description of what it was for.
3. Record how you paid. Note whether it went on a personal card, a company card, or is a mileage or per diem line. This tells the approver what actually needs reimbursing.
4. Enter the amount. Keep every amount in the same currency.
5. Check the total. In the Excel file the total updates itself. In the CSV, sum the amount column.
6. Attach the receipts. Most employers and accountants want the receipt behind each line, and HMRC expects you to keep the records behind your business expenses. Keep the images with the report. HMRC's guidance on business records if you're self-employed sets out how long to hold them.

A template does not decide what is tax deductible or guarantee an expense is approved. Whether a cost is reimbursable or deductible depends on your employer's policy and your accountant, not on the form.

Expense report template vs. automated reports

A blank template is fine for an occasional report. If you file one every month, or you are chasing a team for receipts, retyping a spreadsheet gets old fast. SparkReceipt captures the receipts as they happen and builds the report for you.