If you have employees, expense reporting is an important part of your accounting process. Expense reports allow flexibility and make it easier for employees to do their jobs. To save your business time and money, create an expenditure report policy.

What is an expense report?

费用报告是用来跟踪采购employees make for your business. Once the employee makes the purchase, they should fill out abusiness expensereport and submit it to you. Common business costs on an expense report include:

• 旅行开支
• Supplies and tools
• Entertainment and meals for clients

员工不负责自付费用。当员工进行商业购买时，例如与业务相关的travel and entertainment, pay a reimbursement or give an advance.

通过报销，员工使用他们的钱进行购买，然后您还清。有了预付款，您就会给员工钱。然后，他们进行购买。从费用报告中的购买金额中减去预付款。

Purchases made on expense reports are business expenses, not a part of payroll.Are reimbursed expenses taxable? You do not withhold or pay employment taxes on an employee reimbursement. You pay the amount of the reimbursement to the employee and record it as a business expense in youraccounting books.

There is no standard way to fill out a business expense report. You can customize the report to fit your business’s needs. But, you should include the following information for accurate small business expense tracking and reimbursements:

• Date the purchase was made
• Nature of expense (the items that were bought)
• Amount of the purchase
• Itemized expenses (how much individual items cost)
• Subtraction of advances
• 补偿总额

You can provide a form or template for employees to submit. Employees might fill out an expense summary on paper or online.

Expense report template

Using a standard form makes reimbursements easier for you and your employees. Try this expense report example for your small business.

Setting up an expense report policy

To stay accurate and compliant, create a business expense report policy. Employees should follow procedures in the policy when requesting reimbursements. The policy should include the following information:

• Expense guidelines
• Time frame
• Pre-approval
• 支持文件

Make reimbursements easy for employees and yourself. A complicated system wastes time and depletes productivity at your business. Avoid headaches and errors with a simple, streamlined expense reporting process. Include the following sections in your policy.

Expense guidelines

Expense guidelines map out what purchases you will and will not reimburse. And, it explains the situations where an employee reimbursement is necessary.

The expense guidelines section gives a clear picture of what qualifies for reimbursement. For example, you might require employees to choose the cheapest travel option. Or, you could say you will not reimburse employees for alcoholic beverages.

You don’t need to list out every item that employees can and cannot get reimbursed for. But, you should include major limitations and details about what you’re willing to repay.

Time frame

The time frame shows how soon employees need to submit expense reports. And, it explains how soon you will reimburse employees after they submit reports.

For an effective reimbursement process, keep expense reporting moving. The faster you receive the reports, the healthier your小型企业现金流. And, employees want to be reimbursed quickly. Include reasonable timelines in your policy to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Pre-approval

For large expenses, have employees request your approval before they purchase items. That way, you can monitor reimbursements and make sure employees don’t overspend. For example, you might want to approve the amount of a plane ticket since they are generally expensive. Have employees attach approvals to their expense reports.

支持文件

对于成功的费用报告系统，良好的记录是关键。员工应继续支持购买文件，例如business receipts和发票。让他们在收据上写笔记，例如他们的名字和费用或工作号码的原因。当员工提交支出报告时，他们应将支持文件附上。

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