Managing Expenses

Track business expenses, receipts, and reimbursements. Keep accurate records for accounting and tax purposes.

Overview

The Expenses feature allows you to:

• Record business expenses
• Attach receipts and documentation
• Categorize expenses
• Track expense status (Pending, Approved, Reimbursed)
• Link expenses to clients or projects
• Export expense reports

Creating an Expense

1. Navigate to Expenses in the sidebar
2. Click Add Expense
3. Fill in expense details:
   • Description (required): What the expense is for
   • Amount (required): Expense amount
   • Date (required): Date expense was incurred
   • Category (optional): Expense category
   • Vendor/Supplier (optional): Who you paid
   • Client (optional): Link to client if billable
   • Project (optional): Link to project
   • Receipt (optional): Upload receipt image
   • Notes (optional): Additional details
4. Click Save

Expense Categories

Common categories include:

• Travel
• Meals & Entertainment
• Office Supplies
• Software Subscriptions
• Professional Services
• Utilities
• Marketing
• Other

You can use any category name that fits your business needs.

Expense Status

Pending

• Expense is recorded but not yet approved
• Default status for new expenses
• Can be edited or deleted

Approved

• Expense has been reviewed and approved
• Ready for reimbursement
• Can be linked to invoices if billable

Reimbursed

• Expense has been paid/reimbursed
• Final status
• Cannot be edited

Linking Expenses

To Clients

Link expenses to clients for:

• Billable expenses
• Client-specific costs
• Expense tracking per client

1. When creating/editing expense
2. Select Client from dropdown
3. Expense appears in client's expense history

To Projects

Link expenses to projects for:

• Project cost tracking
• Budget management
• Project profitability analysis

1. When creating/editing expense
2. Select Project from dropdown
3. Expense appears in project expenses

Receipt Management

Uploading Receipts

1. When creating/editing expense
2. Click Upload Receipt
3. Select image file (JPG, PNG, PDF)
4. Receipt is attached to expense

Viewing Receipts

1. Open expense details
2. Click on receipt thumbnail
3. View full-size receipt image

Best Practices

• Upload receipts immediately after expense
• Use clear, readable images
• Keep receipts for tax purposes
• Organize by date or category

Billable Expenses

Marking as Billable

1. Link expense to a client
2. Expense can be included in invoices
3. Mark expense as billable when creating invoice

Including in Invoices

1. Create or edit invoice
2. Add expense as line item
3. Expense amount is included in invoice total
4. Expense status can be updated to "Reimbursed"

Expense Reports

Viewing Expenses

The Expenses page shows:

• All expenses in a table
• Searchable by description, vendor, or amount
• Filterable by status, category, or date range
• Sortable by date, amount, or status

Exporting Expenses

1. Navigate to Expenses
2. Use search/filters to narrow results
3. Click Export button
4. Download CSV file with expense data

Reports

View expense analytics in:

• Reports → Revenue Analytics: See expense trends
• Dashboard: View recent expenses

Managing Expenses

Editing Expenses

1. Find the expense
2. Click Edit button
3. Update any fields
4. Click Save

Note: Cannot edit expenses with "Reimbursed" status.

Deleting Expenses

1. Find the expense
2. Click Delete button
3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deleted expenses cannot be recovered.

Approving Expenses

1. Find pending expense
2. Review details and receipt
3. Update status to "Approved"
4. Expense is ready for reimbursement

Best Practices

• Record promptly: Enter expenses as soon as they occur
• Attach receipts: Always upload receipts for documentation
• Use categories: Categorize expenses for better reporting
• Link appropriately: Link expenses to clients/projects when relevant
• Review regularly: Periodically review and approve expenses
• Keep records: Maintain expense records for accounting and taxes

Tax Considerations

• Track all business expenses for tax deductions
• Maintain receipts for audit purposes
• Categorize expenses for tax reporting
• Export expense reports for accounting software

Next Steps

• Managing Invoices - Include expenses in invoices
• Managing Projects - Track project expenses
• Reports - View expense analytics