SlipGuide
How to fill out an expense report
To fill out an expense report, list every business expense with its date, merchant, category, amount and business purpose, attach the receipt for each one, and submit it before your company's deadline. Missing receipts and vague descriptions cause the most back-and-forth, so keep receipts as you go and write down why each expense was for work.
Check your company's policy
The policy sets what you can claim, spending limits and the deadline.
How to do it: Read it before the trip, not after.
Keep every receipt as you go
A missing receipt can hold up the whole report.
How to do it: Photograph each receipt on the day; thermal paper fades. How to keep receipts from fading
List each expense on its own line
Date, merchant, category, amount and currency for each item.
How to do it: One receipt, one line. Don't combine expenses.
Write the business purpose
Whoever approves the report needs to know why each expense was for work.
How to do it: Be specific: “Lunch with a client to discuss the renewal”, not “Lunch”.
Note the tax and the currency
Some companies need the tax amount, and foreign receipts need a currency.
How to do it: Record the tax shown on the receipt and the currency, and follow your company's rule for exchange rates.
Separate personal items
Personal extras on a work receipt, like a minibar charge, often can't be claimed.
How to do it: Mark them clearly or take them out of the total.
Attach the receipts
Each line should have its receipt image attached.
How to do it: Name the images by date and merchant so they match the lines.
Check the totals and submit on time
Errors and late reports slow down your repayment.
How to do it: Add up each category, compare it with your card statement and submit before the deadline.
Keep receipts in one table
Slip turns each receipt photo into a row with the merchant, date, tax and total, and exports a PDF report with the receipt photos, or CSV and Excel.
How to do it: Start with the free receipt plan and choose expenses you claim back from work. Get my receipt plan
Your receipts, one clean table. Answer six quick questions and see your receipt plan: your columns, your tax rates and a clean month-end export.
Get my receipt planAvailability: Slip is an iPhone app on pre-order. Plans start on launch day, with a full refund any time before launch.
Questions
What should be included in an expense report?
Each expense with its date, merchant, category, amount, tax, currency and business purpose, the receipt for each one, and the total.
What if I lost a receipt?
Check your company's policy. Many accept a missing-receipt form or a card statement instead, and the shop may be able to reprint the receipt.
How often should I submit expense reports?
Follow your company's deadline. Submitting monthly, or after each trip, keeps receipts from piling up.
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Updated October 12, 2026