How to write an expense reimbursement form

Published 17 October 2026 · Hiring and HR letters

An expense reimbursement form is a small document that prevents two common problems: employees waiting weeks to be paid back, and finance teams unable to explain what was spent. Clear fields and a receipt rule solve most of it.

What the form should ask for

Who is claiming. Name, role, department and employee or contractor reference.
What it was for. A short business purpose for each line, not just "travel".
When. The date of the expense, and the period the claim covers.
Category. Travel, accommodation, meals, mileage, supplies, client entertainment, training or other.
Amount and currency. The amount paid, the currency, and the exchange rate if the card or bank converted it.
Receipt. A receipt number or attachment reference for every line above the policy threshold.
Approval. The manager or budget holder, the date approved, and any project or cost centre to charge.
Payment. Bank details or payroll reference, and the date paid by finance.

A simple table

Date	Description	Category	Amount	Receipt
12 Oct	Train to client meeting, London	Travel	£84.50	R-1042
12 Oct	Lunch with client, two people	Meals	£46.00	R-1043
13 Oct	Mileage, 62 miles at 45p	Mileage	£27.90	Logbook

Policy points to settle before the form is used

Deadline. Claims within 30 or 60 days of the expense, with a rule for late claims.
Receipt threshold. Receipts for everything above a small amount; a card statement alone is rarely enough.
Approval limits. Who can approve what, and what happens if the approver is the claimant.
Mileage rate. A fixed rate per mile or kilometre, and whether it covers fuel, insurance and wear.
Per diem or actual cost. If you use a per diem, say which meals it covers and whether receipts are still needed.
Non-reimbursable items. Alcohol, fines, personal upgrades, commuting and anything without a business purpose.
Tax treatment. Some reimbursements are tax-free only if they follow the local rules and are supported by receipts. Keep the records.

Common mistakes

No business purpose. "Client meeting" is better than "lunch", and "lunch with Acme's procurement lead to discuss the renewal" is better still.
Missing receipts. A form that accepts estimates invites disputes with finance and tax authorities.
Mixing currencies without a rate. Record the rate and the source date.
Paying before approval. It is much harder to recover an expense that should not have been reimbursed.

Keep the process simple

One form per claim, one line per expense, receipts attached in the same order, and a named approver. Finance should be able to check the arithmetic and the policy without asking the employee for missing information. If claims are frequent, a shared spreadsheet with the same columns is fine, as long as the approval and receipt trail is kept.

The free expense reimbursement form template has the table, approval and payment fields in a printable Word file. For money a business pays out and later rebills to a client, use the invoice template; for a payment the business receives, the payment receipt guide explains the record to keep.

General information, not tax or legal advice. Reimbursement and tax rules differ by country.

Questions

Do employees need receipts for every expense?

Most policies require receipts above a small threshold, and tax authorities often do too. A card statement shows the amount but not what was bought, so it is usually not enough on its own.

Is expense reimbursement taxable?

In many places a reimbursement of a genuine business expense, supported by receipts and paid under a written policy, is not taxable income. Flat allowances and per diems can be treated differently, so check the local rules.

How long should an employer keep expense records?

Follow the tax and employment record retention period in your country, which is often six or seven years. Keep the form, receipts and approval together.

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