Free Expense Report Templates in Excel
Create expense reports online with our free generator, or download templates in Excel. Covers basic expenses, project tracking, advance settlement, and mileage reimbursement.
Online Expense Report Generator
Add expenses, categorize them, and print or save as PDF. Tracks totals and advance settlements.
Report Details
Expenses
What's in Each Template
Basic Expense Report
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Reporting period | Start and end dates for the expense period |
| Employee info | Name, manager, department |
| Date | When the expense was incurred |
| Description | What the expense was for |
| Payment method | How the employee paid (cash, credit card, etc.) |
| Vendor name | Who was paid |
| Expense category | Selected from a dropdown list (customizable) |
| Amount | Dollar amount of the expense |
Project Expense Report
Same structure as the basic template plus fields for project name and client name. Use this when you need to track expenses against specific projects for client billing or project cost analysis.
Project Expense Report with Advance
For situations where an employee has received a cash advance. The template calculates the difference between the advance and actual expenses, showing either the amount owed to the employee or the amount to be returned.
Business Mileage Expense Report
Tracks reimbursable travel using personal vehicles. Fields include travel date, starting location, destination, miles driven (auto-calculates reimbursement), vehicle type, and purpose of travel.
Tips for Managing Expense Reports
Set clear submission deadlines
Require expense reports within 30 days of the expense to prevent backlogs.
Define approval workflows
Who approves, what the spending limits are, and when pre-approval is required.
Keep the category list clean
Too many categories create confusion; too few make reporting useless. 10-15 categories is typical.
Track by project
Use the project expense template for billable client work so you can recover costs accurately.
Reconcile monthly
Compare expense report totals against credit card statements and bank records.
Combine with time tracking
Use time tracking alongside expense tracking -- combining hours worked with expenses gives you the true cost of projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about expense report templates.
Yes. Download the Excel file, upload it to Google Drive, and open with Google Sheets. The formulas, dropdowns, and formatting will carry over.
Go to the Expense Category sheet in the workbook and add your new category in column A. Then update the data validation on the expense category column in the main sheet to include the new range.
The project template adds fields for project name and client name, so expenses can be tracked against specific projects. Use the basic template for general company expenses; use the project template for client-billable or project-specific costs.
Best practice is to photograph or scan receipts and attach them as a separate file with the expense report. Some companies use a shared folder where receipts are uploaded and named to match the expense report line item.
The mileage template includes a rate cell (C12) that you should update with the current IRS standard mileage rate. Check the IRS website for the applicable rate, as it changes periodically.
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