Free Expense Report Template

Last updated: October 2026



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Expense journal
Expense Report
EmployeeDaniel Whitfield
DepartmentField Services
Claim period28 Sep – 4 Oct 2026
Submitted6 Oct 2026
Date Category Description Amount
28 Sep 2026 Travel Train: London to Manchester, return 1£86.50
29 Sep 2026 Accommodation Hotel: 2 nights, Manchester 1£240.00
30 Sep 2026 Meals Client dinner, Piccadilly 1£74.20
2 Oct 2026 Office Printer cartridges 1£39.99
4 Oct 2026 Travel Taxi fares, site visits 1£52.30
20 Sep 2026 Advance Less: cash advance received 1£300.00
Amount due to employee£192.99
I confirm these expenses were incurred wholly for business purposes, and that receipts are attached for every line above.
Claimant signature
Date
Approved by

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What is this template for?

This free expense report template is for logging business spending and claiming it back: travel, accommodation, meals, office costs and anything else you paid for out of pocket while working. Dates, categories and amounts sit in a clear journal layout, with a cash-advance line and an automatic amount-due total.

Who should use it?

Employees submitting expenses to an employer, freelancers tracking deductible costs, and contractors logging project spend. If you need to bill a client rather than claim from an employer, use the freelancer invoice template instead, and keep your receipts with every claim.

What is inside the template?

Employee and claim-period details, a journal table (date, category, description, amount) with editable category labels, a “Less: cash advance” deduction line, the automatic amount-due total, and a declaration with signature and approval lines.

Frequently asked questions

What counts as a business expense?

Costs you incur wholly and exclusively for work: travel and accommodation, meals while travelling on business, office supplies, and client costs that your employer’s policy allows. If a cost is partly personal, only the business part is claimable.

What is the cash advance line for?

If your employer gave you money upfront for the trip or project, enter it on the cash-advance line. The template subtracts it automatically, so the total shows exactly what you are still owed.

What receipts should I attach?

Keep itemised receipts for every line on the report. Most employers require a receipt above a set threshold, and HMRC expects you to keep records for six years, so attach everything as a habit.

Can freelancers use this for tax deductions?

Yes. The same layout works for tracking allowable expenses for your tax return: categories make it easy to total up travel, office and other costs at year end. Check with your accountant that each cost qualifies.

How do the downloads work?

Edit the preview first, then choose PDF, Word or Excel. PDF uses your browser’s print dialog (choose Save as PDF). Word and Excel download instantly as .doc and .xls files. Everything happens on your device: nothing is uploaded anywhere.

Want to customise this further? Open it in the free invoice generator, add your logo, save clients and download a polished PDF.

Reviewed by

Arham Arshad, founder of LancerBill, checked this template and its downloads in October 2026.