There are many sample expense reports out there, but how do you choose? Try downloading one of these free templates, which allow you, as a small business owner, to create comprehensive reports to detail business and employee expenditures. These sample forms eliminate the need for specialized accounting software, and include a tutorial as well as blank reports for you to fill out.
Simplify Reimbursement with Automated Reports
Reporting and tracking petty cash expenditures is an unavoidable part of doing business, even for the smallest businesses. In order to ensure that all expenditures are legitimate, your accounting department must track funds spent by requiring employees to submit reports to explain all spending. Automating the process improves not only the quality of information received by accounting, but renders the process more painless for employees. This results in a faster processing time, allowing the employee to receive reimbursement for their voucher more easily.
Free Report Templates
The process of downloading this sample expense report template from Microsoft is simple. The template is compatible with Microsoft Excel 2007, or any later version. If you've got MS Excel on your computer, just download the template and keep track of the location of the saved file. Open the file using Excel, and enter all the necessary information to customize it to your business. The template used to create the sample expense report allows your employees to enter information that changes frequently, but prevents them from changing the basic information template.
For example, a free travel expense report template will be organized so that the user can enter information regarding travel expenses such as meals, lodging, and transportation. While the user will be able to enter in details regarding the meal, they will be unable to change the category to something other than meals.
Standardize Business Expense Tracking
Automated reporting for expenses is relatively simple to put into place, and extremely easy to maintain. The sample expense template provided by Microsoft allows businesses to standardize all information received, streamlining the reimbursement process for both employees and the accounting department, especially when reporting business expenses online. Samples of reporting forms also reduce the usage of the designation of "petty cash" for business costs.
Reducing Business Expenses with Free Templates
The process of reporting business-related expenses, and applying for reimbursement, doesn't have to be a complicated one. With a sample template, you can put a standardized process in place for all employees, and you can even keep track of spending patterns to reduce future costs. In business, a little more organization is always a good thing.
Updated: March, 2011
Victoria Nicks - Victoria Nicks has a Master's Degree in IT, and extensive hands-on experience with various types of hardware and software.
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