We all know how busy life on the road can be but administration tasks are a necessary evil; however keeping track of your receipts needn’t be a headache on your return if you stay on top of them as you go.
There a few ways to do this, ranging from the old-school envelope, to specialised smart phone applications.
- Every time you purchase something ask for a receipt, number them or highlight the date and put them in an envelope. It may help to write more details on the receipt to help identify the expense later on. Some people also document each receipt in a spread sheet and add the details in there.
- If you have a special credit/debit card dedicated to tour expenses, you can refer to the bank statement to track your expenses. When you download your bank statement you can reference your receipts against the transactions and cross check them this way.
- In the digital world we now live, many people are using smart phone technology. The simplest method is to take photos of receipts each time you spend and keep them in a folder or send them on to your finance team straight away.
- File sharing sites (such as Dropbox, Google Drive and OneDrive) can make the process very easy. Smart phone versions of the software often include document scanning options so you can upload directly to file sharing folders. If you rename the file with the expense date and details (eg 7 March - Petrol – Biloela), the reconciliation process is straightforward. This method can save time and hassle of putting the receipt somewhere safe.
- There are also a number of online platforms to keep on top of expenditure. A popular one is Concur. Programs like this can capture transaction data directly from airlines, hotels, restaurants and car companies, automatically creating accurate, detailed expense claim entries. You take a photo, the photo is then uploaded and accounted for on the spot. This method can save time and hassle of putting the receipt somewhere safe. You can also send to mangers, etc for approval or reimbursement.
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