Australian Expense Report Template
A free Australian expense report template to itemise business expenses and total a reimbursement claim.
- Accounting standard
- AASB (Australian Accounting Standards)
- Financial year
- Financial year commonly 1 July – 30 June (some entities use a different balance date)
- Currency
- AUD (A$)
- Filed with
- ASIC (Form 388)
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Travel | A$340 |
| Accommodation | A$480 |
| Meals and entertainment | A$130 |
| Local transport | A$65 |
| Office supplies | A$90 |
| Other | A$45 |
| Total to reimburse | A$1,150 |
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How to Fill In an Expense Report Template
An expense report itemises the out-of-pocket costs an employee or business owner has incurred on behalf of the business — think travel, accommodation and meals — so they can be reimbursed and properly recorded for tax purposes. It is a smaller, more frequent document than the annual statements on this page, but just as important for keeping accurate books and supporting GST credits and deductions with the ATO.
This template lists common expense categories with a running total, so anyone submitting a claim can add amounts as they occur and arrive at a single reimbursement figure supported by tax invoices.
What is an expense report?
An expense report is a record of business expenses incurred by an individual, itemised by category, and totalled to determine the amount owed as reimbursement, typically supported by receipts or tax invoices.
What to include
- Travel — cost of flights, train or other transport booked for business purposes.
- Accommodation — hotel or other lodging costs incurred while travelling for work.
- Meals and entertainment — cost of meals and any client entertainment during business activity.
- Local transport — taxis, rideshare, parking or public transport costs at the destination.
- Office supplies — small purchases of stationery or consumables needed for work.
- Other — any remaining business expense not covered by the categories above.
- Total to reimburse — the sum of all categories, automatically calculated as the amount owed to the claimant.
Step-by-step guide
- Add each expense under the relevant category — travel, accommodation, meals and entertainment, local transport, office supplies or other — as it is incurred.
- Record the date of each expense alongside the amount, so the claim can be matched to supporting documents.
- Let the template total the claim automatically once all categories have been entered.
- Attach tax invoices for each expense, since the ATO generally requires a valid tax invoice to support a GST credit or deduction claim.
- Note the business purpose of any meals, entertainment or travel, particularly where fringe benefits tax considerations might apply to entertainment expenses.
- Submit the completed report with attached tax invoices to your manager or finance team for approval.
- Keep a copy of the report and receipts for your own records in line with the ATO’s record-keeping requirements.
- Once approved, process reimbursement and file the report with the relevant accounting period’s records.
Australia-specific rules
An expense report itself is not a statutory financial statement and has no AASB format requirement, but the tax invoices behind it matter: the ATO generally requires a valid tax invoice for purchases over the relevant threshold to support a GST credit claim, and adequate records must be kept to substantiate any deduction.
Entertainment-related expenses can also attract fringe benefits tax (FBT) considerations for the employer, so it is worth flagging meals and entertainment separately on the report (as this template does) rather than folding them into general costs.