Canadian Expense Report Generator

Required details and supporting evidence

Record each transaction separately with its date, supplier, description, business purpose, category, amount and currency. Reference the receipt or invoice and distinguish personally paid expenses from corporate-card charges. Travel entries should show destination and dates; vehicle logs should show origin, destination, purpose and kilometres.

A credit-card statement confirms payment but may not contain all information required for an input tax credit. Keep original invoices and electronic records legible and linked to the report.

• Identify report number, period, cost centre and approver.
• Preserve original currency and exchange-rate evidence.
• Exclude personal portions and duplicate reimbursements.
• Reconcile all advances and company-paid costs.

GST/HST input tax credits

A GST/HST registrant can generally recover tax paid or payable on purchases used in commercial activities by claiming an input tax credit. The supplier document must contain the prescribed information for the amount. Provincial tax treatment and restrictions can differ, so select the rate shown by the invoice rather than assuming the default.

Meals, entertainment, passenger vehicles and mixed-use expenses can be limited. The calculator separates recoverable tax for review but does not determine eligibility.

2026 automobile allowance limits

For 2026, the tax-exempt allowance limit in the provinces is 73 cents per kilometre for the first 5,000 business kilometres and 67 cents thereafter. In the territories it is 77 cents for the first 5,000 and 71 cents thereafter. These are federal tax limits for reasonable allowances, not a mandatory reimbursement rate for every employer.

The threshold is annual, so earlier kilometres must be considered. Ordinary commuting is generally personal. Keep a contemporaneous log showing date, destination, purpose and distance.

Create the report

1. Choose the itemized, mileage or per-diem template.
2. Complete organization, claimant and approval fields.
3. Enter one expense for each receipt and verify GST/HST.
4. Add business kilometres and destination-specific allowances.
5. Export PDF for approval and Excel/CSV for accounting.

Retention period

GST/HST records are usually kept for six years from the end of the year to which they relate. Keep invoices containing the information needed to support ITCs and retain records longer when an objection, appeal or other rule applies.