Employee expense management
HR Glossary
Employee expense management
In certain cases, employees can claim repayment for expenses incurred by their employment. To claim an expense, there are generally a few requirements. Firstly, the employee has to have paid for the expense themselves. They also need to have documentation, such as a receipt, to prove it. Finally, the expense has to be directly related to their employment. Employees can claim various different expenses based on the award that they’re covered by, including:
- Vehicle and travelling costs including flights and accommodation
- Clothing, dry-cleaning and laundry costs
- Donations and gifts
- Home office requirements
- Equipment and tools
- Required education costs
- Computers, printers, scanners and other devices
- Software required to download
- The portion of your phone bill used for work calls
- The portion of your internet used for work
For example, if you had to purchase a new truck to make deliveries for your employer, you may be entitled to monthly payments to compensate. Employee expenses vary by industry, but the chances are that your business still needs to approve payment of at least a few employee expenses. You will also want to keep detailed records of these expense claims for audits or tax purposes.
The best way to handle employee expense reimbursement is to choose a HR software that features expense management tools. Outdated paper systems of expense management are clunky and timewasting, and are susceptible to handling errors. Roubler features an integrated expense management tool. Employees simply submit their claim on the app, cutting out processing errors and double handling. The manager is then sent a notification of the claim, and they review and approve in minutes online. For example, if you’re a property valuer, you can claim back the amount you spent on petrol driving to the properties you need to inspect. Using Roubler, you simply upload the expense amount and attach the proof (a receipt from the gas station and images of your kilometres driven). A manager can see and approve the expense in real time – it’s that simple.