Creating expenses

Learn how to create and manage expenses efficiently using OCR receipt scanning or manual entry.

Create an expense

Eloope offers two methods for creating expenses, each suited to different situations and preferences.

Method 1: OCR scanning (recommended). This is the fastest and most accurate way to create expenses when you have a receipt image. Click the "+ New Expense" button anywhere in Eloope to open the expense creation dialog. Switch to the "Scan Receipt" tab at the top of the form. Upload your receipt image by clicking the upload area, dragging and dropping the image, or pasting from your clipboard. Wait approximately 3 seconds while Eloope's OCR technology processes the receipt and extracts key information automatically. Review the extracted data including merchant name, amount, date, and category to ensure accuracy. Select your payment method from the dropdown and make any necessary adjustments to the auto-filled fields. Click "Save" to create the expense. This method typically takes 20-40 seconds from start to finish and achieves 90-95% accuracy on standard printed receipts.

Method 2: Manual entry. When you don't have a receipt image available or prefer to enter information manually, this method gives you full control. Click "+ New Expense" and stay on the default "Manual Entry" tab. Fill in all required fields including merchant name, expense amount, expense date, category, and payment method. Add optional details such as a detailed description, project code, internal notes, cost center, billable status, or attendee information if your company tracks these fields. Upload receipt images if you have them and they're required by your expense policy. Click "Save" to create the expense. Manual entry typically takes 30-60 seconds depending on how much detail you include.

Required fields

Every expense must include five essential pieces of information before it can be saved.

Merchant. Enter the name of the business or vendor where you spent money. This should be the specific location if it's a chain—for example, "Starbucks Downtown" rather than just "Starbucks." The merchant name helps categorize expenses and makes it easier for approvers to verify receipts match the stated merchant.

Amount. Enter the total cost of the expense in numbers. Use decimal notation for cents—for example, 45.67 for forty-five dollars and sixty-seven cents. Do not include currency symbols, as the currency is selected separately. The amount should match exactly what appears on your receipt.

Date. Select the date when the expense actually occurred, not the date you're entering it into the system. This date should match the transaction date on your receipt. Accurate dating is important for financial reporting and ensuring expenses are charged to the correct fiscal period.

Category. Select the appropriate expense type from the dropdown menu. Common categories include Meals, Travel, Accommodation, Transportation, Office Supplies, and Client Entertainment. Your organization may have custom categories specific to your business. Proper categorization is essential for budget tracking and financial reporting, so choose the most specific category that applies.

Payment Method. Indicate how you paid for the expense by selecting Personal Card, Company Card, Cash, or another payment method your organization has configured. This field determines whether you'll be reimbursed for the expense and how it should be accounted for in financial systems.

Optional fields

While not required, these additional fields provide valuable context and help with organization, reporting, and billing.

Description. Use this field to add additional context about the expense beyond just the merchant name. A good description explains the business purpose—for example, "Team lunch meeting to discuss Q4 product roadmap" or "Taxi from airport to client office for contract signing meeting." Detailed descriptions help approvers understand the business justification and create better audit trails.

Notes. This internal comments field is visible only within Eloope and won't appear on exported reports. Use it for reminders to yourself or explanations for unusual circumstances, such as "Receipt was damaged but confirmed with finance team" or "Split meal with Sarah, reimbursing her $28."

Project. If your organization tracks expenses by project, select the relevant project code from the dropdown. This enables project-based financial reporting and ensures expenses are allocated to the correct project budgets.

Cost Center. Select the department or cost center that should be charged for this expense. In many organizations, this defaults to your home department but can be changed if you're traveling or working with another team.

Billable. Toggle this flag on if the expense should be billed to a client and is eligible for reimbursement from an external party. This helps finance teams identify which expenses to include in client invoices.

Attendees. For meal and entertainment expenses, list who attended the business meal or event. Many companies require this information for tax compliance, especially for expenses above certain thresholds. Include both internal employees and external guests.

Receipt management

Eloope handles various receipt formats and provides flexible upload options to make receipt capture as easy as possible.

Supported formats. You can upload receipts in JPG, PNG, or PDF format. Each file can be up to 10MB in size, and you can attach up to 5 files per expense. This flexibility accommodates everything from phone photos to scanned documents to email receipts saved as PDFs.

Upload methods. On desktop computers, you can browse for files using the file picker, drag and drop files directly onto the upload area, or paste images from your clipboard using Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac—particularly useful for screenshots. On mobile devices, you can take a photo directly within the Eloope app, select images from your photo library, or choose files from your cloud storage.

Best practices. To ensure your receipts are processed correctly and remain legible for approval and audit purposes, follow these guidelines. Take photos of receipts immediately after making a purchase, before receipts fade or get damaged. Ensure receipts are laid flat and photographed in good lighting so all text is readable. Capture the entire receipt from top to bottom, including merchant header and footer information. Upload receipts within 24 hours of the purchase while details are fresh and you're less likely to lose the physical receipt.

OCR accuracy

Understanding OCR accuracy helps you know when to double-check extracted data and when you can trust it completely.

Highly accurate for. OCR performs exceptionally well with standard printed receipts, achieving 90-95% accuracy rates. Clear, well-lit photos where all text is easily readable produce the best results. Standard receipt formats from major retailers and restaurants that follow predictable layouts are processed most accurately.

Less accurate for. Handwritten receipts present challenges for OCR technology and typically achieve only 60-70% accuracy, requiring more manual verification. Faded thermal receipts, common from gas stations and ATMs, often have poor text contrast that reduces OCR accuracy. Low-light photos with shadows or glare create reading difficulties for the OCR engine.

Important reminder. Always verify OCR results before saving your expense, paying special attention to the amount and date fields. While OCR is highly accurate for most receipts, it's not perfect, and a quick review catches any errors before they cause problems during the approval process.

Edit expenses

Your ability to edit expenses depends on the expense's current status in the approval workflow.

Draft expenses (not yet added to a report) can be edited freely. Navigate to the Expenses page from the sidebar. Click on the expense you want to modify to open its details. Click the "Edit" button, which appears at the top right. Modify any fields you need to change—all fields are editable for draft expenses. Click "Save Changes" to update the expense.

Reported expenses (included in a draft report that hasn't been submitted yet) can still be edited. The process is the same as editing draft expenses. Keep in mind that changes to expense amounts or categories may affect your report total, so you may need to review your report after making edits.

Submitted or approved expenses cannot be edited because the report containing them is locked for approval or has already been approved. If you need to change a submitted expense, you must contact your approver and ask them to recall or reject the report, which will return it to draft status and allow you to make edits.

Delete expenses

Deletion rules also depend on the expense's status in your workflow.

Draft expense. To delete an expense that hasn't been added to any report, click the three-dot "..." menu icon on the expense card or detail page. Select "Delete" from the menu. Confirm the deletion when prompted. The expense is permanently removed from the system.

Remove from report. If an expense has been added to a report but you want to take it out, click the "..." menu and select "Remove from Report." This action doesn't delete the expense—it just removes it from the report and returns it to draft status, where you can add it to a different report or leave it unreported.

Submitted or approved expenses. You cannot delete expenses that are part of submitted or approved reports. If an expense was submitted in error, contact your manager or finance team to determine the appropriate corrective action.

Expense status

Expenses progress through several status stages as they move through your organization's expense management workflow.

Draft status means the expense has been created but hasn't been added to any report yet. These are individual expenses sitting in your expense list waiting to be organized into a report for submission.

Unreported is essentially the same as draft—some organizations use this term to emphasize that the expense exists but hasn't been included in a report yet.

Reported indicates the expense has been added to a report that has been submitted for approval. At this stage, the expense is locked and awaits manager review.

*Approved* means the report containing this expense has been approved by your manager or through all required approval levels. The expense is now authorized for reimbursement and is being processed by finance.

Paid status confirms that the reimbursement money has been sent to your bank account or payment method on file. This is the final status for most expenses.

*Rejected* means the report containing this expense was returned by an approver for corrections. You'll need to review rejection comments, make necessary changes, and resubmit the report.

Advanced features

Eloope supports specialized expense types and advanced features for complex expense scenarios.

Multi-currency expenses. When you incur expenses in a foreign currency during international travel, Eloope handles the conversion automatically. Select the foreign currency from the currency dropdown menu at the top of the expense form. Enter the expense amount in the foreign currency exactly as it appears on your receipt. The system automatically converts the amount to your company's base currency using the exchange rate from the transaction date. Both the original amount in foreign currency and the converted amount are displayed and stored for full transparency and audit purposes.

Mileage tracking. For distance-based expenses where you use your personal vehicle for business purposes, Eloope calculates reimbursement automatically. Select the category "Mileage" or "Transportation - Mileage" depending on how your organization names this category. Instead of entering a monetary amount, enter the distance traveled in miles or kilometers according to your company's configuration. The system automatically calculates your reimbursement amount using your company's configured mileage rate, which is typically based on IRS standard rates or company policy. The calculated reimbursement appears as the expense amount.

Split expenses. When multiple team members share an expense and need to settle costs among themselves, enable the split expense feature. Click or toggle the "Split Expense" option in the expense creation form. Select participants from your organization's user list, choosing everyone who shared in the expense. Choose your split type: equal split divides the total evenly among all participants, custom amounts lets you specify exactly what each person owes, or percentage split allows you to define what percentage each person should pay. As participants settle their portions, you can track settlement status directly within the expense details to know who has paid and who still owes money.

Related articles

• Quick Start for Employees
• Submitting Reports
• Multi-Currency Expenses
• Mileage Tracking Guide
• Split Expenses