Free Excel template

Free Excel expense report template

For employees who need to claim back business costs, and for the managers and bookkeepers who check those claims. Enter each expense with its date, category and amount (or miles driven); the template works out the claim, flags lines that are outside the report period, missing a receipt or over the category limit, and nets off any cash advance.

cellwise-employee-expense-report-template.xlsxExcel workbook · 5.9 KB · works in Excel, Google Sheets, Numbers and LibreOffice · no signup

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Preview and try it

This is the template's sheet, calculated by the same engine as the Cellwise app. Change any number to see the formulas react before you download.

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
1	Employee expense report
2	Employee	Priya Shah		Mileage rate per mile			0.7
3	Department	Sales		Receipt required over			25
4	Approver	Dan Whitaker		Cash advance received			300
5	Period start	Oct 1, 2026		Report total			1439.14
6	Period end	Oct 31, 2026		Balance			1139.14	Company owes employee
7
8
9	Date	Category	Description	Receipt?	Miles	Amount paid	Claim	Policy check
10	Sep 28, 2026	Mileage	Client visit, Aurora Plastics (round trip)	n/a	86		60.2	Outside period
11	Oct 6, 2026	Airfare	Round trip to Denver, trade show	Yes		412.8	412.8	OK
12	Oct 6, 2026	Lodging	Hotel, night 1	Yes		219	219	OK
13	Oct 7, 2026	Lodging	Hotel, night 2	Yes		219	219	OK
14	Oct 7, 2026	Meals	Dinner with Lakeside Foods buyer (2 people)	Yes		92.4	92.4	Over limit
15	Oct 8, 2026	Meals	Lunch at trade show	No		18.75	18.75	OK
16	Oct 8, 2026	Taxi/rideshare	Airport to hotel and back	No		48.2	48.2	Receipt needed
17	Oct 8, 2026	Parking	Airport parking, 3 days	Yes		66	66	OK
18	Oct 14, 2026	Mileage	Client visits, Elgin and Naperville	n/a	142		99.4	OK
19	Oct 20, 2026	Supplies	Trade show display easel	Yes		64.99	64.99	OK
20	Oct 22, 2026	Meals	Team lunch, quarterly review (4 people)	Yes		71.3	71.3	OK

How the formulas work

Claim per line, with mileage at your rate

G10=IF(B10="","",IF(B10="Mileage",ROUND(E10*$G$2,2),F10))

For a Mileage line the claim is miles times the rate in G2, rounded to cents; for every other category it is simply the amount paid. Leave Amount paid empty on mileage lines and Miles empty on the rest. The rate is an input: use the per-mile rate your company sets (many US employers use the IRS standard mileage rate, which changes each year).

Policy check on every line

H10

=IF(A10="","",IF(COUNTIF($A$28:$A$35,B10)=0,"Unknown category",IF(OR(A10-$B$5<0,A10-$B$6>0),"Outside period",IF(AND(B10<>"Mileage",D10<>"Yes",G10>$G$3),"Receipt needed",IF(AND(VLOOKUP(B10,$A$28:$F$35,6,FALSE)>0,G10>VLOOKUP(B10,$A$28:$F$35,6,FALSE)),"Over limit","OK")))))

The nested IF checks one rule at a time and reports the first problem it finds: a category that is not in the list (usually a typo), a date before the period start or after the period end, a missing receipt on anything over the amount in G3, and a claim above that category's per-item limit. Subtracting dates (A10-$B$5<0) is a safe way to compare them because dates are day numbers. In the sample, the September mileage, the $92.40 dinner and the rideshare without a receipt are flagged.

Totals by category with SUMIF

G28=SUMIF($B$10:$B$24,A28,$G$10:$G$24)

SUMIF adds the Claim column only for lines whose category matches A28. The category list doubles as the policy table: column F holds the per-item limit, and 0 means no limit. G36 should equal the report total in G25; if it does not, a line has a category that is not in the list.

Balance after the cash advance

G6=G5-G4

Report total minus any advance you were given before the trip. A positive balance is what the company owes you; a negative one is what you hand back. The cell next to it says which, using IF on the sign.

Make it yours

Turn the flags red: select H10:H24, then Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule > Format only cells that contain > Cell Value not equal to OK, and pick a red fill. Empty rows stay blank because their formula returns an empty string.
Use a drop-down for Category so nobody types "Meal" instead of "Meals": select B10:B24, Data > Data Validation > List, and point the source at $A$28:$A$35. Do the same for the Receipt? column with Yes,No.
Lodging limits are usually per night. Enter each night as its own line (as in the sample) so the per-item limit works, or change the limit for a multi-night hotel bill.
Attach receipts in the same order as the lines and number them in the Description (for example "R4 Hotel, night 1") so an approver can match them quickly.

FAQ

How do I make an expense report in Excel?

List each expense with a date, category, description and amount, add a column that calculates the claim (miles times your rate for mileage), and SUM the claims. Add SUMIF totals by category and subtract any cash advance. This template already has all of that plus policy checks.

What mileage rate should I use?

Use the rate in your company's expense policy. Many US employers reimburse at the IRS standard mileage rate, which is updated every year, so check the current figure and type it into G2. The template does not assume any rate.

Why does a line say Outside period?

Its date is before the Period start in B5 or after the Period end in B6. Either the expense belongs on another month's report, or the period dates need updating. Change B5 and B6 when you start a new report.

Functions used

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Updated November 2, 2026