Money and insurance
Business trip expenses: which receipts to keep and how
Spending is never the problem: proving it is. What to keep, how to do it from your phone and which items usually cause trouble at claim time.
Claudia Ferrán 5 min Photo by Javier M. on Unsplash A business trip always goes wrong at the same point: two weeks later, filling in the expense claim, with a handful of crumpled receipts and a blank memory.
The thirty-second rule
Every expense gets photographed on the spot and saved to a phone folder created for that trip. Thirty seconds per receipt, and the claim goes from an afternoon to ten minutes.
Thermal receipts also fade on their own with heat and time: the photo isn't a convenience, it is the only copy that will survive.
What to keep
- An invoice or receipt with a legible date, amount and description.
- Transport tickets, local ones included.
- The accommodation receipt, with the tourist tax itemised if there is one.
- The exchange rate applied if you paid in another currency, which appears in the card transaction.
- And a note of who with and what for, on work meals.
What usually causes trouble
| Item | Why it gets stuck |
|---|---|
| Meals | The attendees or the reason are missing |
| Taxis | Receipt with no date or an illegible amount |
| Spending in another currency | The amount doesn't match the real charge |
| Data and calls | Trip use isn't separated from personal use |
The last row is easy to solve: with a data plan bought for that specific trip, the purchase itself is the receipt and there is nothing to split out of a monthly bill.
How much a working day abroad uses up is in how much data work video calls use.
A receipt that isn't photographed the same day is a receipt already lost.
Frequently asked questions
Which receipts should I keep on a business trip?
Invoices and receipts with date, amount and description, transport tickets, the accommodation receipt and a note of the reason for work meals.
Why photograph receipts?
Because thermal receipts fade with heat and time, and because doing it on the spot turns the expense claim into ten minutes.
How do I document spending in another currency?
By keeping the receipt and the card transaction, which is where the amount actually charged and the rate applied appear.
And mobile data on the trip?
With a plan bought for that trip, the purchase itself is the receipt and there is no monthly bill from your own line to split.
