How to Build a Travel Expense Tracker

Step-by-step guide

6 steps

1. 1

   Define your expense categories

   Business travel expenses typically include: flights, hotels, ground transport (taxi, rental car, parking), meals, entertainment, and conference fees. Align categories with your company's expense policy.

2. 2

   Describe the tracker to Appaca

   Tell Appaca: "Build a travel expense tracker with trips (employee, destination, travel dates, purpose, per diem rate), expense items per trip (category, date, amount, vendor, receipt attachment), a total per trip vs budget, and an approval workflow for reimbursement."

3. 3

   Create trip records

   For each business trip, create a trip record with the employee, destination, dates, and approved budget. Expenses link to the trip for reimbursement.

4. 4

   Log expenses as you travel

   During each trip, log expenses immediately on your phone - don't wait until you return. Attach a photo of the receipt for each line item.

5. 5

   Submit for approval after the trip

   Once back, mark the trip expenses as submitted. The approver reviews the expense report and approves reimbursement or flags items for clarification.

6. 6

   Track reimbursement status

   After approval, track the reimbursement status: approved → submitted to finance → paid. Employees see when their reimbursement is in process.