How to Do an Expense Report for a Church
As a church employee or church volunteer, there will be times when purchases will need to be made out of pocket, and the church will need to reimburse you for the cost of those items. Creating or using an expense report will allow for each purchase to be itemized in detail so that you are properly compensated.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Receipts for items to be reimbursed
- Paper and pen or word processing program
- Calculator
Instructions
-
Instructions
-
1
Create your own expense report template. Write the name of the person submitting the expense report at the top of the paper and date it. The name at the top of the expense report should be written the way the "Payable To" field should be filled in on the reimbursement check.
-
2
Write the total amount to be reimbursed to you or refunded by you (if a cash advance was received) on the second line of the report for quick reference. Having this information at the top will allow the approver to quickly reference the information.
-
-
3
Create five columns (left to right) and title them: 1) Date of Expense, 2) Paid to, 3) Amount of Expense, 4) Reason for Expense, 5) Budget Line Item on General Ledger or Account Number (if known). The "Paid to" column should be used for the name of the specific store or place where the purchase was made. The "Reason for Expense" should include information regarding what was purchased and what the purchase will be used for by the church. Check with the church finance department for the budget line item or the account number unless you are already aware of this information.
-
4
Document each receipt completely, moving from left to right under the corresponding columns. Including all the needed information will allow for the finance person to determine how to most efficiently expedite the reimbursement request without holding it up to ask for additional documentation or detail.
-
5
Total the "Amount of Expense" column. Deduct any cash advance received from the total of "Amount of Expense" column. Show the amount on the report as "Amount to be Refunded".
-
6
Total all the receipts. The amount of the receipts and "Amount to be Refunded" should match.
-
7
Attach the corresponding receipt to the expense report for each expense itemized. Copy the receipts and staple the copy to the report or put receipts in an envelope and staple the envelope to the report.
-
8
Sign and date the expense report to show that the information provided has been verified for accuracy and is ready for submission.
-
9
Submit the expense report to the proper person, IE finance director, accountant, church secretary, deacon, etc., for approval.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Before making a purchase, ask about church policy and procedure for pre-approval on a purchase to insure eligibility for reimbursement.
Check with the church office to see if there is a standard expense report form preferred.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Thomas Northcut/Photodisc/Getty Images Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
