How to log an expense and attach a receipt

Materials, fuel, tools, subcontractor payments, anything you've spent on the business. Log it once and it counts toward your job's profit and your accountant export.

Log an expense

1. Go to Expenses and select Add Expense, or use the + button available on any screen and choose Add expense. On a job page, select Log expense under Costs instead, this links the expense to that job automatically.
2. Choose how to add it: Take a photo (on your phone), Scan receipt to upload a photo or PDF, or Enter manually.
3. If you scan a receipt, Trame reads it and fills in the date, amount, VAT and category for you. Check the fields before saving, then adjust anything it missed.
4. Fill in Description, Date and Amount. If your business is VAT registered, pick the VAT rate, No VAT, 5% or 20%, and Trame works out the VAT portion for you.
5. Choose a Category from the HMRC list, Materials & stock, Subcontractors, Staff wages, Vehicle & travel, Tools, equipment & workspace, Repairs & maintenance, Phone, internet & office, Marketing & advertising, Bank & payment fees, Bad debt, Accountant & legal, or Other.
6. Optionally link a Job and add a Supplier.
7. Save the expense.

Attach a receipt

You can attach a receipt whether or not you scanned it.

1. Open the expense, or add a new one manually.
2. Open the Receipt section.
3. Select Attach receipt and choose a file, or Take photo on your phone.
4. Save.

Accepted files are JPEG, PNG, WebP, GIF, HEIC, TIFF or PDF, up to 10 MB.

To view a receipt later, open the expense and select View receipt. To replace or remove it, select Remove and attach a new one.

Log mileage instead

For business driving, use Log Mileage rather than a manual expense. Enter the date, miles driven, purpose and vehicle, Car/van, Motorcycle or Bicycle, and Trame works out the HMRC mileage allowance for you and logs it as an expense under Vehicle & travel.

Frequently asked

Can I log an expense against a job after the job is done?

Yes. There's no cut-off. Open the job, go to Costs, and select Log expense.

What if I don't know the VAT rate?

Leave it as No VAT. You can come back and add it later if you find the receipt shows VAT.

Does deleting an expense remove the receipt file too?

Yes, deleting the expense removes it and its receipt together.