Expense tracker template
Write down each business expense as it happens: who you paid, what for, which category it falls in, how much, how you paid and whether the receipt is safely kept. The last column shows at a glance which receipts are still missing.
- By Book Keeping Pros
- Sources checked 15 Oct 2026
Records of every business expense, cash purchases included, are on business.gov.au's list of the records a business needs to keep. This tracker is a running list of those expenses, one row per purchase, filled in as each one happens rather than pieced together from statements weeks later. The category column groups the rows, so you can total spending by kind for any month.
The Paid by column says where the money came from: the business bank account, a business card, petty cash or the owner's own money. That tells you which statement or log to check each row against. An expense the owner paid personally still needs to reach the books, and how it is recorded is a question for your accountant.
You get a CSV file that any spreadsheet program can open. The receipt column matters because the receipt is the evidence behind each row, and business.gov.au's glossary describes a receipt as the document a seller gives to confirm a sale and the payment for it. Note in that column where each copy is kept, in the receipts tray or a scanned folder, so the receipt behind any row can be found again.
Download the template
The template as a CSV file, which opens in any spreadsheet program.
Download the CSV fileWhat's in the template
| Date | Supplier | What it was for | Category | Amount (AUD) | Paid by | Receipt kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Mar 2026 | Supplier A | Printer ink and paper | Office supplies | 86.50 | Business debit card | Yes, scanned to the March folder |
| 4 Mar 2026 | Supplier B | Fuel for the work van | Motor vehicle expenses | 112.30 | Business credit card | Yes, photographed |
| 9 Mar 2026 | Supplier C | Monthly scheduling software subscription | Software subscriptions | 49.00 | Direct debit from the business account | Yes, emailed invoice filed |
| 12 Mar 2026 | Supplier D | Parking for a meeting with Customer A | Motor vehicle expenses | 18.00 | Petty cash | Yes, attached to voucher PC-214 |
| 17 Mar 2026 | Supplier E | Safety boots for site work | Protective clothing | 165.00 | Owner's personal card | Yes, paper copy in the receipts tray |
| 20 Mar 2026 | Supplier B | Fuel for the work van | Motor vehicle expenses | 98.70 | Business credit card | No, copy requested from Supplier B |
| 25 Mar 2026 | Supplier F | Public liability insurance for March | Insurance | 140.00 | Bank transfer | Yes, emailed invoice filed |
| 31 Mar 2026 | Total for March | 669.50 |
Illustrative example only: these rows show the method and are not sourced data.
What goes in each column
- Date: The day of the purchase, as shown on the receipt.
- Supplier: The business you paid.
- What it was for: A few words on what was bought and why the business needed it.
- Category: The expense account it belongs to in your chart of accounts, such as office supplies, motor vehicle expenses or insurance.
- Amount (AUD): The total paid, as the receipt or statement shows it.
- Paid by: How the expense was paid: from the business bank account, on a business card, from petty cash or with the owner's personal money.
- Receipt kept: Yes, with where the copy is kept, or No, with what is being done to get one.
How to use it
- Download the CSV file, open it in a spreadsheet program and delete the example rows. Make the categories match the expense accounts in your chart of accounts.
- Add a row each time the business pays for something, while the details are fresh. Keep the receipt the same day: scan or photograph a paper one, and file an emailed one in the month's folder.
- Once a week, go down the Receipt kept column and ask the supplier for a copy of anything still missing.
- At the month end, tick every row off against the bank, card and petty cash records named in the Paid by column, and add any expense that shows up there but not on the tracker.
- Total the month by category and set the totals beside your budget. business.gov.au suggests making time each month to check what you have spent against the budget you planned.
- Keep each month's tracker and its receipts together. business.gov.au gives 5 years as the keeping period for most business records, and 7 years for company records.
Related terms
Sources
- Record keeping
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 7 November 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Key financial terms
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 15 October 2026, released 9 July 2024. Checked 15 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
- Create a budget
business.gov.au, Australian Government. Current at 16 October 2026, released 14 November 2025. Checked 16 October 2026.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2020, licensed under CC BY 3.0 AU. Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU.
Related guides
How to keep receipts for your business
What a receipt should show, how to make sure you get one, how to store receipts so you can find them, and how to match each one to its transaction.
How to make a business budget
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Separate business and personal finances
Why to keep business and personal money apart, how a business bank account helps, and how to record mixed-use expenses and money you take out.