How to track expenses by client or project

Add a consistent project label beside each expense and its original reference. Review the selected period within each currency so the next reader can see which work a purchase belongs to.

You can do this in a local Excel workbook, Google Sheets or an expense system with a project field. The example below is a simple organisational workflow. It does not determine whether a cost can be billed to a client or deducted for tax.

Download the fictional workbook or its expense CSV. The workbook's Summary includes project totals beside its category totals. Names and reference labels are invented teaching data; no real receipts are attached.

1. Choose labels you will use consistently

Use one clear project or client identifier rather than a different spelling in each row. If you have several jobs for one client, a project code such as “Alder website” may be more useful than only the client's name. Keep the code meaningful to whoever reviews the records.

The example uses Alder, Birch and Studio. Studio holds purchases used for the business more generally. Category describes what was bought, while project describes where the cost belongs: Software is a category and Birch is a project.

Do not copy one full expense into every project that might benefit from it. If you need an allocation, preserve the original total and record the agreed allocation separately with a clear explanation. Ask your accountant about accounting or tax treatment rather than treating a project label as that decision.

2. Record the project beside the purchase

Keep the date, supplier, description, amount, currency and original reference on the same row as the project. Add useful context while you remember it, such as “Travel to Alder meeting”, rather than relying on the merchant name to explain the work later.

In the fictional data, two purchases from Paper Trail Example on 5 September are both AUD 42.80. One is for Alder and refers to R-004; the other is for Birch and refers to R-005. They illustrate why the duplicate review should consider the purchase evidence rather than delete a repeated amount.

The IRS supporting-record guidance describes the information records may need to establish. A short project note can help explain the context, but it does not replace the original document or settle tax eligibility.

3. Review project totals for the selected period

Set the example Summary to September 2026 and AUD: Alder 170.00, Birch 69.30 and Studio 60.00, totalling AUD 299.30 across nine entries. The preview above uses the same source CSV and lets you inspect its included rows.

Studio also has a separate September USD 15.00 record. Keep that currency group separate. The project totals should account for each included expense once, rather than create another set of purchases to add to the category totals.

For your own Google Sheets pivot, use the summary guide and put Project in the row grouping instead of Category. Review the date and currency filters before comparing projects.

4. Separate a project review from a reimbursement claim

A record belonging to a project does not automatically mean a client agreed to repay it. If reimbursement matters, keep the agreement, who paid, whether a claim was submitted and its status in a suitable separate record. Avoid presenting every project expense as an approved charge.

When sharing a project report, include the relevant rows and supporting files requested by the recipient. Check that the export does not include unrelated client information. Local file paths need the actual files transferred too; cloud links need recipient access. The accountant handoff guide explains those storage and sharing choices.

5. Keep the project field in the ongoing routine

Review unassigned or inconsistent labels before making a period report. When a project ends, keep its records traceable rather than renaming old rows without considering how earlier reports used that label.

Gexpense records a project on an expense and supports a project filter when preparing reports. You still choose the project and review the record; it does not create client invoices or approve reimbursements. Its receipt workflow can reduce capture and filing work while you keep the project decisions explicit.

Frequently asked questions

Is a project expense automatically reimbursable?

No. Keep the agreement and claim status separately. A project label explains where a cost belongs; it does not approve a client charge.

Should I copy a shared expense into every project?

Do not count the full purchase multiple times. Preserve the original amount and record any agreed allocation separately.