Client: Acme — reimbursables
Travel, materials, and courier costs tagged to Acme, each with a receipt and a billed/unbilled marker.
Small business finance · Reimbursables
Organize client-reimbursable expenses
When you bill costs back to clients — travel, materials, subcontractor fees, courier charges — those pass-through expenses are easy to forget to invoice, and forgotten reimbursables come straight off your own pocket. Tagging each reimbursable to the client it belongs to, attaching the receipt, and tracking whether it's been billed keeps every dollar accounted for. Cash Workspace gives you one place to record reimbursable expenses, attach receipts, and see billed vs. unbilled per client.
The problem
Why reimbursable costs go unbilled
Pass-through costs get paid in the moment — a flight, a supply run, a courier — and then disappear into general expenses. Without a client tag and a billed marker, they never make it onto an invoice.
- A reimbursable travel cost gets paid and never lands on the client's invoice.
- You can't tell which receipts are pass-through costs versus your own overhead.
- Two clients' reimbursables blur together with no client tag.
- The receipt for a billable material is gone when the client questions the charge.
- At invoice time you're guessing which costs are still unbilled.
The workflow
Tag, attach, then bill it back
Mark each reimbursable to its client at the moment of spend, then list those costs on the client's invoice and mark them billed.
- 1
Record the cost
Enter each pass-through expense with its date, vendor, category, and amount as soon as you pay it.
- 2
Tag the client
Add the client tag so the cost is tied to the client you'll bill it back to.
- 3
Attach the receipt
Attach the receipt so you can show the client exactly what was charged.
- 4
Mark reimbursable status
Tag the expense as reimbursable and unbilled until it appears on an invoice.
- 5
Bill and mark billed
List the reimbursable costs on the client's invoice, then mark each one billed so it isn't charged twice.
Record structure
What to record for each reimbursable expense
These fields keep every pass-through cost tied to a client and a billing status.
- Date
- When the cost was paid, so it lands on the right invoice.
- Client tag
- Which client this reimbursable will be billed back to.
- Vendor
- Who was paid — airline, supplier, courier, or subcontractor.
- Category
- An expense category such as travel, materials, or subcontractor cost.
- Amount
- The total paid and currency, to appear on the invoice.
- Reimbursable
- A tag marking this as a pass-through cost rather than overhead.
- Billing status
- Unbilled or billed, so you know what still needs invoicing.
- Receipt
- The receipt attached so you can back up the charge to the client.
Example setup
An example reimbursable folder setup
One way to keep pass-through costs organized per client.
Client: Blue Co — reimbursables
Pass-through costs tagged to Blue Co, each with a receipt and billing status.
Unbilled reimbursables
A filtered view of every reimbursable not yet on an invoice, across clients.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Paying a billable cost and forgetting to put it on the client's invoice.
- Not tagging the client, so reimbursables can't be sorted by who owes them.
- Skipping the receipt, leaving you unable to back up the charge.
- Mixing pass-through costs with your own overhead under one category.
- Failing to mark a cost billed, so it gets charged to the client twice.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Client tags
Tag each reimbursable to its client so pass-through costs sort by who you'll bill them to.
Billed vs. unbilled
Mark each reimbursable billed or unbilled so you can see what still needs to go on an invoice.
Receipts attached
Attach the receipt to each cost so you can back up every charge if a client asks.
Per-client view
Filter by client tag to gather a client's reimbursables when you build their invoice.
Related
Related small business finance workflows
Multi-client invoices
Organize invoices across clients you bill costs to.
Client documents
Keep client records behind every reimbursable tag.
Travel expense records
Organize billable travel costs before invoicing them.
Invoice status board
See which invoices carrying reimbursables are paid.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Reimbursable expense organizing FAQ
- How do I make sure every billable cost gets invoiced?
- Tag each reimbursable to its client and mark it unbilled when you record it. Filter for unbilled reimbursables before you invoice, then mark each one billed once it's on the client's invoice.
- Can I show the client what they're being charged for?
- Yes. Attach the receipt to each reimbursable so you can back up the charge, and list the costs on the invoice you send. Cash Workspace keeps the receipt with the record.
- Does Cash Workspace collect the reimbursement?
- No. It organizes which costs are reimbursable and whether they've been billed; it does not process payments or collect money. You bill and collect through your own invoicing process.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
Bill back every cost you cover
Start a free workspace and tag each reimbursable to its client, attach the receipt, and mark it billed so no pass-through cost ever slips off an invoice.