Expense report by category
The expense report adds up what you spent in each expense category and draws it as a chart, so rent, supplies, repairs and wages-on-the-side stop hiding in a pile of receipts. Run it for one location or the whole business, for whatever period you are looking at.
Expense report in SeroPOS
Totals by category
Every expense is grouped under the category you gave it, with a total for each one over the period.
A chart at a glance
The report draws the category totals as a chart, so the biggest costs are obvious before you read a number.
Per location or combined
Pick one location to see its costs on their own, or leave it on all locations for the whole business.
Any date range
Look at one week, one month or a full financial year, using the same date picker as the other reports.
Built from your expense entries
It reads the expenses recorded under Expenses, including category, location, date, tax and amount.
Print or export
Print the table or export it for your bookkeeper with the rest of the month's reports.
Where the money goes
Sales reports get most of the attention, but margins are usually lost on the cost side. The expense report gives you a single view of spending by category for a period. You choose the location and date range, and it shows a total for each expense category along with a chart of those totals. Open it at month end and the question of where the money went gets a straight answer.
It lives in the web back office under Reports, as Expense Report. It appears once the Expenses module is switched on in Business Settings and the user's role includes permission to view the expense report. Like the other reports, location access in the user's profile decides which locations they can report on, so a store manager sees only their own store's spending while the owner sees every location.
Good categories make a good report
The report is only as clear as the categories behind it. Under Expenses, then Expense Categories, you can set up categories that match how you think about costs. A restaurant might use rent, utilities, smallwares, repairs, cleaning and marketing. A retail store might add shipping supplies and store fixtures. Keep the list short enough that staff pick the right one without thinking.
Once the categories are set, every expense added under Add Expense is filed under one of them. The report then rolls them up for you. If a total looks wrong, it is usually an expense filed under the wrong category, and you can correct the entry itself. Fixing the entry fixes the report.
- Location the expense belongs to
- Expense category
- Reference number (filled in automatically if left blank)
- Date, tax and total amount
- Expense for a user or a contact
- Attached document, note and payment
What goes into an expense
Each expense records the location, category, date, tax and total, plus an optional note and an attached document such as a photo of the receipt. You can mark who the expense was for, either a staff user or a contact such as a contractor. There is also an Is refund option for money coming back, such as a returned deposit, so the money coming back is recorded as a refund rather than as a new cost.
The payment can be recorded on the same screen when you add the expense, so the cost and how it was paid sit together. Expense tax is picked up separately in the Tax Report's Expense Tax tab, which helps when you are working out the tax you can claim back.
How expenses flow into other reports
Expenses are not only counted here. The profit and loss report subtracts them on the way to net profit, so a clean expense list makes that figure more reliable. The sales representative report has an Expenses tab that shows the expenses recorded for each user, which is useful when staff buy supplies on the business's behalf.
For multi-location businesses, comparing each location's expense report side by side is a quick way to spot a store whose repairs or supplies are running higher than the others. A quick look each month at the chart for each store usually shows which costs need attention, before they add up over a quarter or a year.
A monthly routine
A simple habit works well. At the end of each month, enter any expenses still sitting in an envelope, then run the expense report for the month and each location. Look at the chart first for anything out of proportion, then check the categories that moved most since last month. Export the table and send it with the other month-end reports.
The report is part of the standard back-office reports. There is nothing extra to buy, only the Expenses module to switch on if it is not on already. Expenses can be entered by any user whose role allows it, so a manager can record costs at their own location while the owner reviews the report for the whole business at month end.
Frequently asked questions
How do I see expenses by category?
Open Reports, then Expense Report in the web back office. Choose a location, or all locations, and a date range. The report shows the total for each expense category in that period and a chart of the same totals. Categories come from Expenses, then Expense Categories.
Can I use sub-categories?
Expense categories are a single list with a name and an optional code. To split a heading, create separate categories such as Utilities - Hydro, Utilities - Gas and Utilities - Internet, and pick the right one when you add an expense. Keeping the main categories broad makes the report and its chart easier to read.
How do I record a refund from a supplier or landlord?
Add it as an expense and tick Is refund. Choose the same category as the original cost, so the record shows money coming back to the business rather than another amount spent. Adding a note with the original reference makes it easy to match the refund to the cost it relates to later.
Do expenses affect my profit and loss?
Yes. The profit and loss report includes expenses when it works out net profit, so every expense you enter lowers net profit for its period. The report shows gross profit and net profit separately, so you can see the effect of expenses.
Why can't I see the expense report?
Two things need to be true. The Expenses module must be switched on in Business Settings under Modules, and your role must include permission to view the expense report. An owner or admin can check both. Location access in your user profile also limits which locations you can report on.