# Record an expense

> Record money spent from cash or bank against an expense category, with a reference and receipt, and see the accounting it posts.

Canonical: https://docs.getonebooks.com/expenses/record/
Language: en
Documentation index: https://docs.getonebooks.com/llms.txt

An expense is money that has already left your cash box or bank account for a business cost: rent, fuel, subscriptions, small supplies. It posts straight to an expense account on the date you enter. Bills you pay later belong in [Purchases](https://docs.getonebooks.com/purchases/bills/).

![The Expenses list with Cash and Bank tabs and monthly totals](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/expenses-list.webp)

## Record an expense

1. Open **Expenses** and select **Record Expense** (called **Add Expense** in Simple mode), or use **Quick Create → Expense**.
2. Set the **date** and a **description** of what the money was for.
3. Enter the **amount** (tax-inclusive — expenses carry no separate tax line).
4. Choose the **category** — the expense account, for example **Rent & Utilities** or **Travel & Transportation**. See [Expense accounts](https://docs.getonebooks.com/expenses/accounts/).
5. Choose the **payment method**: **Cash** or **Bank Transfer**, and the cash or bank account the money left.
6. Add a **reference** (receipt number) and select **Save Expense**.

![The Record Expense dialog with date, description, amount, category, payment method and reference](https://docs.getonebooks.com/screenshots/en/expenses-new.webp)

> **Accounting effect**
> Debit the chosen expense account (for example **5200 Rent & Utilities**) · Credit **1200 Cash** or **1210 Bank**. Expenses are always cash- or bank-settled; there is no "unpaid expense" — use a purchase for that.

## The list

Switch between **All**, **Cash**, **Bank** and **Archived**. Each row shows the category, method and reference. Open an expense to see its detail and, in Accountant mode, the journal entry it posted.

## Expenses and tax

Expenses do not split out VAT or GST. If you need input tax on a receipt to appear on your tax return, record it as a [purchase](https://docs.getonebooks.com/purchases/bills/) with a tax line instead — that is what the tax reports read.

## Faster ways to record expenses

- **Photograph the receipt** in the AI assistant: it reads the date, supplier, amounts and tax and proposes the document for you to confirm — [Receipt photos](https://docs.getonebooks.com/ai/receipts/).
- **Bank reconciliation** can create an expense straight from an unmatched statement line — [Bank reconciliation](https://docs.getonebooks.com/banking/reconciliation/).

## Related

  - [Expense accounts](https://docs.getonebooks.com/expenses/accounts/)
  - [Attachments, archive and delete](https://docs.getonebooks.com/expenses/manage/)