What is a reimbursement form?

A person in a white blazer showing another person in a flannel shirt a reimbursement form on a tablet at a construction site over a piece of plywood resting on sawhorses.

Did you spend your personal money on work-related expenses? Learn how to request cash back from your employer with a reimbursement form.

A reimbursement is when an employer compensates an employee for a work-related expense the employee paid for out of pocket. And a reimbursement form is a document the employee submits to the employer to request the compensation. It’s a paper trail to ensure the expense was work-related and to help the business track its finances.

Types of reimbursement forms.

Employees may request reimbursement for any work-related expense they make, as long as it’s in line with company policies. Some of the most common types of reimbursements include insurance, office supplies, taxes, legal fees, and travel.

Many businesses have different forms for various types of expenses. For example, you might have one form for meals and a separate mileage reimbursement form for fuel costs. Each form includes information that’s specific to the type of expense.

Difference between an expense report and reimbursement form.

An expense report is used by a business to track costs and understand profits vs. revenue. Employees can also use a provided expense report as a type of reimbursement form when they incur multiple expenses on the company’s behalf.

With a reimbursement form, the employee is requesting compensation for a purchase — typically a single transaction.

An expense report is a higher-level view of costs. It includes all expenses incurred over a time period or project, some of which may require reimbursement and some of which might not. A reimbursement form (or even a few of them) should also include receipts, where necessary, to help the reimbursement process go smoothly.

Information to include on an expense reimbursement form.

For the business to verify that the expense was actually work-related, it’s important to include all essential information about the expense on your reimbursement form:

Name of product or service
Individual item or line cost
Total cost
Payment method (i.e., cash, credit card, etc.)
Date purchased
Explanation of purchase
Original or copy of the receipt.

The explanation should be a short paragraph explaining why the employee needed to make the purchase and how the reimbursement is in line with company policies.

Save your reimbursement form as a PDF so it can be viewed on any device without formatting issues. And no matter which format you prefer to create your reimbursement form, it’s easy to convert either Word to PDF or Excel to PDF online right from your web browser.

Be sure to save a blank reimbursement form as a template and make it easily accessible, so employees can quickly fill it out without needing to make one from scratch. Templates also eliminate the chance of inconsistencies or missing information.

Depending on your business policies, you can also get employees or supervisors to sign the PDF online for easier submission and authentication.

Frequently asked questions.

Is reimbursement a form of compensation?

No. Reimbursements don’t count as income or compensation. Compensation is money paid for time worked. Reimbursements are simply the employer paying an employee back their already-earned compensation which the employee used for work-related expenses.

How do I submit expenses for reimbursement?

Depending on your organization, each business will have its own policies for submitting reimbursement forms. Make sure to check with your accounting department before making any purchases for the business out of your personal account.

Do you claim reimbursements as income?

No. Reimbursements and income are separate. However, it’s important that the employer doesn’t lump reimbursements into regular pay. If reimbursements wind up in a regular paycheck and aren’t separated, you will end up paying taxes on the additional “income.”

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