How to import out-of-pocket expenses in bulk
This article explains how to upload a group of out-of-pocket expense claims into FreeAgent.
If you don’t want to create each individual out-of-pocket expense manually, you can bulk upload several at once. Depending on your FreeAgent account type, you'll either find the 'Expenses' area along the main tab at the top of the screen or under the 'My Money' drop-down menu.
Please note that you won't be able to import out-of-pocket expenses in bulk if you have an unincorporated landlord account or a universal account.
Navigate to the 'Expenses' area
Navigate to the 'My Money' tab at the top of the screen and select 'Expenses' from the drop-down menu.
Next, select 'Import Expenses' at the top right of the screen.
You'll be prompted to download our 'Expenses template'.
How to fill in our expenses template
The table below shows you how to fill in the template.
| Column Name | What to enter | Example | Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| claimant_name | The full name of the FreeAgent user the expense is for. This is case sensitive and must match exactly with the user's name in FreeAgent. | Nathan Barley | Yes |
| category | The spending category for the expense. If you know the accounting code, you can add that here instead. |
Accommodation and Meals - or - 285 |
Yes |
| DD/MM/YYYY |
The date of the expense. This must be in DD/MM/YYYY format, regardless of the date format in your FreeAgent account. |
25/04/2021 | Yes |
| currency | The 3-character ISO code for the currency the expense is in. | GBP | If not provided, we will use your FreeAgent account's native currency. |
| type | This can be one of either "Payment" or "Refund" | Payment | Yes |
| gross_value | The total value of the expense including VAT. | 27.99 | Yes |
| description | A description of the expense. | Dinner with Dan in Shoreditch | Yes |
| receipt_reference | If you have a receipt, enter the reference number here. | 001 | No |
| sales_tax_rate |
Enter the rate (percentage) of VAT applied to the expense. If you want to enter this manually, add the rate without the percentage sign. Alternatively, enter "Auto" and FreeAgent will set the VAT rate for you based on the spending category. Finally, if the Expense is exempt from VAT, enter the value "Exempt". |
20 | Yes |
| sales_tax_value | If you want to set a specific amount of VAT, enter that value here. | 5.60 | If you've entered a sales_tax_rate above, the sales_tax_value will be ignored. |
| ec_status | If you've enabled EC VAT Reporting, enter one of "UK/Non-EC", "EC Goods", "EC Services". | UK/Non-EC | No |
| native_gross_ value |
If the expense is not in the same currency as your FreeAgent account's native currency, enter the gross value of the expense in your native currency. | 24.85 | If blank, FreeAgent will automatically calculate the native value using xe.com exchange rates. |
| native_sales_ tax_value |
If the expense is not in the same currency as your FreeAgent account's native currency, and you can reclaim UK VAT on the expense, enter the amount of reclaimable VAT. | 4.97 | No |
| project_client | The name of the FreeAgent contact this expense is for. This is case sensitive and must match exactly with the contact's name in FreeAgent. | Fez Consulting Ltd |
If blank, no project will be assigned to the expense. If you want to link this expense to a project, you must enter both project_client and project_name. |
| project_name | The name of the project this expense is for. This is case sensitive and must match exactly with the project's name in FreeAgent. | Business Strategy |
If blank, no project will be assigned to the expense. If you want to link this expense to a project, you must enter both project_client and project_name. |
| rebill_by |
If you wish to rebill this expense at cost, enter "cost". If you wish to rebill with a percentage markup, enter "markup". Finally, if you wish to rebill at a specific price, enter "price". |
markup |
To rebill an expense, project_client and project_name must be entered above. If blank, we will not rebill this expense. |
| rebill_factor_ amount |
If you're rebilling at cost, leave this blank. If you're rebilling with a percentage markup, enter the percentage value (without the percentage sign). If you're rebilling at a specific price, enter the price you wish to rebill at. |
20 - or - 30.00 |
If you've entered either "markup" or "price" above, this field must be completed. |
| stock_item_ name |
If this expense is for a purchase of stock, enter the name of the stock item. This is case sensitive and must match exactly with the stock item's name in FreeAgent. Stock functionality won't be available if you have an unincorporated landlord account or if you're preparing your accounts using the cash accounting basis. |
Green Ribbons | This is required if you've entered "Purchase of Stock" in the `category` column above. |
| stock_quantity |
If this expense is for a purchase of stock, enter the quantity of stock purchased. Stock functionality won't be available if you have an unincorporated landlord account or if you're preparing your accounts using the cash accounting basis. |
100 | This is required if you've entered "Purchase of Stock" in the `category` column above. |
| asset_life | If this expense is for a capital asset purchase, enter the asset's lifetime in years. You can only enter values between 2 and 7 years (inclusive) in this column. | 5 | This is required if you've entered any of "Computer Equipment Purchase", "Fixtures and Fittings Purchase", "Other Capital Asset Purchase" or any manually added “Capital Asset Type” in the `category` column above. |
Upload the template
Select the CSV file you want to import and then select ‘Upload’.
Review the imported out-of-pocket expenses
Once the upload is complete, you'll be prompted to review your newly added out-of-pocket expenses.
If you realise that you've made an error, or want to remove the most recent out-of-pocket expenses, select 'Latest Import' from the drop-down menu.
Then, select 'Undo Last Import'.
Please note that you'll only be able to review and undo an import that you have uploaded into FreeAgent. You'll not be able to review or undo an import that was uploaded by another user or your accountant (if you work with an accountant who is a FreeAgent partner).
You can see a record of the out-of-pocket expenses being uploaded by any user in the 'Audit Trail' report.
