Expenses & Receipts
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      Record an Expense

      Document project expenses alongside the project budget with ConstructionOnline's integrated financial toolkit

      BACKGROUND

      Expertly engineered to integrate alongside ConstructionOnline's financial toolkit, ConstructionOnline's OnCost™ Purchasing is designed so that construction purchases and expenses can be tracked accurately & efficiently right alongside the project budget. To provide ultimate flexibility, ConstructionOnline™ gives companies the option to log two types of expenditures: Receipts and Expenses.

      Receipts typically document a purchase, are generally itemized, and may be used to record Payments received on Bills or document reimbursements or other payouts of business funds. Expenses are essentially any business expenditure and can be used to log regular, recurring expenditures or any incidentals encountered during the performance of a job. 

      This article contains the following sections:

      1. Step-by-step instructions
      2. Video walkthrough 
      3. Next actions
      4. Additional information

      STEPS TO RECORD AN EXPENSE

      1. Navigate to the desired Project via the Left Sidebar. 
      2. Select the Financials tab and choose the Purchasing category. 
      3. Click the Expenses & Receipts tab, and then click the green (+) Create New... button at the top of the Purchasing pane and select the "Expense" option from the dropdown menu. 
      4. This will open the "Create New Expense" extension blade on the right side of your screen where you can enter the Expense's information - 
        1. Details 
          1. Project: Link the Expense to a specific ConstructionOnline Project
            1. If creating an Expense within a Project, the current Project will be assigned by default and cannot be changed. 
          2. Title: Give the Expense a brief title or description that summarizes the purpose or category of the transaction
            1. This field is required. 
          3. Total: Enter the total amount of the Expense one of two ways 
            1. Itemize Receipt: Toggled on by default, the "Itemize Receipt" option allows you to enter multiple line items within a single Expense for greater transparency and detailed record-keeping 
              1. Expense line items can be entered by clicking into the Name, Quantity, Unit Cost, Total, and Tax % cells. 
            2. Lump-Sum Expense: By toggling the "Itemize Receipt" option "OFF", you enable the "Total" field which allows you to provide a single total for the entire expense without individual line items 
              1. Please note this option is only available when the "Itemize Receipt" option is toggled "OFF".
          4. Sub/Vendor: Specify the subcontractor or vendor associated with the Expense, if applicable 
            1. Contacts that populate here are pulled from your ConstructionOnline Company Contact List. New Contacts must be added through the Company Contacts page and cannot be added when creating a new Expense. 
            2. Only one Contact can be assigned to this field.
          5. Status: Indicate the current state of the Expense (i.e. New, Pending, Complete, etc.)
            1. This field can be customized. 
          6. Notes: Add any additional information or comments related to the Expense such as purchase justifications, reference numbers, or specific project codes
          7. Tags: Assign any predefined keywords or labels to the Expense 
            1. This field can be customized. 
          8. Trade: Specify the Trade or type of work involved in the Expense (i.e. Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, etc.)
            1. This field can be customized. 
        2. Attachments
          1. Upload any files, photos, or documentation that support, verify, or are pertinent to the Expense
      5. Once you have finalized the details of the Receipt, click the blue Save button.

      VIDEO WALKTHROUGH 

      NEXT ACTIONS 

      Activated upon the creation of your Expense, ConstructionOnline's Purchasing Timeline provides a visual & actionable guide for the next steps you and your team should take in the Purchasing process. While ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module was designed with flexibility in mind, the Purchasing Timeline can help you and your team stay organized by highlighting the crucial stages that follow after Expense creation, such as creating a new Bill or Payment from the Expense. To learn more about utilizing the Purchasing Timeline, visit this article. 

      ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

      • Subscription Level: ConstructionOnline's Purchasing module is available for companies with current ConstructionOnline subscriptions at the Team, Business, and Enterprise levels.
      • Permissions: ConstructionOnline Company Users must have "Can Create & Edit" or "Can Create, Edit & Delete" Expenses & Receipts permissions in order to create new Expenses.
        • Expenses & Receipts permissions are set and managed at the Company level. For more information on editing Company-Level permissions, visit this FAQ.
      • ClientLink™/TeamLink™ Access: ClientLink and TeamLink Users do not have access to the Purchasing feature via the Project Portal.
      • CO™ Mobile App: The Purchasing feature is exclusively available via browser access to ConstructionOnline. 
        • The Purchasing feature cannot be accessed through the CO Mobile App.

      HAVE MORE QUESTIONS? 

      • If you need additional assistance, chat with a Specialist by clicking the orange Chat icon located in the bottom left corner or visit the UDA Support Page for additional options.