The short answer
Your employer's expense policy decides what is reimbursed, and tax authorities have their own rules on what counts. Whichever applies, the habit is the same: keep itemised receipts, note the business purpose of each cost, and submit your claim promptly. HMRC's guidance, for example, says that if you claim hotel and meal expenses you need to send receipts that show the date of your stay or meal and the name of the hotel or restaurant. StudentFlow does not advise on tax. It links the authorities so you know where the rules are published.
What to keep
- Itemised receipts for hotels, meals, transport and fees, not only card slips
- Booking confirmations for flights, rail and stays
- Card or bank statements that show the charge and the currency
- A note of the business purpose and who you met, where the policy asks for it
- Proof of advances and per diems you received, so nothing is double-counted
- Mileage or journey notes if you use your own vehicle, where the policy allows it
How to keep records as you go
Photograph each receipt the same day, because paper fades and gets lost. Name or file it by date and purpose. Keep a running list in a spreadsheet or your document vault with the date, amount in the original currency, what it was for and whether it was personal or business. Separate personal items from business ones on one bill, such as a hotel bill that includes a leisure meal.
Foreign currency
Keep the original currency and the card statement that shows what you were charged. Your employer's policy will say which rate or statement to use. Do not guess a conversion. StudentFlow does not quote rates.
Tax awareness, not advice
Each country's tax authority publishes its own rules on residency and on expenses. See HMRC, the CRA, the ATO (its site blocks automated link checks, so this is its front door), the BZSt and, for India, the Income Tax Department. Ask your employer's finance team or a tax adviser about your own position.
Checklist
- To do: Employer's expense policy read before you travel
- To do: Receipts photographed the same day
- To do: Itemised receipts requested where a card slip is not enough
- To do: Business purpose written next to each cost
- To do: Personal items separated from business items
- To do: Original currency and card statements kept
- To do: Advances and per diems recorded
- To do: Claim submitted promptly after the trip
- To do: Copies stored in your document vault
Common mistakes
- Keeping only card slips. They rarely show what was bought.
- Mixing personal and business on one receipt without marking it.
- Waiting until months later. Details fade and deadlines pass.
- Guessing exchange rates. Use what the policy and the statement show.
- Assuming the policy and the tax rule are the same thing. They can differ.
Things that change
Expense policies, allowed items and tax rules change. Check both before each trip.
Verify before you act
Read HMRC: travel and overnight expenses as an example of how an authority explains receipts, and your own employer's policy. For tax questions, speak to your employer's finance team or a licensed tax adviser.