Managing expenses and work travel (without getting a reputation)

Expense reports are one of those “adult job” things nobody teaches.

And in your first 90 days, they’re weirdly high stakes — not because the dollars matter (usually), but because trust matters.

Handle expenses cleanly and you look responsible.

Handle them sloppily and people start wondering what else you’re sloppy about.

Scene

A lot of people treat expenses like “admin work.”

And it is.

But it’s also a fast reputation signal, because it’s one of the first places you’re handling:

• company money
• company policy
• and a process that can get audited

There’s also a subtle trap: you can spend a ton of time perfecting expense reports and still not be doing the work that actually moves outcomes.

So the goal is a boring, repeatable system: clean, compliant, fast.

Promise

This post gives you a boring (good) system for expenses:

• how to read the policy like a normal person
• what to pre-approve so you avoid drama
• how to document expenses so finance never has to guess
• the common gray areas and what to do

What prompted this

Expense threads always have heat because people aren’t really arguing about sandwiches — they’re arguing about fairness, audits, and “is this going to make me look shady?” Two good examples: the consulting expensing etiquette discussion (https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/10wdd0r/what_is_the_real_expensing_etiquette_in_consulting/) and this Ask a Manager letter about an accountant nitpicking frugal expenses (https://www.askamanager.org/2017/08/my-companys-accountant-is-nitpicking-my-pretty-frugral-travel-expenses.html).

The goal (simple)

Your goal is not to “maximize reimbursement.”

Your goal is to be:

• compliant
• boring
• easy to audit

Boring is good here.

Step 1) Find the policy (or admit there isn’t one)

If there is a policy

Read it once, then ask for norms.

Key things to confirm:

• allowed hotel/flight ranges
• per diem rules
• receipt requirements
• booking tools (Concur, Navan, Egencia, etc.)
• what needs pre-approval
• tipping guidance (yes, this varies)

Script:

“I read the expense policy. For travel, what’s the normal hotel range and any ‘always ask first’ items?”

If there is no policy

Treat this as “rules are implicit.”

Ask your manager for boundaries.

Rule of thumb:

Spend company money like it’s your money and your name is attached.

Because it is.

Step 2) Pre-approve anything that could be a gray area

If you want to avoid drama, pre-approve early.

Things to pre-approve:

• hotel rate that feels high
• flight changes or upgrades
• client meals above the normal range
• rideshare vs rental car decisions
• any “I’ll expense it and explain later” idea

Script:

“Before I book this: is $___/night in-range for this city? If not, what range should I target?”

Step 3) Document like you’re going to be audited (because you might)

Your best defense is boring process:

• keep receipts immediately (don’t wait)
• write clear descriptions
• submit on a predictable cadence

A clean description looks like:

• “Client dinner — Project X — 3 attendees — discussed ___”
• “Taxi to airport — work travel”
• “Hotel — [City] — team offsite”

Vague descriptions (“meal,” “travel”) create questions.

Step 4) Don’t mix personal and business expenses

This is the #1 way people accidentally get a reputation.

Rules that keep you safe:

• never put personal items on the corporate card
• don’t “fix it later” unless you want to live in finance emails
• if you make a mistake, flag it immediately and ask how to correct it

Script:

“I accidentally put ___ on the corporate card. What’s the right way to reimburse and document it?”

Hiding mistakes is what creates distrust.

The common gray areas (and what to do)

Business meals

Questions to clarify:

• what counts as “business” vs “social”
• alcohol rules
• who can be included

Safe move: when unsure, ask.

Upgrades (flights, rooms, seats)

A lot of companies allow upgrades only when:

• it’s a long flight
• it’s pre-approved
• it’s cheaper due to weird fare rules

Also: if you have status and the upgrade is free, many places are fine with it — the key is that you didn’t charge the company for the upgrade.

If you don’t know: assume “no” and ask.

Personal items while traveling

Toothpaste is different than souvenirs.

If it’s for the trip and within reason, it’s often okay.

If it’s “because I was in an airport,” it’s usually not.

Combining personal + work travel

This one is common and often allowed with rules.

The safe approach:

• book the work portion through the normal tool
• pay incremental personal costs yourself
• document it cleanly

Don’t make finance reverse-engineer your vacation.

What finance actually needs from you

Most finance teams don’t care about your trip story.

They care that each line item has:

• the receipt (when required)
• a clear business purpose
• the right category
• and no weird surprises

Two practical tips:

• For meals/entertainment, add who attended (or the group) when that’s a norm.
• If you lose a receipt, don’t get creative. Ask what to do. Many companies have an affidavit process or a “no receipt under $X” rule.

A first-job travel checklist

Before the trip

• Confirm policy + norms
• Book through the approved tool
• Get pre-approval for anything borderline
• Know what receipts you’ll need

During the trip

• Save receipts immediately (photo + folder)
• Write who/what/why for meals
• Keep it simple (avoid weird edge cases)

After the trip (within 2–3 days)

• Submit the report
• Attach receipts
• Add clear descriptions
• If something is unusual, add a short note explaining it

The faster you submit, the fewer “what was this?” questions you’ll get.

Two quick notes, depending on where you sit:

• Early-career: the goal is “no surprises.” If something feels borderline, ask before you spend.
• Manager: new hires don’t know the norms. A 2-minute “here’s what’s normal” message prevents hours of finance back-and-forth.

Edge cases

• International travel: rules get stricter and more complex. Ask early about currency conversion, per diem, and what receipts are required.
• Small companies: you might not have tooling. Your “system” is a folder + clean notes + fast submission.

Next step

Find your company’s expense policy today and write down three things: (1) receipt threshold, (2) hotel range norms, (3) what needs pre-approval.

If you want a simple weekly habit that prevents “I didn’t know” moments in general, use the Week 1 Checklist.