Travel and expense (T&E) spending is the third-largest controllable business expense after salaries and data-processing costs. For the business traveler, reporting travel expenses is a necessary but sometimes unpleasant aspect of business travel.



While many frequent travelers have expense reporting down to a science, some aren't as organized. And this can be problematic since organization is essential for tracking, logging and submitting expenses and getting reimbursed in a timely manner.

Most businesses have a T&E form for employees to submit at the end of a trip. If your company doesn’t have one, most office-products stores sell standard T&E forms and travel logs.



Collect a Paper Trail

Receipts are the paper trail of your business trip. The more you have, the easier it is to fill out your expense report. Some companies don’t require receipts if the expense falls below a certain amount, but play it safe and always ask for a receipt. Pay by credit card when possible since your statement can act as a backup for a misplaced receipt.