How To Manage Expenses in WorkZen
Go to Expenses and click Create Expense; enter the amount, date, category, and attach the receipt, or scan the receipt and let WorkZen fill the fields for you. Link the expense to a job to see true job profitability, then approve, reject, or reimburse it from the expense's Review panel.
A pile of receipts in the truck isn't an expense system, it's a tax-time horror movie. Logging expenses against jobs as they happen keeps job costing accurate and bookkeeping painless.
Record an expense
Go to Expenses and click Create Expense. Only the amount and date are required; the rest is context: Vendor, Category, Subtotal, Tax, Payment Method (Cash, Credit Card, Debit Card, Company Card, Personal, or Other), and notes.
Link the expense to a Job, Client, or Employee so the cost lands where it belongs. Two flags matter:
- Billable: this cost should be passed on to the client.
- Reimbursable: a team member paid out of pocket and needs paying back; pick who in Reimburse To.
You can also add expenses straight from a job's Finance tab with Add Expense, Quick Expense, or Upload Receipt, which links them to the job automatically.
Scan receipts instead of typing
On the expense form, the Scan Receipt area accepts JPG, PNG, and PDF. Drop the receipt in and WorkZen reads it and auto-fills the fields ("Receipt scanned! Fields have been auto-filled."). Check the numbers, adjust anything, and save. The receipt stays attached to the expense either way.
Automated receipt recognition requires ZenGrow or ZenAI. On every plan you can still attach the receipt image and type the details yourself.
Categories
Categories keep spending reportable: fuel, materials, tools, and whatever else your business needs. Open Categories on the Expenses page to add, rename, or delete them. Deleting a category never loses data; its expenses move to the category you choose. Only the default category can't be deleted.
Approve, reject, and reimburse
Every new expense starts as Pending. The expense's Review panel prompts an admin to Approve or Reject it; rejecting asks for a reason the submitter can see. You can also select several pending expenses in the list and approve them in one click.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Submitted, awaiting review |
| Approved | Accepted; counts in job costs and reports |
| Rejected | Declined, with the reason recorded |
Once an expense is reviewed, editing locks, so approved numbers can't quietly change afterward.
For approved reimbursable expenses, click Mark as Reimbursed when you've paid the person back and record how (E-Transfer, Check, Cash, Direct Deposit, or Other). WorkZen doesn't move the money; it tracks that it happened.
Who can do what: team members with only the Manage Own Expenses permission see and submit their own expenses; View Expenses and Manage Expenses cover the whole company; approving, rejecting, and reimbursing require Approve Expenses.
Step by step
- 1
Create the expense
Go to Expenses and click Create Expense. Enter the amount and date; vendor, category, and notes are optional.
- 2
Attach or scan the receipt
Drop a receipt image or PDF onto the form. With receipt scanning on your plan, WorkZen reads it and auto-fills the fields.
- 3
Link it to the work
Pick the Job (and Client or Employee) the cost belongs to, and flag it Billable or Reimbursable if it applies.
- 4
Review it
An admin approves or rejects the expense, and marks reimbursable expenses as reimbursed once the technician is paid back.
See it in action
Frequently Asked Questions
This article answers:
- How do I track expenses?
- How do I attach receipts to expenses?
- Can WorkZen scan receipts automatically?
- How do I approve or reject an expense?
- How do I reimburse a technician?
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Still have questions?
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