Site Expenses

The Site Expenses module manages petty cash and operational expenses incurred at project sites. It follows a three-stage workflow: a site manager requests funds, records day-to-day expenses against those funds, and then submits an expense report for settlement. Upon settlement, the system automatically adjusts the cash balance remaining at the site and posts the expenses to the general ledger.

Site Expense Workflow

Fund Request

A Fund Request is initiated by site personnel to request petty cash or operational funds from the head office. The request must specify budget heads (ledger categories) and the job the funds are for.

Creating a Fund Request

1. Navigate to Finance → Site Expenses → Fund Request
2. Click Add New Request
3. Fill in the request details:

   Field	Description	Required
   Job	Select the job/site the funds are for	Yes
   Amount	Total amount of funds requested	Yes
   Budget Heads	Specify how the funds will be spent (expense categories/ledgers)	Yes
   Purpose	Description of why the funds are needed	Yes
   Requested By	Person requesting the funds (auto-filled with current user)	Yes

4. Submit the request for approval

Approval Process

Fund requests go through an approval process. Once approved, funds are released to the site. The approval creates a voucher entry:

• DR Site Cash/Advance Account (asset) — funds allocated to site
• CR Bank/Cash Account (head office) — funds disbursed

Expenses

Once funds have been approved and released, site personnel record individual expenses as they occur throughout the month.

Recording an Expense

1. Navigate to Finance → Site Expenses → Expenses
2. Click Add Expense
3. Enter the expense details:

   Field	Description	Required
   Date	Date the expense was incurred	Yes
   Expense Category	Ledger/category of the expense (must match budget heads from the fund request)	Yes
   Amount	Expense amount	Yes
   Vendor/Party	Who the expense was paid to (if applicable)	No
   Description	Details of the expense	Yes
   Receipt	Attach a scan or photo of the receipt	Recommended

4. Click Save

Uploading Expenses in Bulk

For sites with many expenses, use the Upload Expenses button to import expenses from a template file in bulk.

Expense Reports

An Expense Report consolidates all expenses recorded against a fund request into a single report for settlement and approval. Upon settlement, the system:

• Adjusts the remaining cash balance at the site
• Creates finance voucher entries for each expense category
• Reconciles allocated vs. actual expenses

Creating an Expense Report

1. Navigate to Finance → Site Expenses → Expense Reports
2. Click Add Expense Report
3. Select the Fund Request to settle against
4. The system pulls in all recorded expenses for that fund request
5. Review the expenses and totals
6. Submit the report for approval
7. Upon approval, the system generates settlement vouchers:
   • DR Expense Ledgers (various) — actual expenses incurred
   • CR Site Cash/Advance Account — reduces the site's fund balance

Best Practices

• Attach receipts to every expense — Upload scanned receipts or photos for audit compliance and faster approvals
• Submit expense reports monthly — Close out and settle expense reports at month-end to keep financial records current
• Match expenses to budget heads — Ensure expense categories match the budget heads specified in the original fund request
• Allocate to correct jobs — Tag every fund request and expense to the correct job for accurate project costing
• Use Upload for high-volume sites — For sites with many daily expenses, use the Upload Expenses feature rather than manual entry
• Reconcile before submitting reports — Verify that total expenses match expectations before submitting the expense report for approval