[GNC] Tracking Travel expenses

[Stan Brown]

Hi, Esteban!

I assume these travel expenses are going to be reimbursed by your
employer. In effect, you're making a loan to your employer, which
creates an account receivable. This is an asset account, not an expense,
so it is kept completely separate from your own expenses.

The simplest solution is to set up an account receivable,
"Assets:Accounts Receivable:Due from Employer" or similar.(*) Then when
you buy let's say airline tickets for an employer-required trip,
    Debit: Due from Employer
    Credit:(whichever credit card you used
When your employer reimburses you, it's
    Debit: Cash and Checking Accounts
    Credit:Due from Employer

(*) If you don't have any other accounts receivable, you can skip the
intermediate level and just create Assets:Due from Employer.

I assume your employer has some sort of form that you fill out for
reimbursement. While you _could_ complicate the above scheme to generate
reports for that form, in my opinion it's less work overall to just
write the expenses on your employer's form when they happen, and
separately record them in GC.

Where the simple scheme above will definitely help is at income tax
time. You'll be able to show that X amount of money received from your
employer was a non-taxable reimbursement for expenses, not a taxable
payment of salary.

Stan Brown
Tehachapi, CA, USA
https://BrownMath.com

On 2022-11-14 12:08, Esteban Maringolo wrote:
> What is the recommended account setup and procedure to track
> travel expenses (and refund of these) when I use my personal accounts
> (cash/credit card) to pay these?
> 
> I don't want the travel expenses to mix with my regular "monthly" expenses,
> although I'd like to split them into different categories (food, gas,
> hotel, etc.).