Expense reimbursement
The rules for charging approved project costs, such as travel or stock assets, back to the client on top of your fee.
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What it is
Expense reimbursement is the contract mechanism for passing approved project costs through to the client. Typical examples include travel, couriers, stock assets, printing, or a project-specific license. The clause should say which categories qualify, whether written pre-approval is required, and whether costs are billed at cost or with a stated markup.
Reach for it whenever delivery may require buying something outside your fee. Set an approval threshold, require itemized receipts, name the currency conversion method for foreign expenses, and state when expenses will be invoiced. Put foreseeable large costs in the quote or SOW instead of surprising the client later.
Gotcha: 'reasonable expenses will be reimbursed' gives nobody a working rule. One person considers a taxi reasonable; another expected the train. Borrow a published table rather than arguing taste: US contractors often cap lodging and meals at the GSA per diem rate for the destination city, which settles the question before the trip. Name the categories and limits, get approval before spending, and keep the receipt tied to the project and approver.
Ask AI for it
Create an expense reimbursement policy and Expensify submission checklist for the project below. Define allowed and excluded categories, written pre-approval rules, a per-item approval threshold, receipt requirements, travel class and lodging limits, treatment of tips, whether expenses are billed at cost or with a disclosed markup, the foreign-currency conversion method, and the invoice timing. Add an approval table with requester, approver, project code, amount, currency, receipt link, and decision. Flag any tax treatment that needs an accountant's review.