Sometimes as a business owner, you may incur expenses on behalf a client that you'd like to bill back to them. Rebilling expenses in FreshBooks is done by assigning it to a client or to a client's project, and then adding it to an invoice. You also have the option of adding a markup and including the receipt image when rebilling any expense.
Assign an Expense to a Client or Project
- Create an expense using the steps in How do I create an expense? here
- Under Expense Settings, select Assign to Client/Project
![Assign to Client or Project option on expense creation screen.]()
- In the Add a Client or project field, enter a Project or a Client, if assigned to a project, this will also appear under that project’s list of associated expenses to track profitability
- To allow the expense to appear on an invoice, check off the box next to Mark as billable so you can invoice a client for this expense later
![Mark expense as billable checkbox with fields to fill out.]()
- If needed, check off the box next to Include receipt image on invoice so your client can view the expense receipt too
- If needed, check off the box next to Add a markup and specify the % of expense grand total, if assigned to a project with an expense markup, the percentage will automatically be filled in for you, otherwise you can specify the amount
- Select Done, then select Save to finish. The expense will now be associated to the client and if indicated, the client's specific project too.
Rebill the Expense to an Invoice
- Select the Invoices section
- Then select an existing invoice, or the New Invoice button, and ensure a client is selected
- If editing an existing invoice, select the Edit button
- Select the Add a Line button
- Then select Add... link next to Import Unbilled Time, Expenses and Projects to add it to the invoice
![Import unnbilled time, expenses and project line item on invoice.]()
- Your expense(s) will display on the invoice with their date, description, and amount
![Rebilled expenses displayed on invoice.]()
- Any included expense receipts appear at the bottom of the invoice in the Attachments section. You can delete any specific receipts you don't want to share by selecting on the X button in the top corner of the receipt
![Attachments section on invoice with attachments included and a preview of attachment.]()
- From here, you can continue putting together the rest of your invoice with the steps in How do I create an invoice? here. You can select Save or Send to finish.
FAQs
I assigned the expense to a client, but it's not appearing on the invoice for rebilling. Why?
The expense should be marked as billable, and both the expense and invoice have to be in the same currency. If it is not appearing, you can change the currency on the invoice with the steps in How do I change my client's currency and language? here.
Why are my expense receipt images not showing up on the invoice?
The expense itself may not be checked off to include the receipt image on the invoice. Use these steps:
- On the invoice, select the trash can icon next to any line item that has the rebilled expense
- Then select the Save button
- Next, select the Expenses section
- Select the expense, then select the Edit button
- Next, under Expense Settings, select Mark as Billable
- Check off the box next to Include receipt image on Invoice and select Done
- Then select Save
- Select the Invoices section, then select the invoice you were working on previously
- Next, select the Edit button, and then follow the steps in Rebill the Expense to an Invoice section above to add it back to the invoice. The receipt images will then appear in the Attachments section below the invoice.
Where do my rebilled expenses go in my reports?
All expenses appear in your Profit and Loss report. On the Profit and Loss report, expenses that are categorized as Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) will appear in the Cost of Goods Sold section while expenses categorized as Operating Expenses will appear in the Less Expenses section instead.