This playbook outlines best practices for bootstrapped startups with fewer than five employees to use Expensify efficiently. The goal is to focus on product development while seamlessly capturing business-related receipts for future reimbursement.

• If you’ve secured venture capital and are prioritizing top-line revenue growth, see our Playbook for VC-Backed Startups.
• If maintaining profitability is your primary concern, check out our *Playbook for Small to Medium-Sized Businesses.

Who You Are

As a bootstrapped startup, you work with a small, trusted team and are focused on developing your concept. You may be self-funding or have limited support from friends and family. While the company isn’t profitable yet, you’re tracking expenses now to reimburse yourself later when you secure investment or generate revenue.

Setting Up Expensify Step-by-Step

This guide is based on best practices from processing expenses for thousands of companies. Use it as a starting point, knowing you can customize Expensify to fit your business needs.

Step 1: Create an Expensify Account

If you don’t have an account yet, sign up at new.expensify.com using your business email.

Step 2: Create a Free Plan Workspace

Expensify offers three plans (Free, Collect, and Control). For your needs, the Free Plan is the best fit because:

• You need to capture receipts but don’t require approval workflows or reimbursements yet.
• You work in a small, highly collaborative team, and the built-in chat feature helps you stay organized.
• When your business generates enough revenue, you may want to reimburse yourself for past expenses.

To create your Free Plan Workspace:

1. Go to new.expensify.com.
2. Click New Workspace.
3. Select your avatar in the top left corner.
4. Click your workspace name and rename it.
5. Add an avatar image, preferably of yourself.

The Free Plan also includes 24/7 support via Concierge. You can start a direct message anytime at new.expensify.com/concierge.

Step 3: Invite Your Team

If you have co-founders or team members who need to capture receipts, invite them to your workspace.

1. Click your avatar.
2. Select Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace.
4. Select Members.
5. Click Invite and enter their email addresses.

Inviting your team grants them unlimited receipt capture via SmartScan and access to Expensify’s free chat tool for seamless collaboration.

Step 4: Link Your Business Bank Account (Optional)

If you already have a business bank account, you may be better suited for our Seed Stage playbook. If you’re in the US, linking your business bank account unlocks features like bill payments and the Expensify Card.

To link your bank account:

1. Click your avatar.
2. Select Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace name.
4. Scroll down and select Bank account.
5. Choose your bank and enter your login credentials.

Once linked, you can start using the Expensify Card—not just for yourself, but for co-founders as well.

Step 5: Get the Expensify Card

After linking your business bank account, you’re eligible for the Expensify Card, included with your Free Plan. The card offers:

• 1% cash back on all US purchases (2% if spending exceeds $250K/month).
• Unlimited virtual cards with fixed or monthly limits for specific company purchases (e.g., marketing, advertising, travel).
• Fast access to funds via a virtual card while waiting for a physical card.

To enable the Expensify Card:

1. Click your *avatar*.
2. Select Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace.
4. Select Cards.
5. You’ll be redirected to expensify.com.
6. Set a SmartLimit above $0.
7. Enter your mailing address for a physical card.

A virtual card is available for immediate use, and a physical card will arrive in 1-3 business days. The Expensify Card is accepted anywhere Visa is.

Step 6: View and Pay Bills

If you have vendors or services essential to growing your project, you can pay bills directly through Expensify after linking your bank account.

Expensify provides you with a _yourdomain.com@expensify.com_ email address. Have vendors send bills to this address for automatic organization.

To view and pay bills:

1. Click your avatar.
2. Select Workspaces.
3. Click your workspace.
4. Select Bills.

Click View all bills under the Manage your bills section to see an organized list of pending bills, which you can pay via ACH directly from Expensify.

You’re All Set!

Congratulations! Your Expensify setup is complete. If you need assistance:

• Message Concierge anytime at new.expensify.com/concierge.
• Email concierge@expensify.com.
• Upgrade to a Collect or Control Workspace to be assigned a dedicated Setup Specialist.