Track Personal Expenses
If you’re a freelancer, sole proprietor, or just want to track personal expenses, this guide walks you through setting up your workspace and starting your free 30-day trial. The trial begins once you start using your workspace.
Note: After creating your workspace, check your email or Expensify notifications to book a free onboarding session with a Setup Specialist.
Meet Concierge
Concierge is your in-app assistant who helps with setup and offers:
- Reminders to submit expenses
- Alerts when more details are needed
- Updates on new features
To chat with Concierge, open your chat inbox anytime for help and guidance.
Create a Workspace
Each workspace has its own rules and settings, even for personal expense tracking.
- Use the navigation tabs (on the left on web, and at the bottom on mobile) to go to Workspaces.
- Click New workspace > Name to rename the workspace.
Add Expenses
You can add expenses using SmartScan or by creating them manually.
How to SmartScan a Receipt
SmartScan reads receipt details like merchant, date, total, and currency automatically.
On mobile:
- Tap the green camera button and take a photo of the receipt or upload from gallery.
- Enter the workspace or recipient’s email/phone number.
- Add details like description, category, tags, and tax.
- Tap Create expense.
On desktop:
- Click the green receipt button and drag and drop the receipt or click Choose files to upload.
- Enter the workspace or recipient’s email/phone number.
- Add details like description, category, tags, and tax.
- Click Create expense.
💡 Note: Other ways to SmartScan receipts include:
- Forward your digital receipts to
receipts@expensify.com. - Text a photo of your receipts to 47777 (US numbers only). Just make sure you add your phone number to Expensify.
How to Manually Enter an Expense
On mobile:
- Tap the green camera button.
- Select Manual.
- Enter the amount and currency, then tap Next.
- Choose a workspace or an individual.
- Add optional fields like category, tags, or description.
- Tap Create expense.
On desktop:
- Click the green add receipt button.
- Select Manual.
- Enter the amount and currency, then click Next.
- Choose a workspace or an individual.
- Add optional fields like category, tags, or description.
- Click Create expense.
Learn more about creating expenses
View expenses in your Expense chat or the Reports page. Export to CSV for tax or accountant use.
Connect Credit Cards and Bank Accounts
Let Expensify automatically import and match card transactions to SmartScanned receipts.
Connect a Bank Account
- Go to Workspaces in the navigation tabs (on the left on web, and at the bottom on mobile).
- Click [Workspace Name] > More features > Enable Workflows.
- From the left-hand menu, click Workflows.
- Enable Make or track payments.
- Click Connect bank account.
🏦 For more details on connecting a bank account, check out this guide: Connect a Business Bank Account.
Connect a Credit Card
💳 For more information on connecting credit cards, check out this article: Personal Cards.
Add Categories
Categories help you organize and code expenses. To set these up:
- Go to Workspaces > [Workspace Name].
- Click Categories in the left menu.
- To disable a category, click it and toggle it off.
- To add a new category:
- Click Add category
- Enter a name
- Click Save
If you don’t need to use categories, go to More features and toggle Categories off.
Note: If you’re connected to an accounting system (like QuickBooks), you must edit categories there. You can still disable them in Expensify.
Set Up Additional Features
You can customize your workspace by enabling additional features. Once enabled, new menu items appear.
Popular options:
To enable a feature:
- Go to More features in the left-hand menu.
- Toggle on the feature.
- Click the new menu item to adjust settings.
Free Trial
You can track the status of your 30-day free trial on your Subscription page. We’ll send reminders near the end of your trial. To continue using all features, add a billing card when prompted.
