How to Create an Expense Report as a Self-Employed Canadian
A step-by-step guide to creating expense reports for your accountant, clients, and CRA — what to include, how to format it, and how to automate the process.
Sarah Tremblay
CPA, Tax Advisor
As a self-employed Canadian, you need expense reports for two audiences: the CRA (to support your T2125 filing) and clients or employers (for reimbursement). Both require the same underlying data, but formatted differently.
What a CRA-Ready Expense Report Must Include
- Your name and business name
- Tax year the report covers
- Each expense: date, vendor, description, category, amount, GST/HST amount
- Subtotals by T2125 category
- Total GST/HST paid (for ITC calculation)
- Note of any partially deductible expenses and the percentage claimed
Client Reimbursement Reports
For client reimbursement, include: project or contract name, expense date, description, receipt attached or reference number, and total requested. Most clients want a PDF with receipts as attachments. Clearly separate reimbursable from non-reimbursable expenses if you're reporting both in one document.
ReceiptOne exports both formats: a category-summary CSV for your accountant's T2125 prep, and a per-expense PDF with attached receipt images for clients. This eliminates re-formatting the same data for two different audiences.