Processing Personal and Employee Expenses in Apron

Here’s how to handle expenses that have been paid personally and need to be reimbursed.

Expenses paid personally by the business owner

If you (as the director or owner) pay for something business-related using your personal card or cash, you can still reclaim it and ensure it’s correctly recorded.

What to do:

1. Upload the receipt/invoice to Apron using any method (email, app, WhatsApp, etc.).

2. In Apron → Bookkeeping → Purchases, open the document and change the supplier name to your own (e.g. "Bill Palmer (Expenses)").

3. Click Publish to send the expense to Xero.

4. In Xero, it will appear as a bill payable to you, ready for reimbursement.

5. Pay yourself (from the business bank account to your personal bank account).

6. At a later date, the payment will show up in your Xero bank feed:

   1. If we reconcile Xero for you, we'll handle this step.

   2. If you reconcile Xero yourself, you should allocate each payment against the related bill.

If possible, make one payment per bill, to help us when matching the payment to the bill.

This ensures the business gets the tax relief, and you get properly reimbursed.

Expenses paid by employees

If an employee pays for something on behalf of the business, the process is nearly identical.

What to do:

1. Ask the employee to upload the receipt/invoice to Apron - or do it on their behalf.

2. In Bookkeeping → Purchases, change the supplier name to the employee’s name (e.g. "Patty McKee (Expenses)").

3. Click Publish to send it to Xero as a bill payable to the employee.

4. Once paid, reconcile the payment against the bill in Xero.

If possible, make one payment per bill, to help us when matching the payment to the bill.

Setting up employee expense cards

Apron offers free expense cards for small businesses. These cards work like prepaid debit cards, and are a simple way to let team members pay for business expenses without needing reimbursements.

You can read more about how they work on Apron's website, but if you’d like to try them out, it’s quick to get started.

1. Log in to the Apron mobile app

Download the Apron app from the App Store or Google Play and log in with your usual account details.

2. Start the expense card setup

On the home screen, look for an option to Set up Expense Cards. Tap this to begin the process.

3. Complete the verification steps

To activate the cards, Apron will ask for a few business and identity details. This may include:

• Your company’s registered name and address

• Proof of ownership or control (e.g. a Companies House check)

• A photo of your ID (like a passport or driving licence)

We can help you set up additional members on your Apron account - just ask! Access can be restricted to just their own expenses so they don't see everything on the account.

4. Order and assign cards

Once approved, you can issue virtual cards (physical cards are coming soon). For each card, you’ll:

• Choose a cardholder (yourself or a staff member)

• Set a monthly spending limit

• Add any category restrictions (e.g. fuel, food, tools)

Virtual cards will be available immediately.

5. Use the card for business purchases

The cardholder can now use their Apron card for business-related spending. After each purchase, they’ll get a prompt in the Apron app to upload a receipt.

6. Review and publish in Apron

Each transaction appears in Bookkeeping → Purchases with the cardholder’s name attached. You (or your accountant) can:

• Check the details and receipt

• Categorise the expense

• Publish it to Xero like any other invoice or bill

This keeps things simple and avoids the need for manual reimbursements.