To request reimbursement from your employer, document each business expense with an itemized receipt and a brief note on its purpose, enter the amounts on your company’s reimbursement form or expense platform, attach the receipts, and submit the packet to accounts payable or your manager for approval. The mechanics are simple. The details — what counts as proof, how fast you need to submit, and whether the money arrives tax-free — are where requests succeed or stall.
What Counts as a Reimbursable Expense
Most requests cover one of a few categories: mileage and transportation, travel meals and lodging, office supplies, work-related technology, and professional development. Your employer’s policy sets the specific list, but the common thread is that the cost had a clear business purpose and you paid for it personally.
For driving, the IRS business standard mileage rate is 72.5 cents per mile beginning January 1, 2026, covering cars, vans, pickups, and fully electric and hybrid vehicles.1Internal Revenue Service. IRS Sets 2026 Business Standard Mileage Rate at 72.5 Cents Per Mile, Up 2.5 Cents Many employers simply adopt that rate. For travel meals, a lot of private employers benchmark to the GSA per diem, which is $68 per day for meals and incidentals in the continental U.S. for fiscal year 2026, with higher amounts in expensive cities. Your employer is not required to use either figure, but knowing them helps you spot a reimbursement that falls short.
Documentation You Need
Good paperwork is what separates a smooth reimbursement from one that sits in someone’s inbox. For each expense, you need to show what you bought, how much it cost, and why the business needed it.
Receipts
Get an itemized receipt showing the vendor, date, and the specific items or services. A credit card statement with a lump charge is not enough on its own because it does not show what you purchased. If you lose a receipt, a vendor duplicate or an official invoice usually works, depending on company policy.
IRS regulations do not require a physical receipt for business expenses under $75, with one exception: lodging always requires a receipt regardless of amount.2Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Ruling 2003-106 Even below $75, you still need to record the amount, date, place, and business purpose. Plenty of employers set a lower internal threshold, so check your company’s policy before relying on the IRS cutoff.
Digital Copies
You do not have to keep paper. IRS Revenue Procedure 97-22 lets electronic images stand in for paper originals if the images are legible, stored in a system that prevents tampering, and organized so you can pull up a specific record on request.3Internal Revenue Service. Revenue Procedure 97-22 A sharp phone photo in a labeled cloud folder or an expense app meets the standard. An unsorted camera roll does not. Once you have a compliant digital copy, the paper original can go.
Business Purpose
Write a short note on each expense explaining why it was necessary. “Lunch with client — discussed Q3 contract renewal” is enough. “Lunch” is not. Noting the date, location, and people involved protects you if the expense is questioned later.
Filling Out and Submitting the Request
Most employers provide a reimbursement form through an HR portal or expense management software. If your company still uses paper, your supervisor or accounting department should have blanks. Enter vendor names exactly as they appear on your receipts and sort each expense into the right budget category — travel, supplies, professional development, and so on. Check your math. A $12 addition error can bounce the whole request back and restart the clock.
Before submitting, match every line to its receipt. If you claimed $47.50 for office supplies, the $47.50 receipt needs to be attached. Most digital platforms accept PDF or image uploads directly. For paper submissions, hand the packet to accounts payable and ask for confirmation of receipt, or use certified mail if you are remote. That confirmation matters if the paperwork later goes missing.
Timelines vary. Most employers process reimbursements within seven to thirty business days, during which accounting verifies each expense against your documentation. Approved amounts usually come through your regular payroll channel, often direct deposit, though some employers still cut checks. If the stated window passes without word, follow up in writing so there is a record of the delay.
Submit promptly. Under IRS rules, the agency considers 60 days after the expense a reasonable deadline for substantiating it to your employer and 120 days for returning any excess advance.4Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses Missing those windows can affect how the payment is taxed.
Will the Reimbursement Be Taxed
Whether your repayment arrives tax-free depends on how your employer has structured its reimbursement program. This matters more than most people realize, because the wrong structure means paying tax on money that simply replaces what you already spent.
Accountable Plans
Under an accountable plan, reimbursements are excluded from your gross income, do not appear as wages on your W-2, and are not subject to Social Security, Medicare, or unemployment taxes for either side.5eCFR. 26 CFR 1.62-2 – Reimbursements and Other Expense Allowance Arrangements To qualify, the plan must meet three conditions: the expense has a business connection, you substantiate it to your employer within a reasonable time, and you return any excess reimbursement.4Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses
Non-Accountable Plans
If any of those three conditions fails, the reimbursement is treated as wages. The full amount shows up in box 1 of your W-2, and both you and your employer owe payroll taxes on it.4Internal Revenue Service. Publication 463 (2025), Travel, Gift, and Car Expenses Starting in 2026, the miscellaneous itemized deduction for unreimbursed employee business expenses is permanently eliminated; the deduction had been suspended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act from 2018 through 2025, and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act made the suspension permanent. The result: if your employer runs a non-accountable plan, you pay tax on money that only restored what you spent, with no deduction to offset it.
Not sure which plan you are under? Look at your pay stub. If reimbursements show up as income, it is a non-accountable plan, and raising the issue with HR is reasonable. The tax savings from switching work for both sides.
If Your Employer Won’t Pay
If a request is denied, ask for the specific reason in writing. Common ones are missing receipts, expenses outside policy, or a form error you can fix and resubmit. Check your company’s reimbursement policy for an internal appeals process or an escalation path to a higher-level manager. When the expense was clearly necessary and your documentation is solid, persistence often works.
Federal Minimum Wage Protection
There is no broad federal law requiring employers to reimburse business expenses. The Fair Labor Standards Act does create an indirect protection, though: employer-required costs like uniforms, tools, or equipment cannot reduce your effective pay below the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour.6U.S. Department of Labor. Handy Reference Guide to the Fair Labor Standards Act If you earn $8.00 an hour and have to spend $1.50 an hour on required business costs without reimbursement, your effective wage drops to $6.50, which violates the FLSA.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 206 – Minimum Wage This protection applies even if you signed something agreeing to cover your own costs. For higher earners, the floor rarely helps in practice.
No federal law specifically requires reimbursement of home internet, equipment, or electricity for remote workers. The FLSA minimum wage floor is the only federal backstop unless your state or city has its own rule.
State Reimbursement Laws
Roughly a dozen states have some form of expense reimbursement requirement, and strength varies. Some require employers to reimburse all necessary business expenses as a general rule. Others only cover expenses the employer explicitly authorized, or only kick in when non-reimbursement would push pay below the state minimum. At least one major city has its own ordinance covering remote work costs where the state has none.
In states with strong statutes, failure to repay necessary business expenses can bring penalties, interest from the date you incurred the cost, and state labor department enforcement. These rights generally cannot be waived by contract.
Filing a Claim
If your employer refuses to reimburse a legitimate expense in a state with a reimbursement law, you can file a wage claim with your state’s labor department. It costs nothing and does not require an attorney, though consulting one can help you decide whether the claim is worth pursuing. Many states accept claims online, and legal fees may be recoverable if you win. In states without a specific statute, the FLSA minimum wage protection is the fallback: if unreimbursed expenses have dropped your effective pay below $7.25 per hour, you can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division.