Expense reports are a reality of employment in Corporate America that most people tend not to think too much about.  You spend money on behalf of your company and HR pays you back ASAP, right? 

However, once you go to actually submit your first expense report for a new job, you may realize that reimbursement is more complicated that you thought.  On the one hand, you want to get what’s coming to you, but because you’re trying to establish a strong reputation, you don’t want to stick the company with an ultra-extravagant bill for your first business trip.  When traveling or eating out on the company’s dollar, especially when you’re new to the organization, choose the middle-of-the-road option instead of the most expensive. 

If you’re lucky enough to have an administrative assistant who can handle unsavory and time-consuming expense issues for you, that’s a big help.  But if you don’t, I advise spending some time figuring out your company’s expense report software program and other tools before you have urgent items to submit.  You should also get the download on policies that are unique to the organization – for instance,  if corporate expenses must be charged on a particular credit card or if you are required to use certain vendors in order to be reimbursed.  

This may sound like a no brainer, but I still hear about it happening every now and then, so I’ll add this word of caution: don’t pad your expense reports.  Read the rules in detail to determine what you will be reimbursed for and don’t submit anything that doesn’t meet these requirements.  White lies that seem harmless at the time aren’t a good idea either.  Don’t take your girlfriend out to dinner on the company because your boss thinks you’re still at that sales meeting downtown,  and don’t say you lost a valid expense receipt when in fact you never had one to begin with.  You may save a few bucks today, but it’ll be nothing in comparison to the months of salary you’ll lose if you get caught!