Enter and Submit Expenses on Mobile

Tracking Expenses with the ClickTime Mobile Application lets you capture expenses on the go, attach receipts, organize expense sheets, and submit expense sheets from your phone. This article explains how expense sheets and expense items work on mobile, how to add and submit expenses, and what to expect from offline mode and common upload issues.

Where to find it: Install ClickTime Mobile from the App Store or Google Play, then open the app and use the main menu to access Expenses, Expense Sheets, and Unattached Expenses.

Jump to:
Before you begin
Expense sheets vs expense items
Creating an expense sheet
Tracking expense items
  • Adding an expense to an existing sheet
  • Creating an unattached expense
  • Converting foreign currency
  • Attaching photo receipts
Reviewing and submitting expense sheets
Offline mode (expenses)
Troubleshooting and upload tips

Before you begin

To track expenses in ClickTime Mobile, your organization must have the optional Expenses Module enabled.

• You must have permission to enter expenses for your account.
• You will need a designated Expense Sheet Approver on your Person Details page before you can submit expense sheets for review.

If you do not see expense options in the mobile app, or cannot submit expense sheets, please check with your ClickTime Administrator.

Expense sheets vs expense items

ClickTime’s Expense Module has two main pieces:

• Expense sheets – Collections of related expense items. These are often grouped by time period (for example, a month or trip) or by Client / Project.
• Expense items – Individual expenses you incur (meals, travel, supplies, etc.). Each receipt should generally be tracked as a separate expense item.

On mobile, you can add expense items directly to an existing sheet or create them first as unattached expenses. Unattached expenses live on your device until you attach them to an expense sheet.

Creating an expense sheet

To create a new expense sheet:

1. Open the main menu and go to Expense Sheets.
2. Tap the + icon next to Expense Sheets.

On the Create New Expense Sheet screen, you can:

• Use the default name or enter a more descriptive title.
• Optionally add a tracking ID (for internal reference).
• Optionally enter a description.

Tap Create New Expense Sheet. You will see confirmation and then return to your list of expense sheets.

Next, you can begin adding expense items directly to this sheet or create unattached expenses you plan to attach later.

Tracking expense items

There are two main ways to add expense items in the mobile app:

• Add an expense item to an existing expense sheet
• Create an "unattached" expense item and attach it later

The following sections cover each option, as well as currency conversion and photo receipts.

Adding an expense to an existing sheet

If you have already created an expense sheet:

1. From the main menu, go to Expense Sheets.
2. Tap the name of the expense sheet you want to add items to.

On the sheet detail screen:

1. Tap the + icon to create a new expense item.

The Enter New Expense Item screen opens.

Fill in the required fields:

• Date – Defaults to today. Tap the date or pencil icon to select a different date.

• Expense Type – Choose the correct type (for example, meals, mileage, lodging). If a default type is set, it appears automatically. Check with your supervisor if you are unsure which type to use.

  

• Payment Type – How the expense was paid (for example, personal card vs company card). This may default based on your profile. Confirm with your supervisor if needed.

  

• Expense Amount – Enter the amount of the expense. If the expense was incurred in a different currency, you can use the currency conversion option (see Converting foreign currency).

Below the amount field you will see options for attaching receipts and adding additional details.

Use the Description field to add a short note about the expense (for example, “Client lunch – ABC Corp”).

In the Project Details section, you can:

• Select a Project to associate the expense with.

  

• Optionally check Bill to Project if the expense should be billed to the Client / Project.

When you are finished, tap Save Expense Item. The expense is saved and appears on the sheet.

Creating an "unattached" expense

If you prefer to capture expenses immediately and organize them into sheets later, you can create unattached expenses from the main menu.

1. From the main menu, tap Unattached Expenses.
2. Tap the + icon to create a new expense item.

Enter the expense details as described above. Unattached expenses are stored locally on your device until you attach them to an expense sheet.

To attach existing unattached expenses to a sheet:

1. From the main menu, tap Unattached Expenses to view your list.

2. Select the checkboxes next to the expenses you want to attach.
3. Tap Attach to Expense Sheet.

Choose the expense sheet you want to attach these items to.

After attaching, you will see a confirmation and return to the Unattached Expenses screen.

To delete an expense (attached or unattached) select the trash can icon on the top right corner.

Important: Unattached expenses are stored locally on your device. They will only appear in the ClickTime web app after you attach them to an expense sheet. If you uninstall the mobile app before attaching them, those unattached expenses will be lost.

Converting foreign currency

By default, ClickTime assumes expenses are in your account’s local currency (configured on the Company → Preferences page). The mobile app also supports expenses paid in other currencies and will convert amounts for you.

1. Enter the expense details as usual.
2. Tap the Currency option to convert the amount.

3. Select the currency the expense was paid in.

The app converts the amount into your local currency and updates the expense.

Attaching photo receipts

You can attach photos of receipts to expense items directly from your camera or photo gallery.

Note: To attach receipts, the ClickTime Mobile app must have permission to access your camera and photo gallery. You will be prompted the first time you try to take or attach a photo. If you run into issues, check your device app permissions.

You can attach receipts using any of the following methods:

• Create an expense from your phone’s camera
• Take a picture while entering the expense
• Add an existing picture from your photo gallery

Creating an expense from your camera

1. From Unattached Expenses, tap the Photo button at the bottom of the page, or use the camera shortcut in the main menu.

2. Your camera app opens. Take a photo of the receipt.

3. Tap OK to save the image (or Retry to retake it).

After you accept the image, you are taken to the expense item form with the photo already attached as the receipt.

Taking a picture while entering an expense

1. On the expense item entry screen, tap the Photo icon.

2. Take the photo and tap OK to confirm and attach it.

Cropping receipts before upload

When uploading a receipt from your camera, ClickTime gives you the option to crop the image before attaching it to your expense. This helps keep only the receipt visible.

On the preview screen, use the crop tool to frame the receipt, then tap OK to continue.

To remove a receipt that is already attached, tap the image and use the trash can icon in the top right.

Images you take through the ClickTime Mobile app are also saved to your device gallery for future reference.

Adding an existing picture from your gallery

1. On the expense item entry screen, tap the Gallery icon.

2. Select the image from your gallery.

The image is attached to the expense item. Finish entering the details and tap Save Expense Item.

Note: On the web, you can attach PDFs and certain other file types to expense items. In the ClickTime mobile app, PDF uploads aren’t supported — mobile attachments must be image files (PNG, BMP, JPG, GIF) up to 2 MB.

Workaround: To attach a PDF receipt, upload it from the web app, or save/convert the PDF to an image and attach the image from the mobile app.

Reviewing and submitting expense sheets

Once you have added all expense items for a period or trip, you can review and submit the expense sheet to your approver.

1. From the main menu, go to Expense Sheets.

2. Use the tabs at the top to switch between Open, Pending, and Approved sheets.
    

   

3. Tap an Open expense sheet to see its items and totals.

If you need to edit an item before submitting, tap the item name, make your changes, and save.

When you are ready to submit the sheet:

4. Tap Submit from the expense sheet details screen.

5. On the submission screen, confirm your Expense Sheet Approver and optionally add a note.

Tap Submit in the top corner. ClickTime sends an email to your approver and moves the expense sheet to the Pending tab.

If your expense sheet is rejected, it returns to the Open tab with notes from your approver explaining what needs to change.

Once approved, the sheet moves to the Approved tab where you can see the approval status and any approver notes.

Some organizations also track whether an expense sheet has been paid. If used, this status is visible with the sheet details.

Offline mode (expenses)

You can still work with expenses when you are temporarily offline, but there are important limitations.

While offline you can:

• Create and edit unattached expenses on your device.
• Capture receipts and save them to expenses on your phone.

While offline you cannot:

• Create new expense sheets.
• Add expense items to an existing expense sheet.
• Submit expense sheets.

Once you reconnect to Wi-Fi or mobile data, sync your data and attach any offline expenses to sheets before uninstalling the app or switching devices.

Troubleshooting and upload tips

If you run into issues with expenses on the mobile app, try the following steps:

1. On the Settings screen, tap Refresh Data to sync with your account.

2. Log out of the application and log back in.
3. Restart your phone to reset your data connection and clear temporary glitches.
4. If problems persist, uninstall and reinstall the app. Important: Make sure you have attached any unattached expenses to an expense sheet first, or they will be lost when you uninstall.

If you cannot upload images from your camera roll on iPhone or iPad, the issue may be related to Apple’s HEIC image format. ClickTime supports image formats such as PNG, BMP, JPG, and GIF up to 2 MB in size.

A quick workaround is to take a screenshot of the receipt image on your device, which saves it as a PNG and often reduces the file size, making upload more reliable.

If you continue to experience problems or have questions about expense tracking best practices, please contact ClickTime Support and we will be happy to help.