To make the change, simply log in, go to the “Settings” tab and click on the “Categories” link on the left hand side. You will then see a screen like this (the key section is circled in red):

Simply change the name of the category/account to the one you want (copying and pasting is probably a good idea if you’re trying to use a specific category from QuickBooks) and click the “Update mileage account name” button. You’re good to go.

1. The ability to let managers approve expense reports. Previously, the person who set up the Paybackable company account was the only person who could approve and export the expense reports of company employees. Now, the employee’s manager will be able to approve or reject an expense report.
2. You can now choose to have approved expense reports sent to someone other than the Paybackable account holder - for example, a bookkeeper. This can even be someone who does not have access to your Paybackable account. Users of our Solo plan my find this particularly valuable if they are having someone else handle the books.

Next up: the ability to attach copies of receipts to transactions. It’s largely completed, but we’re working on some of the polish to keep everything simple.

Please let us know what you think of the changes. And keep the suggestions coming!

Should be a busy weekend:-)

So, for those out there who are feeling any pain from this change (when all you should feel is thankful relief that you get some of your cash back), just log into the easiest expense reporting solution on the market and grab that higher business deduction. For our existing customers, starting tomorrow, all you need to do differently is…nothing!

Naturally, we will be updating Paybackable to reflect the new rate, so any mileage expenses you enter during that time will have the correct mileage rate based on your date of travel. See? More savings for you, no additional work required:-) But we’d certainly appreciate you telling your friends and business associates about us!

There’s a simple tool out there called Tweetscan that let’s you search public comments on Twitter. On a lark, I typed in “expense reports” and saw a long list of complaints from regular people. I just did so again this morning and received an even longer list. What’s amazing is the consistency in language - lots of uses of words like “hate”, “dread” and “ugh.” Try it yourself and see: http://www.tweetscan.com/index.php?s=expense+reports

Two things about these tweets (lingo for posts on Twitter) were of particular interest to us:
1. The vast majority of expense reporting solutions in the market are designed to make company controllers and senior management happy by solving for things like cost controls and policy enforcement. Actual ease of use for the employees is a complete afterthought - hence the dread of using software like this.
2. When I ran these searches on Twitter, they were during normal business hours. This means company employees, during the hours they are getting paid, are doing their expense reports. That means that the longer it takes them, the more frustrated they become, the more money it costs the company. Wouldn’t it save a ton of money to make the expense reimbursement process simpler? We sure think so. Maybe they could convince their companies to try some easy to use expense reporting software

• Sign up for a company account
• Add employees
• Share common categories among all users in your company
• Manage or reject employee expense reports
• A new, more professional look and feel

Existing users will be able to enjoy the same functionality as they always have for free. But we’ve introduced a few new paid plans to enable companies who need to grow. Existing customers who wish to upgrade can go to http://www.paybackable.com/account/edit

While we’ve done extensive testing, there may still be some issues with the new release, so please email us at support@paybackable.com with any bugs you find. And, as always, we want to hear what other features you’d like to see, so please submit your requests at http://www.paybackable.com/feedback

That’s actually why we built Paybackable to handle online experts reports as bills that get submitted to the employer for payment. That way, it doesn’t go through payroll. In fact, if you use the export to QuickBooks feature, it actually creates a bill payable to the person submitting the expense report. No payroll confusion.

Odometer reading? Yes, I’m sure everyone remembers to write down their odometer readings every time they travel for business. But one can understand why that information is requested. For years, it was simply the only way to calculate miles traveled. That is, however, until mapping on the web arrived, bringing with it GPS-based distance calculations. Now, instead of having to read your odometer, you can simply enter your starting address and destination in mapping web sites to get the distance. But what if the “route” they suggest is different that the one I chose? Well, fortunately, you can drag the “route” to match the way you actually drove, and the site will recalculate the mileage. This method works great, and allows you to calculate the mileage after the fact because, admit it, how many people remember to do this while they’re driving?

But don’t you have to have the odometer readings? In a word - no. If you look up mileage expense deductions on the IRS web site, the word odometer is not used. Instead, you will find the following: “To claim the deduction, keep adequate records such as a written travel log with complete and accurate mileage records for each business use of your car. If you are unable to produce a clear and accurate business mileage record, the IRS may disallow the deduction.”

In From IRS publication 463, you will find the following: “You cannot deduct amounts that you approximate or estimate” and “You must generally prepare a written record for it to be considered adequate. This is because written evidence is more reliable than oral evidence alone. However, if you prepare a record in a computer memory device with the aid of a logging program, it is considered an adequate record” and even “You do not need to write down the elements of every expense on the day of the expense. If you maintain a log on a weekly basis that accounts for use during the week, the log is considered a timely-kept record.”

In short, odometer readings are an antiquated notion - there’s a much easier way to track business miles driven.

We have now added a link from Paybackable’s mileage tracking screen to the directions page on Google Maps. Just click on the “Miles” column title to go to Google Maps. Not only will you get the distance driven, but Google Maps remembers addresses you’ve typed in, so it learns and saves you time the more you use it. Happy tracking!