DH / $$$ / EXPENSES never get turned in

[PMJ]

UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I've been dealing w/ this for so many years, you'd think I'd get used to it, but nope....

DH IS TERRIBLE about submitting his expenses...I have tried asking him why he does not do it and have offered to help him and have even offered given him the receipts in envelopes (labeled) etc to turn in.. NOPE

Last Fall he spent $400 at a restaurant and forgot to expense it. WTF...
Then in Jan when I said something, he said, 'it's too late, can't do it now'

Then, he repeatedly takes co workers, and friends out to eat -- and insists on paying the full tab. Again, NEVER EXPENSES it and w/ friends does not pay just 1/2.. I don't get it. Why does he pay $40 for a tab when the other person is a friend and works too.. No special occasions, just insists on paying. If it happened once in a while, I could deal w/it -- no, happens at least 3-4 times a week, that is 100's of $$$ wasted..

WHAT DO I DO????????/// I'm so sick right now b/c this is pissing me off so much. He just wasted $40 for a Supershuttle b/c he booked it on the wrong day..

When I try to sit down and talk about it, he says, "I'm being too cheap and should not worry about it. And that I should "trust" him and let him take care of it".. Too bad, when I do that, it never gets done.. how much trust can I put in him.

[MamaMolly]

And that I should "trust" him and let him take care of it".. Too bad, when I do that, it never gets done.. how much trust can I put in him.

Oh dear, this doesn't sound good. Actions speak louder than words, you know?

Is this something that you guys can afford, or is it a financial strain? I wouldn't be happy about it happening in the first place, but I'd have a big issue with it if you are struggling financially.

Has he said why he doesn't want to turn them in? What is the benefit he's getting? Maybe he just likes the feeling of treating everyone (as weird as that might or might not be!). I just don't get not wanting the money back.

[misshollygolightly]

Ugh. Well, to be honest, I *dread* submitting expense reports...it's just an annoying process. Totally not a good excuse, but I hate messing with them. Somehow, in my mind, it seems like the whole hassle is just not worth it to recoup money I've already spent and forgotten about (even though I know, really, it is!). However, depending on how his company handles expense reports, you can often snap photos of the receipts w/ your smartphone and submit them electronically. My university just switched to a system like this and it's so much easier...and you can submit everything practically instantly, all from your smartphone. (I still suck at it because I don't know how to use my smartphone..I know, I know! I suck! But I've only had my phone about two weeks and I'm still learning!) Anyway, maybe if you offer to submit the reports for him, or at least set him up to do it easily from his phone, it might lessen his resistance.

Anyway, I'm sorry he drags his heels on this...it would drive me crazy too if my DH did this (even though it's totally the kind of thing I would do myself!)

[Gena]

As someone who works with processing expense reports, I just have to say this can be really bad. We have a people fall behind in submitting their expenses and it causes huge headaches in billing our customers in a timely manner and tracking contract expenses.

We sometimes have an employee get several months behind. In submitting expense reports. In addition to the usual accounting issues, this type of delay makes the management wonder if something unethical is going on.

I highly recommend staying on top of submitting expenses, even though it's a hassle.

[american_mama]

DH is not as bad, but similar. He doesn't float friends for lunch and at least he ostensibly cares about getting reimbursed. But he still has to submit for reimbursement for a flight/long-term parking in November (and he'll probably refuse to submit for the parking for reasons I cannot fathom), flight/shuttle/200+ mile round trip to airport from February (and he probably will refuse to submit for the mileage, again for reasons I cannot fathom). I think he has submitted for two very large recruiting dinners from the last month. I send him email reminders all the time, ask him about it in person, and get nothing for an answer. Like you, I am tempted to offer to help/do the reports, etc. but I don't actually offer because I am 100% positive it would cause even bigger fights.

For my DH, all I can say is that he's not a detail person and is forgetful. I am very detail-oriented and have a good to very good memory. This has turned me into a nag and him into a deaf person.

[lizzywednesday]

Expense reports can be a huge hassle to deal with on the employee end, too.

We actually made it easier to submit them at our company by making the process completely automated - you no longer have to fill out a form by hand & mail it to Accounting; it gets submitted directly. AND you can scan receipts!

(Of course, it's good idea to keep hardcopy receipts just in case.)

If the reporting is a hassle, I'd suggest this kind of an "innovation." Implementing it is relatively low-cost and suggesting it will usually count in a positive way towards someone's at-work reputation.

[BabyBearsMom]

1) Check that his company policy allows for copies of receipts vs. the real thing
2) Buy a portable receipt scanner.

What a pain in the butt!

[Zansu]

Would it help if he used a dedicated credit card? You could set up multiple reminders for payments and the work expenses would not get hidden by everyday charges.

I'm sure there's a great app out there that would let him photograph receipts and create an expense statement for him.