Before the trip
Find out how the trip is arranged, read the business travel policy, check the per diem rate and how the advance is paid. Ask which documents accounting expects in the report.
Practical guides
Practical guides
Most problems with a trip report are caused not by complex rules but by lost tickets and receipts nobody asked for in time. This section offers step-by-step guides for each stage of the trip: what to clarify before leaving, what to keep on the road and at the hotel, how to put together the expense report after returning, and how to check a cash receipt yourself.
If you can get a document today, get it today: a week later it will be much harder to recover.
The guides describe the general procedure under the Labour Code of the Russian Federation and the Regulation on business trips. Specific forms, advance payment deadlines and document requirements vary between employers — check your organisation's internal rules.
Step-by-step guides
Four stages of a business trip and what matters at each of them.
On the road
Keep tickets, boarding passes and electronic travel documents. They prove both your costs and your departure and return dates. If you travel by your own car, collect documents for its costs.
At the hotel
When paying for your stay, ask for a cash receipt and the hotel's accommodation documents. Check that the dates are correct. If tourist tax is charged, it will be included in the cost of the stay.
After returning
Within 3 working days, submit the expense report with documents for accommodation, travel and other expenses. If a document is missing, say so straight away, not on the last day.
How to prepare an expense report
Get your employer's form
Ask accounting which form to use for the expense report (avansovy otchyot) and how to submit it — on paper or in an electronic system.
Collect travel documents
Attach tickets and other travel documents. They also prove the length of the trip.
Attach accommodation documents
You need the documents issued by the hotel and a cash receipt. Check that the dates of your stay match the dates of the trip.
Add other expenses
Other expenses are reimbursed if they were incurred with the employer's permission. Attach supporting documents for each one.
Reconcile the amounts
Compare the advance you received with your actual expenses, including per diems under the employer's rules. The difference is either returned or paid to you in the established way.
Submit the report on time
Under the Regulation on business trips, the expense report is due within 3 working days of returning. Keep copies of your documents.
How to check a cash receipt
- Install the official Federal Tax Service app “Proverka chekov” (Receipt Check)
- Scan the QR code on the receipt or enter its details manually
- Compare the data in the app with the paper or electronic receipt: date, amount and seller's name
- Make sure the date and amount match your stay and payment
- If the receipt cannot be found or the details differ, ask the seller for an explanation and inform accounting
Related sections
- Documents and procedures
Which documents prove travel, accommodation and other expenses; whether a travel certificate and assignment are needed; why bought “receipts” are risky.
- Examples and cases
Hypothetical situations: the hotel issued only an invoice, a receipt was lost, the trip was extended, travel by own car, the tourist tax.
- The basics
What a business trip is, what guarantees an employee has, which expenses are reimbursed and who sets the amount of per diems.
Sources
- Labour Code of the Russian Federation (Arts. 166–168)
- Russian Government Decree No. 749 of 13 October 2008
- Federal Law No. 54-FZ
- Federal Tax Service of Russia — “Proverka chekov” (Receipt Check) app
Information is based on the Labour Code and Tax Code of the Russian Federation, Russian Government decrees and materials of the Federal Tax Service of Russia. Rules change, so check the current version in official sources and the procedure adopted by your employer. Rules in other countries differ.