Introduction
Everybody hates expenses, and it's no wonder. Even the shortest business trip requires
- keeping receipts - generally small, easy to lose pieces of paper
- remembering where, when and why the expenses were incurred
- submitting them to the finance department - from photocopying to creating a spreadsheet
Currently there are many expense tracking apps available for the iPhone, but they all require too much work. What the development collective have done is produce an app that is easy, and above all, quick to use. The features of the iPhone are employed to aid this process - the camera to store the receipts, and GPS to record the location.
At the end of a reporting period, the app can email a full report to you (or the finance department) in either CSV format (for Excel spreadsheets), or as a PDF document (which in many cases could be suitable to attach directly to an expense claim).
Launching
The first time the app is launched, you will be requested to register by entering an email address and a password (this email address is used to identify you, and as the default email address for sending reports at the end of each reporting period). Once registered, subsequent launches of the app will take you directly to the "Expenses" screen - a list of the expenses you have entered. Note that an internet connection is no longer necessary.
It is from this screen that you add, view or delete expenses. At the bottom of the screen, the number of expenses entered is shown, along with the equivalent value in your default currency (see "Settings").
Use the tab bar items to switch between the Expenses, Reports, Settings and Help screens.
Expenses
Adding an Expense
Select the "+" button from the navigation bar. The "Add Expense" screen is shown. At a minimum the "Amount" (or "Distance" if you want to enter a private car expense) and "Category" fields must be completed before you can "Save" the expense. The currency to use for the receipt can be changed to any of the major currencies in the world, or you can select "Miles/Kilometres" for private car expenses.
If you are entering a receipt for a date different from the current date, select the required date using the iPhone's date control.
Indicate whether it is a "VAT receipt" and add any "Notes" you need to refresh your (or the finance department's) memory. The "add receipt" button takes you to the camera application, where you can photograph your receipt.
Viewing an Expense
Select the expense from the list. The "View Expense" screen will be shown. Scroll through the notes (if required), select the receipt image to see a larger version, or select the map button (which will only be shown if you have requested to store your location when entering expenses on the "Settings" screen, and if there is an internet connection) to see a map showing where you where you were when the expense was entered.
Using the "<" and ">" buttons on the navigation bar will move to the previous or next expense, without having to return to the list (as will "swiping" left and right in the top quarter of the screen).
At the bottom of the screen, the equivalent value of the expense, in your default currency, is displayed (see "Settings").
Deleting an Expense
Expenses can be deleted by either swiping on the list entry, or via the "Edit" button. To quickly delete all the expenses (for example, after the end of a reporting period, use the "Delete All" button once in "Edit" mode - you must confirm this action).
Generating Reports
If your reporting period is a week or month, select the relevant button before choosing which type of report(s) you require (the exact dates included are shown on screen). If you need (or want) to report on a different period, select the "Custom" button and choose the required "From" and "To" dates.
The email address to which reports are sent can also be updated. You can now request that the CSV and PDF, only CSV, or only PDF reports be generated. A progress screen will be displayed while the reports are generated, before the iPhone's email application is invioked. From here you can "Send" or "Cancel" the email (as well as add CC/BCC email addresses).
Settings
The "Settings" screen shows information about the "I Hate Expenses" app, and values which can be altered. The version of the app, and the email address used when registering, are displayed. The "Default currency" can be changed (this is the currency used when submitting your expenses), as can the rate used per Mile (or Kilometre) for private car expenses.
The "Exchange rate date" is also displayed. This is the last date on which the exchange rates were downloaded (this happens in the background whenever you start the application and have an internet connection). These rates are used to show the equivalent value of expenses in your "Default currency", if they were incurred in a different currency.
Backup / Restore
If you have an internet connection, the "Backup" and "Restore" buttons are shown. Using these, you can create a backup of your expenses on a desktop, or restore your expenses from a desktop. This gives you extra peace of mind, and is something that should be done before upgrading to a new iOS version.
Selecting the "Backup" button will first create a backup file, then display the location from which to copy this file to your desktop (via your web-browser). The "Restore" button will display the location to which you can download a backed-up file (via your web-browser).
Account Management
Forget Me
If you don't want to keep your expenses private, selecting the "Forget me" button will mean that you have to enter your email and password the next time you launch the application. This is solely for added security.
Delete Account
If you no longer want to be registered for this application on a particular iPhone, select the "Delete account" button - this operation must be confirmed as ALL the data associated with your account will be deleted.