Zoho Expense, explained line by line
Zoho Expense is Zoho's expense reporting software. Your team snaps receipts on their phones; it reads them, checks them against your policy, routes them for approval, pays people back and posts everything to your accounting.
- What it is
- Receipts, reports, mileage, cards, travel
- Who it is for
- Teams that spend company money
- Who pays
- Only people who submit expenses
- Free plan
- Up to 3 users
- Paid plans
- From $3 per user a month
- Works with
- Zoho Books, QuickBooks, Xero
- Included in
- Zoho One
TOTALOne place for every receipt
Try to sneak an expense past the policy
This is what Zoho Expense does the moment someone submits. Change the expense and watch the checks and the approval route change with it.
- Receipt attached
- Within the meals limit of $75
- Business purpose written
- Spent on a weekday
- Meals: up to $75, receipt over $25
- Hotel: up to $220 a night, receipt always
- Taxi: up to $120, receipt over $25
- Flight: up to $600, receipt always
- Business purpose: always
- Weekends: need a reason
From receipt to reimbursement
- 01 · Snap
Photograph it or forward it.
Autoscan reads the merchant, date, amount and tax. Email receipts can be forwarded, and the Standard plan itemizes receipts in more than 38 languages.
- 02 · Check
Categorized and checked.
The expense gets its category, and your policy runs on it straight away: limits, receipts, purpose, dates.
- 03 · Report
Grouped into a report.
Receipts, GPS mileage and per diems for a trip or a month go into one report, submitted from the phone.
- 04 · Approve
Approved by the right people.
The manager, then finance if the amount calls for it. Approvers can act from their phone, email or Slack.
- 05 · Reimburse
Paid back without a spreadsheet.
From the Standard plan, reimbursements go out by ACH or direct bank transfer, and cash advances are settled against the report.
- 06 · Post
In the books, already coded.
Approved expenses post to Zoho Books, QuickBooks or Xero with the right accounts, so nobody retypes them.
Example receipt and amounts, to show the flow.
What Zoho Expense costs
Priced per user, and only the people who create expenses or reports count as users. US list prices.
| Plan | Price | Receipt scans | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0up to 3 users | 20/user/mo | Expense reports, GPS mileage, multi-currency, accounting integrations, 5 GB of receipts. |
| Standard | $3per user a month, billed yearly | 200/user/mo | Itemized receipts, corporate card feeds, several policies, custom roles, cash advances, ACH reimbursement, Slack and WhatsApp, SSO, and Zia AI for reporting, approvals and fraud checks. |
| Premium | $5per user a month, billed yearly | 1,000/user/mo | Travel booking, per diem, live mileage and budget tracking, advanced approvals, several companies or countries, visa automation, carbon tracking. |
| Enterprise | Quotefrom Zoho | custom | For large organizations with their own requirements. |
Source: Zoho's US pricing page, checked October 2026. Local taxes are extra.
Try it first. 14 days free, no card. After that you can stay on Free with up to 3 users.
Add-ons. Travel booking costs $9.99 per trip. ERP and HR system integrations are an add-on on Standard.
On Zoho One? Zoho Expense is included in Zoho One, so check what you already have.
Outside the US? Zoho prices Expense per region and bills in local currency where it can; features can differ by country.
Zoho Expense, Zoho Books or Zoho One?
Zoho Books already records expenses. Zoho Expense is for when other people spend the money and you need to control it.
Zoho Books alone
Owners and bookkeepers
- Record expenses with receipts and mileage
- Fine when one or two people enter the costs
- No employee submissions, policies or approval chains
Zoho Expense
Teams that spend company money
- Employees submit from their phones
- Policies, approvals, cards and reimbursements
- Posts the result to Zoho Books, QuickBooks or Xero
Zoho One
Companies running on Zoho
- Zoho Expense and Zoho Books are both included
- Plus CRM, HR and the rest of the suite
- One login and one bill for everything
What we set up in Zoho Expense
The software is quick to switch on. The work is turning your expense rules, approval habits and accounting into settings that hold up.
Your policies
Limits per category, role and country, receipt and purpose rules, mileage and per diem rates.
Approval chains
Who approves what, from which amount, with finance only where it is needed.
Cards and receipt matching
Corporate card feeds with receipts matched automatically. How receipt matching works.
Accounting sync
Expense accounts mapped to Zoho Books, or to QuickBooks or Xero, so entries land coded correctly.
People and reports
Employees and managers synced from Zoho People, and spending dashboards in Zoho Analytics.
Rollout and training
A pilot team first, then everyone, with training in English or Spanish. See our Zoho services and custom development.
Questions about Zoho Expense
What is Zoho Expense?
Zoho Expense is Zoho's expense reporting and travel management software. Employees capture receipts and mileage on their phones; Zoho Expense reads the receipts, checks them against your policy, routes them for approval, reimburses employees and posts the expenses to your accounting software.
How much does Zoho Expense cost?
There is a free plan for up to 3 users. Paid plans, in US list prices: Standard $3 per user a month billed yearly or $4 monthly, and Premium $5 or $6. Enterprise is quoted. Only people who create expenses or reports count as users.
Is Zoho Expense free?
Yes, for up to 3 users, with 20 receipt scans per user a month, expense reports, GPS mileage and accounting integrations. Paid plans can be tried free for 14 days.
What is the difference between Zoho Expense and expenses in Zoho Books?
Zoho Books records expenses, with receipts and mileage, which is enough when one or two people enter the costs. Zoho Expense adds what a team needs: employee submissions, policies, approval chains, corporate cards, reimbursements and travel, and then posts the result to Zoho Books.
Is Zoho Expense included in Zoho One?
Yes. Zoho One includes Zoho Expense along with Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, Zoho People and the rest of the suite.
Does Zoho Expense scan receipts?
Yes. Autoscan reads the merchant, date, amount and tax from a photo or a forwarded email receipt. The free plan includes 20 scans per user a month, Standard 200 and Premium 1,000, and Standard adds itemized scanning in more than 38 languages.
Does Zoho Expense work with QuickBooks or Xero?
Yes. Accounting integrations are included from the free plan, with Zoho Books, QuickBooks and Xero among them. ERP and HR system integrations are an add-on on Standard.
Can Zoho Expense track mileage and corporate cards?
Yes. GPS mileage is on every plan, with live mileage tracking on Premium. Corporate card feeds with automatic receipt matching start on Standard.
Can employees book travel in Zoho Expense?
Yes, on Premium: self-booking of flights and hotels with a travel desk, per diem and visa automation. Each booked trip costs $9.99 as an add-on.
Print your setup request
Tell us the size of your team and what you need. The receipt shows what Zoho will charge at list price; we quote the setup after a short call.
Zoho list prices from its US pricing page; local taxes extra. Nothing is sent until you choose to send it.
Rather talk first? Book a free 30-minute call.