What it means
Uber shows up as a stream of small charges on company cards. Each business ride is a travel expense on the day it was taken, and the card liability rises with it. Uber emails a receipt after every ride, so the evidence exists as long as someone attaches it.
Of this month's two rides, the $43.50 trip to a customer meeting goes to Travel. The $27.80 ride home from a weekend dinner was personal, so it isn't a company expense at all. It goes to Due from employee, a small receivable, since the employee owes it back.
When the employee pays the $27.80 back, cash goes up and the receivable clears. It can also come out of their next expense report. A food order from Uber Eats on the same card is a meal, so check the receipt before coding anything with Uber's name on it.
Count the rides that still have no receipt and match them from the inbox, which is quick if it happens weekly. Check that every ride is coded to Travel, the same way as last month. Then look at Due from employee. A balance that has sat there for months needs a decision: collect it, deduct it from pay where state law allows, or run it through payroll as taxable wages.
The receipts are the audit trail. Gmail is where they arrive, and DoorDash covers the meals that land on the same cards.
Why it matters. Dozens of small rides a month add up, and some of them are personal. Coded as they come in, they take minutes. Left to year end, they take a week.
Uber isn't a ledger, and we don't connect to it. We work only in QuickBooks Online and Xero. This page covers how Uber shows up in the books kept there.
The entry, worked
The company card shows a $43.50 Uber ride to a customer meeting and a $27.80 ride an employee took home from a weekend dinner.
| Account | Debit | Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Travel | $43.50 | |
| Due from employee | $27.80 | |
| Credit card payable | $71.30 | |
| Total | $71.30 | $71.30 |
Only the business ride is an expense. The personal ride sits as a receivable until the employee pays it back or it comes out of an expense report.
Common questions
How do I categorize Uber rides?
As travel, the same way every time. If a ride was personal, record it as owed by the employee instead of a company expense.
Do I need a receipt for small rides?
Keep one for every business charge. Uber emails a receipt after each ride, so attaching it takes seconds if it's done as they arrive.
Is a ride to the office a business expense?
No. A ride between home and the regular office is commuting, which is personal even when it's on the company card. Rides from the office to a client, to the airport for a business trip, or between client sites are business travel.
Read further
General information for US companies, not tax, legal or accounting advice. Check the specifics with a CPA before you act on them.