Article

How to track construction project expenses

How to capture site expenses with proof, approve them against the budget, and keep payments as a separate record.

By MySiteWorks · Published 4 September 2026 · Updated 18 October 2026

1. Capture the bill on the day it arrives

Record the amount, vendor and category while the bill is still in someone’s hand, and attach a photo or file. That expense can stay submitted until a reviewer approves it. It is not yet approved spend.

2. Approve against the budget, then pay separately

Approval is the moment the cost counts against the planned budget. A payment is a later record of money actually paid. Mixing “we paid cash” with “we might buy it” is how the remaining budget disappears. Rejected expenses stay visible as rejected and do not reduce the budget.

3. Do not treat a photo album as the ledger

A camera roll is not an expense record. The file has to sit on the project next to the amount so an owner or accountant can approve it without guessing which job it belongs to.

Worked example

A site engineer photographs a 12,400 material bill and enters the vendor, category, date and amount on the project the same day. The row stays submitted. It is not part of the approved spend until an owner or admin approves it. Paying the vendor from a separate payment record does not approve the expense, and rejecting the expense leaves it visible as rejected without reducing the budget.

4. Keep the trail in one workspace

MySiteWorks expense management and approvals keep submission, proof and the decision on the project. The mobile apps exist so the capture step can happen in the field. Payments stay on the payment record, not inside the expense status.