Not every expense comes with a receipt you can scan — fuel cards, recurring software subscriptions, mileage, cash payments. For those, use the manual entry form.
Where
Expenses → New expense (button top-right of the list).
What to fill in
- Date of the expense — defaults to today, change if it was earlier.
- Vendor — type the name; if you've used it before, autocomplete will suggest it.
- Amount — the total including VAT. The form computes the net + VAT when you pick a VAT rate.
- Category — pick from the HMRC-aligned list (Motor expenses, Office costs, Travel, etc.). Categorising matters: it's what flows into your Self Assessment or company tax return.
- VAT rate — 20% standard, 5% reduced, 0% zero-rated, or "no VAT" for items outside the VAT scheme.
- Notes — optional. Useful for "client lunch with X" or "fuel card top-up".
Marking it as paid
If you paid by card or transfer, leave the default. If it was a director loan / personal money, tick Paid personally — that flags it for director's loan account reconciliation if you're a limited company.
Mileage is different
For business mileage, use Mileage in the Books menu — it applies HMRC's simplified expense rates (45p/mile for the first 10,000 miles, 25p after) automatically, by vehicle and by tax year. Don't try to log mileage as a manual expense or the rates won't apply correctly.