Expenses

Overview

The Expenses page records all campaign spending associated with the currently selected election.

Each expense entry stores detailed information about the transaction, including supplier details, payment status, category classification, and supporting documentation.

The expense table contains the following fields:

Field	Description
Type	The statutory expense category.
Item Name	Description of the purchased item or service.
Date Incurred	The date the expense was incurred.
Supplier	The supplier providing the goods or services.
Paid?	Indicates whether the expense has been paid.
Value	Total value of the expense.
PDF	Shows whether a receipt or invoice has been attached to the entry.
Actions	Edit or manage the expense entry.

All expenses are linked to the currently selected election.

Expenses cannot currently be transferred between elections. Always confirm that the correct election is selected before entering expense data.

Recording Expenses

To add a new expense record:

1. Navigate to the Expenses page.
2. Click Add Expense in the top-right corner.
3. Upload a supporting receipt as a PDF if available.
4. Enter the expense details including supplier information and value.
5. Select the correct statutory category.
6. Click Add Expense to save.

The expense will immediately appear in the expense table.

Each expense record can include:

• Invoice number
• Item description
• Statutory category
• Payment made by – who made the payment
• Supplier name and address
• Dates incurred, received and paid
• Total value of the item
• Percentage assigned – if only part of the item's cost counts toward this election, lower this from 100% and AgentAid will calculate the attributable value automatically
• Mark as paid checkbox
• Payment disputed checkbox
• Supporting receipt (PDF)

Expense Categories

Campaign expenses must be recorded under the correct statutory category.

AgentAid supports the following categories:

• A – Advertising
• B – Unsolicited material to electors
• C – Transport
• D – Public meetings
• E – Agent and staff costs
• F – Accommodation and administration

Additional classifications include:

• Other authorised spending
• Personal expenses

Correct categorisation is required for generating compliant election returns.

Receipt Autofill

When you upload a PDF receipt while adding an expense, AgentAid automatically reads the document and pre-fills matching fields for you, including the invoice number, item description, supplier name and address, total value, and the incurred and paid dates.

Fields that have been filled in automatically are highlighted in amber so you can see at a glance which values came from the receipt.

Always check amber-highlighted fields against the receipt before saving. As soon as you edit a field it is treated as manually verified and the highlight is removed.

If AgentAid can't read a value from the receipt, that field is simply left blank for you to fill in manually — the rest of the form still works as normal.

Searching & Filtering

The expenses list can be filtered to help locate specific entries.

Available filters include:

• Category type filter (A–F)
• Search by item description
• Search by supplier name

Results update automatically as filters are applied.

Special Expense Types

AgentAid provides additional workflows for certain types of campaign spending.

Candidate Expenses

Candidate expenses are personal expenses paid directly by the candidate rather than the campaign.

To record a candidate expense:

1. Open the Expenses page.
2. Select More → Candidate Expense.
3. Enter the item description, the person's name and the value.
4. Provide the relevant dates.
5. Save the record.

Other Authorised Spending

Other authorised spending refers to expenses incurred by individuals authorised by the candidate or agent, rather than paid by the campaign directly.

To record authorised spending:

1. Select More → Other Authorised.
2. Enter the authorised person's name.
3. Enter the value of the spending.
4. Save the record.

All authorised spending entries are listed together on their own page, accessible from the same menu.

Disputed Expenses

There's no separate form for disputed expenses — instead, tick the Payment disputed checkbox when adding or editing any normal expense if there's uncertainty about the payment or supplier details.

Every expense flagged this way is collected on the Disputed page, accessible from More → Disputed on the Expenses page, so you can review them together.

Disputed items also appear in the dashboard status table until resolved.

Disputed expenses should be reviewed promptly to avoid compliance issues when generating election returns.

Editing Expenses

Existing expense records can be updated if corrections are required.

1. Locate the expense in the table.
2. Click the Edit option under the Actions column.
3. Update the relevant information.
4. Save the changes.

Changes will be reflected immediately in the expense list.

Deleting Expenses

If an expense has been recorded incorrectly, it can be removed.

1. Locate the expense entry in the table.
2. Select the delete option under Actions.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting an expense permanently removes it from the election record. Ensure the entry is no longer required before deleting it.

Best Practice Recommendations

• Record expenses as soon as they are incurred.
• Upload receipts or invoices when adding expenses.
• Ensure each expense is categorised correctly.
• Review unpaid or disputed expenses regularly.
• Perform a full audit before generating election returns.