Create Expenses in bexio: The Complete 2025 Guide

Swiss compliance note: Your receipts must include the supplier's name and address, date, description of goods/services, amount with VAT, and VAT number for expenses over CHF 400.

Step 1: Navigate to Purchases

Log into your bexio account at app.bexio.com. In the left sidebar, click "Purchases" then select "Expenses" from the dropdown menu.

Step 2: Start a New Expense

Click the blue "New expense" button in the top right corner. You'll see a form with several fields to complete.

Step 3: Enter the Basic Details

Fill in the required information:

• Title: Describe the expense clearly (e.g., "Office supplies Digitec" or "Client lunch Zurich")
• Date: Select when the expense occurred
• Amount: Enter the total including VAT
• VAT rate: Choose the correct Swiss rate

Step 4: Upload Your Receipt

Drag your receipt file into the upload zone, or click to browse. bexio accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files.

Important: Unlike the mobile app, the web interface doesn't automatically extract data from your uploads. You must manually verify every field.

Step 5: Assign the Account

Select the appropriate expense account from the dropdown. Common choices:

• 4000 – Material expenses
• 6000 – Rent
• 6500 – Office supplies
• 6640 – Vehicle expenses
• 6700 – Travel expenses

Step 6: Save Your Expense

Review all fields for accuracy. Click "Save" to store the expense as a draft, or "Save and book" to post it directly to your accounts.

⏱️ Time required: 3-5 minutes per expense

How bexio Go Works

1. Open the bexio Go app on your smartphone
2. Tap the camera icon to scan a receipt
3. The AI attempts to extract date, amount, and VAT rate
4. Review the suggested data and correct any errors
5. Save the expense

The Limitations

• AI extractions are capped: 5-50 per month depending on your plan
• Accuracy varies—you'll still manually verify most fields
• The app interface feels dated compared to newer alternatives
• User reviews mention the iOS app is "barely usable"

⏱️ Time required: 2-3 minutes per expense (plus correction time)

How It Works

• Company cards issued to employees
• Transactions sync automatically to bexio
• Receipt matching via photo upload
• Approval workflows for managers

Is It Worth It?

bexio Pay adds convenience but comes with additional fees. It's best suited for teams with 5+ employees making regular purchases.

For freelancers and small teams, the overhead rarely justifies the cost.

All plans include a 30-day free trial. No hidden fees.

The math: If you process 30 expenses monthly on the Starter plan, you'll exhaust AI extractions quickly and revert to manual entry for 25+ expenses.

Know Your Swiss VAT Rates

• 7.7% – Standard rate (most goods and services)
• 2.5% – Reduced rate (food, books, medicine)
• 0% – Exempt (healthcare, education, insurance)

Create a Spesenreglement

A written expense policy (Spesenreglement) isn't just good practice—it's required for tax-deductible flat-rate allowances. Swiss guidelines allow:

• Main meals: max CHF 30
• Private car: max 70 Rappen/km
• Daily small expenses: CHF 20

The Bottom Line

bexio remains solid Swiss accounting software. For full financial management—payroll, inventory, CRM, reporting—it delivers.

But if expense entry is your bottleneck, you're using a sledgehammer to hang a picture frame.

Modern tools like Magic Heidi were built for one thing: making expense management effortless. Drag, drop, done.

The math is simple: If your time is worth CHF 50/hour, saving 20 hours annually means CHF 1,000 back in your pocket—or reinvested in your business.