Running a gallery means spending money — venue costs, shipping, supplies, advertising, software. Recording those expenses in Crafted Call keeps your financial picture complete: instead of revenue-only reports, you see what came in and what went out. This guide covers recording an expense, categorizing it, reviewing and filtering your expenses, and how they feed your financial reports.
Note: Expenses are a finance feature. You'll typically need Owner or Admin access, or the Finance role, to record and manage them. If you don't see expense tools, they may depend on your plan's finance capabilities — check your plan or contact support.
Recording an Expense
To add an expense:
Open your organization's finances area and go to the Expenses section.
Choose to add a new expense.
Fill in the details:
Title — a short name (for example, "Opening-night catering").
Amount and currency.
Category — see the list below.
Tax year — the year this expense belongs to for reporting.
Payment date — when it was paid (optional but recommended).
Add any optional details that help later: a description, a vendor name, an invoice number, a payment method, a subcategory, tags, and whether the expense is tax-deductible.
Attach a receipt if you have one (see below).
Save.
A new expense starts with a Pending status. From there it can be approved, marked paid, or rejected as it moves through your internal review.
Tip: Record expenses as you incur them rather than in a year-end scramble. Consistent entry is what makes your reports trustworthy.
Attaching Receipts
You can attach receipt files to an expense for your records. Receipts are uploaded securely first and then linked to the expense, so you keep documentation right alongside the entry. Attach the receipt at the time you record the expense whenever you can — it's much easier than matching files to entries later.
Expense Categories
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Each expense is filed under a category so your spending breaks down cleanly in reports. The available categories are:
Advertising
Bank fees
Contractors
Equipment
Insurance
Legal & professional
Meals & entertainment
Office supplies
Rent / lease
Software subscriptions
Travel
Utilities
Wages & salaries
Other
You can also add a free-form subcategory and tags to organize within a category — useful if you want to group expenses by a specific show or project. Tagging consistently lets you slice spending the way your bookkeeping actually works.
Note: A separate tax category field lets you map an expense to how your accountant classifies it, and a deductible flag marks whether it counts toward deductions. Confirm classifications with your accountant; the platform stores the labels, it doesn't give tax advice.
Reviewing and Filtering Expenses
The Expenses list shows everything you've recorded, with totals. You can filter to find what you need:
By category
By status (Pending, Approved, Paid, Rejected, and so on)
By tax year
By date range
By deductible vs. non-deductible
By who submitted the expense
The list also rolls up a total amount, count, and average for whatever filter you've applied — handy for quick subtotals (for example, total shipping spend for a tax year).
Expense Status Workflow
Expenses move through a simple review flow:
Pending — recorded, awaiting review.
Approved — reviewed and approved (records who approved it and when).
Rejected — declined, with a required reason.
Paid — marked as paid, with a payment date.
Reimbursed / Canceled — used where a reimbursement or cancellation applies.
Admins can update a single expense's status, or select several and approve, reject, or mark paid in bulk. A submitter can edit or delete their own expense while it's still Pending.
Note: An expense that's already tied to a reimbursement request can't be deleted — handle the reimbursement first.
How Expenses Feed Your Financial Reports
Recorded expenses feed your organization's financial analytics and reports, so your numbers reflect both income and outgoings. With expenses in place you can:
See a spending breakdown by category alongside revenue.
Track net position rather than just gross sales.
Pull totals by tax year to support filing and bookkeeping.
The more completely and consistently you record expenses, the more useful these reports become.
Best Practices
Be consistent with categories. A category used the same way every time is what makes breakdowns meaningful.
Capture receipts immediately. Attach them at entry time.
Use tags for projects. Tag expenses tied to a specific exhibition or campaign so you can total them later.
Set the right tax year. Reports and filing lean on this field.
Review pending expenses regularly so nothing sits unapproved.
Troubleshooting
I can't find the expense tools.
They're part of the finance features and may depend on your plan and role. Confirm you have a finance/admin role and check your plan's finance capabilities.
I can't delete an expense.
If it's attached to a reimbursement request, resolve that first. Submitters can only delete their own expenses while they're still Pending.
A rejection won't save.
Rejecting an expense requires a reason — add one and try again.
