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Expense Management for Construction

The construction expense management system that codes spend to the job

Capture Expense is a construction expense management system that codes every site receipt to job, site, and cost code and posts it with the correct VAT. Site teams send a photo on WhatsApp and finance gets a coded claim.

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2 Knives Bar and Kitchen

Newcastle upon Tyne

Jimmy Buffet£8.95
Parm and Truffle£4.10
Classic Burger£8.95
House Fries£3.30
Full Circle Repeater Pint x4£22.80
Amount due£48.10

Capture Expense

Thanks Jonny! Your expense on Fri, 24th Apr for 2 Knives Bar And Kitchen 48.10 GBP has been saved for your corporate card. If this should be a reimbursement instead, just click below. Reimbursement
Message
Draft expenses
  • 2 Knives Bar and Kitchen £48.10
  • Tesco £12.40
  • Amazon £31.99
Type
Incidental expense
Category
Meals and drinks
VAT
£8.01
Amount
£48.10
Submit Edit Split Notes

Trusted by finance teams at

  • 4.9/5

Receipts captured from site at the point of spend

A photo sent on WhatsApp becomes a coded claim. No app download and no company email needed.

Site mileage paid at HMRC rates minus the commute

Shortest-route postcode mileage means you stop paying estimated miles.

Project spend current without month-end coding

Every line carries a job, site, and cost code tag as the receipt arrives.

“It took us nearly 3 years to find the right platform for us, and we couldn’t be happier with the savings and the excellent service we’ve received from Capture Expense”
Natalie Moreton, Finance Director, Crimson

  • £12,250

    saved annually

  • 98%

    time saved on expense processing

Crimson

Mobile and WhatsApp submission

Site staff submit from the cab without a company email

Operatives, engineers, and supervisors submit receipts and mileage through WhatsApp, Teams, Slack, or the mobile app, and the WhatsApp route needs nothing installed.

  • Conversational AI reads the receipt, extracts the data, and builds the claim
  • Magic link sign-in registers site staff from a phone number, so no company email address is required
  • Supervisors approve from their own phone, on site
  • Because the habit (checking WhatsApp) already exists, training time drops and adoption covers every role from operative to site manager

Job, site, and cost-code tagging

Job costing updates when the receipt lands

Every expense line carries a job, site, and cost code tag so project spend is current on the day the money leaves.

  • Tags default per person (a site manager's claims default to their site) and can be changed per receipt
  • Split bills allocate one receipt across several jobs, categories, or cost codes, with the correct VAT on each line
  • Fuel, travel, materials, and ad-hoc field spend show by site, project, and team in real time

Building the case for a construction expense management system?

From saving days reconciling your credit cards to getting customised insights in an instant with your finance copilot, here’s everything you need to know about Capture Expense for construction.

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Site-to-site mileage

Mileage calculated by postcode, with the commute deducted automatically

Drivers enter the postcodes they visited, and Capture Expense calculates the claim, so you stop paying estimated miles.

  • Postcode-to-postcode routing with waypoints for multi-site days
  • Shortest route calculated, so the claim matches the distance that should have been driven
  • Normal commute deducted automatically, which is the step that gets skipped on paper
  • HMRC rates applied by vehicle type, including the new 55p rate for cars and vans
  • Duty of care checks on driving licence and insurance before a claim is paid
WhatsApp
I drove from NE21 5PU to SN11 8AR, create a mileage claim

Capture Expense

Thanks Jonny! Your claim on Wed, 22nd Jan has been created with a distance of 297 miles @ 0.25 totalling £74.26. You can view the claim in draft expenses. View
Mileage claim

NE21 5PU Blaydon

SN11 8AR Calne

297
miles
£0.25
per mile
£74.26
claim

Wed 22 Jan, saved in draft expenses

Cards, subsistence, and VAT

Card spend matched to receipts and posted with the right VAT

Company card and fuel card transactions are imported and matched to receipts automatically.

  • Transactions post per card scheme with the right VAT
  • Expense cards (physical, virtual, single-use) carry limits by project, spend type, site, or individual, so operatives buy materials without using their own money
  • Subsistence and lodging rates are set by duration and location
  • Mileage and travel emissions are calculated with DEFRA factors, which is what tender ESG questions tend to ask for

AI checks every claim before a manager sees it

  • Conversational AI builds the claim from a photo

    A receipt sent on WhatsApp is read, categorised, and tagged to the job without the submitter typing anything.

  • Smart Audit checks claims against your project rules

    Every claim is checked against spend limits, categories, and policy rules before a supervisor sees it.

  • Reporting answers plain-English questions

    Ask for spend by project in plain English and get the figure without a pivot table.

One less system to reconcile

Connects directly to your finance, payroll, and banking systems so you don't reconcile them by hand.

  • Sage
  • QuickBooks
  • Cintra
  • SAP
  • Xero
  • iplicit
  • Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
  • NetSuite
  • Xledger
  • Pliant
  • Zellis
  • Cezanne HR
  • Visa
  • Amex
Explore 50+ integrations

Construction expense management FAQs

What is a construction expense management system?
A construction expense management system codes site spend to the job as it happens. Capture Expense codes every receipt to job, site, and cost code and applies the correct VAT. It also handles mileage, cards, and approvals.

How can site staff submit expenses without an app or company email?
Through WhatsApp or magic link sign-in. Operatives send receipts and mileage from a phone number through WhatsApp, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or the mobile app, and their supervisor approves from a phone.

How are receipts coded and posted for job costing?
Conversational AI reads each receipt and tags it to job, site, and cost code with the correct VAT per line. Default tags can be set per person. Split bills allocate one receipt across several jobs or cost codes.

How does mileage work for site-to-site travel?
Capture Expense calculates the shortest postcode-to-postcode route with waypoints and deducts the normal commute. HMRC rates are applied by vehicle type, including the new 55p rate for cars and vans. Duty of care checks cover driving licence and insurance status.

Can we use company and fuel cards with Capture Expense?
Yes. Company and fuel card transactions are imported and matched to receipts automatically. They post per card scheme with the correct VAT.

Does the system enforce policy before approval?
Yes. Smart Audit checks each claim against spend limits, categories, and project rules to approve, reject, or escalate before a supervisor reviews it.

What reporting and visibility does it provide?
Project spend updates when the receipt lands, with real-time views by site, project, and team. The reporting copilot answers plain-English questions like “spend by project this week” without spreadsheets.

How does Capture Expense integrate with our accounting system?
Claims and card transactions post directly to your ledger with a full audit trail, and Capture Expense offers over 50 pre-built integrations (including Sage 50).

What’s involved in rolling it out to site teams?
Connect your finance system, load jobs, sites, cost codes, and limits, then add site staff by phone number. WhatsApp or magic-link sign-in means nobody needs a company email.

Does it support subsistence, duty of care, and travel emissions?
Subsistence and lodging rates can be set by duration and location with overspend alerts, duty of care checks validate licence and insurance before mileage is paid, and travel emissions are calculated using DEFRA factors.

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