Form AO-1. Advance report

Filling out an advance report occurs in cases where employees of enterprises and organizations receive from the accounting department a certain amount of money for the expenses associated with their professional activities.

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Most often, the issuance of funds occurs for travel expenses or expenses related to the household activities of the company (purchase of stationery, office paper, furniture, etc.). But before issuing finances, the accountant must receive an appropriate order or order from the director of the enterprise, which will indicate the exact amount and purpose of the advance payment.

After the expenses are made, the employee who received the money is obliged to return the balance to the cash desk of the enterprise or, if an overrun was made, to receive the overspent money from the cash desk. It is at this stage that a document called "Advance Report".

How to verify expenses

It is impossible to return the remaining money to the cash desk of the enterprise just like that. It is necessary to transfer papers to the specialists of the accounting department confirming that the accountable funds were spent exactly for the purposes for which they were provided. As such evidence, cash and receipts, train tickets, strict reporting forms, etc., are primarily used. All of the above documents must have clearly legible details, dates and amounts.

Rules for compiling a report

To date, there is no unified, strictly mandatory report sample, however, most accountants in the old fashioned way prefer to use the previously generally applicable form. This is understandable: it includes all the necessary information, including −

• information about the organization that issued the money,
• employee who received them
• exact amount of money
• the purposes for which they were intended.
• expenses incurred are also reflected here with the attachment of all supporting documents. In addition, the report contains the signatures of the accounting staff who issued the money and accepted the balance, as well as the employee for whom the accountable funds were issued.

It is not necessary to put a stamp on the document, since it is part of the company's internal document flow, moreover, since 2016, legal entities, as before and individual entrepreneurs, have the full legal right not to use seals and stamps for endorsement of papers.

A document is created in a single original copy, and it is not worth delaying filling it out - according to the law, it must be issued within a maximum of three days after the money is spent.

Since the advance report refers to the primary accounting documentation, it should be filled out very carefully and try not to make mistakes. In cases where this could not be avoided, it is better to fill out a new form.

An example of preparing an advance report

Despite the serious name and importance of the document, filling it out is not a big deal.

The first part of the document is filled in by the employee who received the money for the report.

1. At the beginning, the name of the company is written and its OKPO code () is indicated - these data must correspond to the registration papers of the company. Next, enter the number of the accounting report and the date of its preparation.
2. On the left, a few lines are left for approval by the director of the enterprise: here, after filling out the entire report, the manager will need to pay the amount in words, sign and date the document was approved.
3. Then comes information about the employee: the structural unit to which he belongs, his personnel number, last name, first name, patronymic, the position and purpose of the advance payment are indicated.

To the left table the accountable employee enters information about the funds issued, in particular, indicates the total amount, as well as information about the currency in which it was issued (if currencies of other countries are used). The amount of the balance or overspending is entered below.

to the right table data is entered by an accounting specialist. Information about accounting accounts and operations is entered here, in particular, sub-accounts are indicated through which money and specific amounts pass.

Under the table indicate the number of attachments to the expense report (ie, documents confirming expenses).

After filling in all the necessary information, the report and the papers attached to it must be checked by the chief accountant and in the appropriate line (in words and numbers) indicate the amount approved for the report.

Then the autographs of the accountant and the chief accountant are entered into the report, as well as information about the remaining or overspent funds - the required cells indicate the specific amount and the cash order through which it passes. The cashier who accepted the balance or issued the overrun also puts his signature on the document.

The back of the advance report contains information about all the documents attached to it:

• their complete list with details, dates of issue, names, the exact amount of each expense (issued and accepted for accounting),
• as well as the number of the accounting sub-account on which they go.

Under the table, the accountable person must put his signature, which will testify to the accuracy of the entered data.

The last section (cut-off part) includes a receipt from the accountant to whom the accountable employee handed over documents proving the costs. Here are indicated

• surname, name, patronymic of the employee,
• number and date of the report,
• the amount of funds issued for spending (in words),
• as well as the number of documents confirming the costs.

Then the accountant must put his signature and the date of filling out the document under the document and transfer this part to the employee who submitted the report.