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Overview

The expense history page shows all recorded expenses, allowing you to review spending, identify trends, verify transactions, and analyze patterns. You can filter by date range, search by title, and sort by various fields.

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Accessing Expense History

1

Navigate to Expenses

Click Expenses in the sidebar
2

View expense list

All expenses displayed with pagination
3

Use controls

Filter, search, and sort as needed

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Expense List Display

Each expense in the list shows:
FieldDescriptionSource
TitleExpense description/nameFree-form text (use for categorization)
AmountHow much was spentFrom journal entry
DateWhen the expense occurredTransaction date
DescriptionAdditional detailsOptional field
Bank AccountWhich account paid (if shown)From CASH ledger line
ReserveReserve allocation (if funded from reserve)Reserve-funded expenses only
Bank ChargeLinked bank charge (if any)Separate linked entry
No “Category” column: Agatabo doesn’t have a built-in category field. Categories are implemented through consistent title naming patterns (e.g., “Operating Expenses - Rent”, “Salaries - Treasurer”).

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Pagination

Expenses are displayed in pages to improve performance: Default settings:
  • Page size: 10 expenses per page
  • Default sort: Newest first (by date, descending)
Navigation:
  • Use page numbers or next/previous buttons
  • Jump to specific page
  • Change items per page (typically 10, 25, 50, or 100)
Total information:
  • Total count of expenses
  • Total pages
  • Current page number

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Filtering Expenses

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By Date Range

Filter expenses to a specific time period using start and end dates:
1

Set start date (optional)

Expenses on or after this date
2

Set end date (optional)

Expenses on or before this date
3

Apply filter

List updates to show only expenses in range
Common date ranges (implemented in frontend):
  • Today
  • This Week
  • This Month
  • Last Month
  • This Quarter
  • This Year
  • Custom Range
Example filters: 
Start Date: 2026-06-01
End Date: 2026-06-30
Result: All June 2026 expenses

Start Date: 2026-01-01
End Date: (empty)
Result: All expenses from Jan 1, 2026 onwards

Start Date: (empty)
End Date: 2026-05-31
Result: All expenses up to May 31, 2026
Search for expenses by title using text search:
1

Enter search term

Type keyword or phrase in search box
2

Search executes

Case-insensitive partial match on title field
3

Results update

Only matching expenses shown
Search is case-insensitive and matches partial titles: Examples: 
Search: "rent"
Matches:
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - June 2026"
- "Operating Expenses - Office Rent - May 2026"
- "Rent payment"

Search: "salaries"
Matches:
- "Salaries - Treasurer Stipend"
- "Salaries - Accountant Fee"
- "Staff Salaries - June"

Search: "bank charges"
Matches:
- "Bank Charges - Wire Transfer"
- "Bank Charges - Account Maintenance"
Using search for categories: Since categories are in the title, you can search by category prefix. Search “Operating Expenses” to see all expenses with that category in the title.

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Sorting Expenses

Click column headers or use sort controls to reorder the list: Available sort fields:
  • Title: Alphabetical order (A-Z or Z-A)
  • Amount: Smallest to largest or largest to smallest
  • Date: Oldest to newest or newest to oldest
  • Created At: When expense was recorded in system
Sort order:
  • Ascending (asc): Low to high, A to Z, oldest to newest
  • Descending (desc): High to low, Z to A, newest to oldest
Default: Date descending (newest expenses first)

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Sorting Examples

Sort by Title (ascending): 
Results appear alphabetically:
- "Bank Charges - Account Fee"
- "Bank Charges - Wire Transfer"
- "Meeting Expenses - Refreshments"
- "Operating Expenses - Electricity"
- "Operating Expenses - Rent"
- "Salaries - Treasurer"
Benefit: Groups expenses with same category prefix together
Sort by Amount (descending): 
Results appear largest to smallest:
- 500,000 RWF - "Annual Audit Fee"
- 200,000 RWF - "Equipment Purchase"
- 150,000 RWF - "Office Rent"
- 50,000 RWF - "Treasurer Stipend"
- 15,000 RWF - "Office Supplies"
Benefit: Identify largest expenses quickly
Sort by Date (descending): 
Results appear newest to oldest:
- 2026-06-15 - Recent expense
- 2026-06-10 - Last week
- 2026-06-01 - Beginning of month
- 2026-05-28 - Previous month
Benefit: See most recent spending first (default)

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Combining Filters and Sorting

You can combine multiple filters and sorting for powerful analysis:

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Example 1: June Operating Expenses by Amount

Filters:
- Start Date: 2026-06-01
- End Date: 2026-06-30
- Search: "Operating Expenses"

Sort:
- Sort By: Amount
- Order: Descending

Result: All June operating expenses, largest first

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Example 2: Recent Salary Payments

Filters:
- Start Date: 2026-01-01
- End Date: (empty)
- Search: "Salaries"

Sort:
- Sort By: Date
- Order: Descending

Result: All salary payments from this year, newest first

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Example 3: All Bank Charges Alphabetically

Filters:
- Search: "Bank Charges"

Sort:
- Sort By: Title
- Order: Ascending

Result: All bank charges grouped by title

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Viewing Expense Details

Click on an expense to see full details: Detailed view shows:
  • Complete title and description
  • Exact amount
  • Transaction date
  • Bank account used
  • Reserve allocation (if reserve-funded)
  • Linked bank charge (if any)
  • Documents/receipts attached
  • Who recorded the expense
  • When it was recorded
  • Journal entry information
  • Edit and delete options (if permitted)
From detail view you can:
  • Edit expense details
  • Delete expense
  • View/download attached documents
  • See related journal entries
  • Access bank account details

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What Expenses Are Shown

The expense list includes: Included:
  • ✅ Standard expenses (EXPENSE_PAYMENT kind)
  • ✅ Reserve-funded expenses (RESERVE_EXPENSE kind)
  • ✅ Posted (active) expenses only
Excluded:
  • ❌ Bank charges (shown as linked to parent expense, not standalone)
  • ❌ Reversed/deleted expenses
  • ❌ Loan disbursements (not expenses)
  • ❌ Dividend distributions (not expenses)
  • ❌ Savings withdrawals (not expenses)
Bank charges: Separate BANK_CHARGE journal entries are linked to their parent expense and shown within the parent’s details, not as standalone items in the expense list.

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Common Use Cases

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Monthly Expense Review

Goal: Review current month’s spending
1

Set date filter

Start Date: First day of month (e.g., 2026-06-01) End Date: Last day of month (e.g., 2026-06-30)
2

Sort by title

Groups expenses by category prefix
3

Review each category

Check amounts against budget
4

Identify unusual expenses

Look for unexpected or large amounts

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Find Specific Expense

Goal: Locate a particular expense by description
1

Use search

Enter keyword from title or description
2

Add date filter if needed

Narrow down if you remember approximate date
3

Scan results

Find matching expense
4

Click to view details

See full information
Example: 
Looking for: Audit fee payment from April

Search: "audit"
Start Date: 2026-04-01
End Date: 2026-04-30

Result: "Professional Services - Annual Audit Fee"

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Category Analysis

Goal: See all expenses in a specific category
1

Search by category prefix

Enter category name (e.g., “Salaries”, “Operating Expenses”)
2

Optional date filter

Limit to specific period
3

Sort by date or amount

Depending on what you want to analyze
4

Review results

Calculate totals, identify patterns
Example: 
Analyze salary expenses for the year:

Search: "Salaries"
Start Date: 2026-01-01
End Date: 2026-12-31
Sort By: Date
Order: Ascending

Result: All salary payments chronologically
Manual calculation: Sum all amounts for yearly total

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Prepare for Audit

Goal: Generate complete expense list for auditor
1

Set audit period

Use date range for fiscal year or audit period
2

Remove search filter

Show all expense types
3

Sort by date

Chronological order (ascending)
4

Review for completeness

  • Ensure all expenses have descriptions
  • Check for missing receipts/documents
  • Verify amounts are reasonable
5

Note any follow-up needed

Missing documentation, unclear expenses
Export capability: Check if your implementation supports exporting expense data to Excel/CSV. If not, you may need to manually compile the list or use the Profit & Loss report.

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Compare Month-to-Month

Goal: Compare spending across months
1

Filter to first month

Example: June 2026
2

Search by category

Example: “Operating Expenses”
3

Note total amount

Manually sum or use calculator
4

Change date filter to second month

Example: July 2026
5

Compare totals

Identify increases or decreases

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Limitations and Workarounds

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No Amount Range Filter

Backend doesn’t support: Minimum/maximum amount filtering Workaround:
  1. Retrieve all expenses for period
  2. Sort by amount
  3. Manually scan for desired range
  4. Or export and use spreadsheet filters

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No Category Filter

Backend doesn’t support: Dedicated category dropdown filter Workaround:
  • Use title search with category prefix (e.g., search “Salaries”)
  • Sort by title to group categories together
  • Consistent naming makes this effective

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No Export Function

Backend doesn’t support: Direct export to Excel/CSV (at API level) Workarounds:
  • Check if frontend implements export
  • Use Profit & Loss report (includes expense breakdown)
  • Manual data entry from expense list
  • Copy-paste into spreadsheet

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No Bank Account Filter

Backend doesn’t support: Filter by which bank account paid Workaround:
  • View bank account transaction history instead
  • Review all expenses and note bank account manually
  • Use bank reconciliation reports

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Maximum 100 Per Page

Backend limitation: Maximum 100 expenses per page request Workaround:
  • Use date filters to narrow results
  • Navigate through multiple pages
  • Use search to reduce results

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Best Practices

Expense review tips:Regular reviews:
  • Review expenses weekly for recent period
  • Monthly review of entire month
  • Quarterly and annual reviews for trends
Search effectively:
  • Use category prefixes in search (benefit of consistent naming)
  • Combine search with date filters
  • Try different keywords if first search doesn’t work
Sorting strategies:
  • Sort by title to group categories
  • Sort by amount to find largest expenses
  • Sort by date for chronological review
Verification:
  • Compare expense list to bank statements
  • Check for missing expenses (gaps in dates)
  • Verify large or unusual amounts
  • Ensure all expenses have adequate descriptions
Documentation:
  • Click through to verify documents are attached
  • Note any missing receipts for follow-up
  • Ensure descriptions are clear enough for audit
Analysis:
  • Look for spending patterns
  • Identify categories with consistent overspending
  • Notice seasonal variations
  • Track recurring expenses (are amounts consistent?)

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Permissions Required

ActionPermissionScope
View expense listexpenses:readANY
View expense detailsexpenses:readANY
Edit expenseexpenses:writeANY
Delete expenseexpenses:writeANY
Typical access: Most members have expenses:read to review organizational spending. Only Accountants and Administrators typically have expenses:write for editing.

Recording Expenses

Add new expenses to the system

Expense Categories

Organize spending with title conventions

Expenses Overview

Understand expense types and features

Profit & Loss Report

See expense impact on profitability