Claiming expenses online

Set up your Emburse account

To claim expenses for the first time, complete an online form to set up your Emburse account.

This form has replaced the previous Council, Board and committee member bank details form.

This is needed to make sure you are set up correctly in our finance system.

1. Open the online form
2. Fill in the requested information in the ‘Personal Details’ section
3. Fill in your bank details
4. If you answer ‘Yes’ to having a UK bank account, complete the required fields:
   • account name – this must be in the exact format as it appears on your bank account
   • sort code – a six-digit number without any dashes
   • account number – usually an eight-digit number
   • roll number – for Building Society accounts only
5. If you answer ‘No’ to having a UK bank account, you will be taken to the section for international bank details. This is only for international volunteers. Complete all fields:
   • IBAN (International Bank Account Number) – up to 34 alphanumeric characters
   • you will also have either a:
     • SWIFT/BIC code – eight to 11 characters
     • ABA routing number – a nine-digit number
6. Tap the ‘Submit’ button once all details are complete.

The Accounts Payable team will review and process your form to create an expense account with Emburse. You will be sent a welcome email to register for an account.

If the Accounts Payable team has any questions about the form you submitted, they will contact you directly to re-submit it.

Installing Emburse Professional

Installing Emburse Professional on Android

1. Search for ‘Emburse Professional’ in the Play Store. The app is free to download
2. Tap ‘Install’ next to the Emburse Professional icon
3. Tap ‘Accept’ to allow Emburse Professional to access your location, photos and camera
4. Once the app has finished installing, tap the app icon to open Emburse Professional

Installing Emburse Professional on Apple

1. Search for ‘Emburse Professional’ in the App Store. The app is free to download
2. Tap the ‘Get’ or ‘Open’ button next to the Emburse Professional icon and enter your Apple ID
3. Once the app has finished installing, tap the icon to open Emburse Professional

Log into Emburse for the first time

1. New users will receive a welcome email with login details and instructions. Click the link in the welcome email to start creating your Emburse account
2. On the Emburse website, confirm your email, then click ‘Continue’
3. We use multi-factor authentication to verify accounts. Choose whether to have a verification code sent to your email or mobile phone (make sure to include the country code prefix), then click ‘Continue’
4. On the next page, set and confirm a password that meets the password requirements
5. If the password you have chosen is strong, passwords match and all fields are green, click ‘Continue to login’
6. You will be sent an email confirming your password has been reset. To login, enter your email address and password, then click ‘Login’

If you create your password using the online portal, this can be used to login to the mobile app. If not, you will need to create a password when logging into the mobile app for the first time.

Adding receipts and expenses

You can add receipts and expenses on the go using the Emburse Professional app or the online portal.

There are various ways to claim expenses using Emburse. You can either:

• add a receipt using the instructions below (recommended), or
• add an expense line

Adding receipts with the mobile app

You will need to provide a unique receipt for each expense claim.

Before you start, make sure you understand the receipt requirements for member expense claims (PDF 377 KB).

The Emburse mobile app works with Apple and Android devices. You can use it to easily upload receipts using your mobile device's camera.

The receipts will be synchronised to the Emburse online portal, so you can use your mobile or desktop device to create your expense report (claim).

1. Log into the app with your username and password
2. Tap the green ‘Add receipt’ button
3. Select a photo resolution to open your camera:
   • 'High/medium' – recommended
   • 'Low' – use only if your device is short on storage
   • 'Gallery' – to add a photo receipt already saved in your photo gallery
4. Hold your phone about 20 cm from the receipt, making sure it fills the camera screen and the receipt looks clear and centred
5. Tap the photo button, then tap ‘Use photo’ (Apple) or ‘OK’ (Android) to save the image
6. Tap ‘Autofill’ to automatically populate data from the scanned receipt
7. Check the data and complete any missing files, then ‘Save’
8. Once you have added all your receipts, tap ‘Sync’. You can now access your receipts from the Emburse online portal

If you upload a receipt by mistake (for example, if you have taken several copies of the same receipt), you can easily delete it. See the guide to deleting receipts. 

Adding receipts with the online portal

You can add receipts to your Emburse Professional Wallet by email or by uploading from your document folder:

• email your receipt(s) to receipts@certify.com from the email address you use to login to Emburse (from March 2026 use receipts@pro.emburse.app) or
• click the ‘Upload’ button to add a receipt from your document library

Any receipts you uploaded using the mobile app will also be shown in your Emburse Professional Wallet.

Adding expenses with the mobile app

1. Log into the Emburse mobile app with your username and password
2. Tap the green 'Add expense' button
3. To the blank 'Enter expense' page, complete the missing fields (including the date and amount of the expense), then tap 'Save'
4. The expense line with be saved to 'Expenses in Emburse'
5. You can add further expense lines as needed

Any expense lines you add will be synchronised to the Emburse online portal. You can use your mobile or desktop device to create your expense report.

Deleting receipts

1. In the Emburse Professional app, tap ‘Receipts in Emburse’ to display a list of all your receipts
2. Tap the receipt you would like to delete, scroll to the bottom and tap ‘Delete’
3. A warning message will ask you to confirm that you want to delete the receipt. Once a receipt is deleted, it cannot be recovered. Tap ‘Yes’ to delete the receipt
4. The receipt is now deleted from ‘Receipts in Emburse’ – this will be reflected in the online portal

Making a claim

Our expenses policy

Our expenses policy sets out what expenses our Council, Board and committee members can claim for.

Download our expenses policy (PDF 442 KB)

Creating an expense report with the mobile app

Create, edit and submit an expense report (claim) on the go using the Emburse mobile app.

Before you start, make sure you have added your receipts or expense lines to Emburse using the instructions above.

1. Tap 'Auto expense report'
2. Select your expense(s) from the options provided. We recommend you select 'Add all items to a new expense report', then tap 'Next'
3. Complete the following fields:
   • expense report name – this should be the date (dd/mm/yyyy) followed by the name of the meeting you attended
   • start date – the date your claim period will start
   • end date – the date your claim period ends
   • description – for committee meetings, describe your expense report in more detail. For event attendance on behalf of the Law Society, please give full details
   • activity – this is the committee meeting you attended. If you are typing the committee name, a list of committees will appear that you can select from. For event attendance, you should select the name of the committee that you attended the event on behalf of
4. Once you have filled in these fields, tap 'Next'
5. You will be shown confirmation of any receipts and expenses you added. Click 'Finish' to create your expense report 

Reviewing an expense report for approval

Note: if you go out of policy for any expense claim, you will need to provide documentary evidence (such as an email) stating that you have been allowed to go out of policy.

1. On the 'Expense report' page, review the expense report (claim) you created
2. Tap the 'Edit' yellow pencil icon to review the expense line. Complete the following fields if missing:
   1. date – the date you are creating the report
   2. category  –  click on the double blue arrows and scroll to select the category for the expense (for example, 'Meals – lunch')
   3. amount – this box for the amount you are claiming back will appear after you have selected the expense category
   4. activity – this is the committee you attended
   5. attendees – this will be 'Me' by default; if you are paying for other members who attended a committee meeting, you will need to list them here
   6. reason – add a reason for claiming the amount (for example, 'Dinner – late committee meeting')
   7. receipt – tap 'Select' to choose a receipt missing from the expense line
3. If you need to add any more expense lines that are not in the expense report, scroll to the 'Add expense' section
4. Complete the required fields, selecting your receipt
5. If you do not have a receipt in your Emburse Professional Wallet, tap the 'Upload' button and take a photo or select an image from the library using the instructions above
6. After the receipts have been uploaded, tap 'Save'

Submitting an expense report for approval

1. Scroll to the top and tap 'Submit for approval'
2. You will be asked to verify that everything on your expense report (claim) is accurate. Tick the 'I certify this expense report is true and accurate' box and tap 'Submit'
3. Your expense report (claim) has been submitted for approval and an email notification will be sent to the approver, informing them of your claim
4. Emburse will send you email notifications as your claim progresses

Creating an expense report with the online portal

1. On the home page, click ‘New Expense Report’
2. Select your expense(s) from the options provided. We recommend choosing ‘Start with a blank expense report’. Using this option will help you manage your claims
3. Complete all the fields. See the above on creating an expense report for details of what to input
4. Your expense report will be created
5. Complete all bold fields in the ‘Add Expense’ section. You will need to create a new line for each receipt you are claiming
   • You will need to justify expenditure under the ‘Reason’ field
   • Add a receipt by either uploading an image from your device or selecting a previously uploaded one from your Emburse Professional Wallet
6. Once all fields are complete, click ‘Save’
7. You can add any additional documents to an expense line. Other required documents may include approvals for attending external events or any pre-approvals for spend out of policy
   • Tap the right arrow on that expense line
   • Select an image from your Emburse Professional Wallet by tapping ‘Add Image’
   • Your expense will now have two expense lines. You should add a ‘Reason’ for this document as well by clicking on the ‘Edit’ yellow pencil icon
8. You can make any edits to your expense report by clicking the ‘Edit’ yellow pencil icon
9. When you have completed all relevant information, tap ‘Submit for Approval’ and verify that everything in your report is accurate

Note: while your claim is being reviewed, the approver may request additional information via an expense inquiry. Please submit your reply if you receive an expense enquiry to progress your claim. Any delay in replying will delay the payment of your expense claim.

Forgot your password

1. On the Emburse login page, select ‘Recover your password’, enter your email address and select ‘Continue’
2. Choose whether you would like your verification code sent by email or text. Select the option you prefer and select ‘Continue’
3. A verification code will be sent to the option you choose. Type in the verification code and select ‘Continue’
4. Create and confirm a new password that meets the password requirements
5. If the password you have chosen is strong, passwords match and all fields are green, click ‘Continue to login’
6. You will be sent an email confirming that your password has been reset
7. You will be presented with a page where you can type in your email address and new password. Click ‘Login’ to gain access to Emburse

Frequently asked questions

Still need help?

Mobile app support

Reply to an inquiry

Autofill tips and tricks

Mobile tools and support

Online portal support

Reply to an inquiry

Email receipts

Upload receipts

Print an expense report

Member support helpline

If you experience any issues with Emburse, contact our Support Centre on 020 7320 5757 or using our online form.