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What expenses do I need to include in my CSV upload?

If you don't use an accounting platform that we have integrated with, you can also upload your expense data in CSV format to cover your emissions from Purchased Goods and Services. 

You can access the CSV template from your kickoff email, or from the Trace app within "Step 4: Map your expense data" of your Data Collection Hub.

Expense data is best provided at the supplier/vendor level, that way, if you're on our Pro Software Plan we can show you your emissions at the supplier level to aid any supplier engagement efforts.

Choosing the Right CSV Format

Before preparing your file, decide the level of detail you need. Trace supports two CSV formats, depending on the complexity of your data.

Standard Format (Account / Supplier level)

This format is suitable for most companies and provides summary-level expense data.

Mandatory columns:

  • date

  • account

  • supplier (vendor)

  • amount

  • currency

This format is recommended when detailed transaction-level data is not required.

Advanced Format (Account / Supplier / Transaction level)

This format supports more granular transaction-level detail.

In addition to the mandatory columns above, you may include:

  • description (optional): a short description of the transaction

Including a description is recommended if you want more granular supplier mapping. Access to transaction-level mapping depends on your plan.

Expected Expense Categories

Please refer to the below for a list of expected emissions sources from Purchased Goods and Services, and Business Travel if activity data is not available for this.  Remember, this list is not necessarily exhaustive, and certain items may not be relevant to you. Ultimately we are looking to cover all of your expenses on Purchased Goods and Services - items can be excluded from within the Trace app if need be.

Expense categories we'd typically expect to see:

  • Business travel (flights, accommodation, car hire, taxi, public transport)
  • Professional services (e.g. recruitment, consulting, legal, engineering etc)
  • Food and beverages
  • Repairs and maintenance
  • Building services such as cleaning
  • Banking and financial services
  • Marketing and advertising 
  • Office equipment and supplies
  • ICT services and equipment (incl cloud services)
  • Entertainment
  • Products and materials
  • Postage, courier and freight
  • Clothing/uniforms
  • Printing and publishing
  • Contractors/labourers (not included in staff headcount on the location tab)

Formatting requirements for the CSV:

  • Dates must be formatted as DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY/MM/DD
  • Costs must be formatted as numbers, not currency (i.e. no commas)
  • Each column, except the description one, must contain data, with no data gaps in the rows
  • No additional data that the template doesn't specify

Tip: Simplifying Your CSV

To speed up the upload and processing of your data, we recommend keeping your CSV as concise as possible.

You may group multiple transactions from the same supplier into a single line, provided they fall within the measurement period. This reduces the number of rows Trace needs to process and helps complete the import faster.

When grouping transactions:

  • Use a single valid date within the measurement period

  • Ensure the total amount reflects the grouped spend

  • Keep supplier and account names consistent

Smaller, well-structured CSV files are processed more quickly and are easier to review and maintain.