How to Log an Expense

Step-by-step: log an expense, complete the QC gate, and choose Loan vs Cash funding.

Every expense in OwnerDraw is attached to one budget line. That is what keeps your budget, your draw requests and your lender documents in agreement.

The fastest way

1. Open **Expenses** and select **Add Expense**. (You can also start from a budget line's three-dot menu → **Log Expense**, which fills the budget line in for you.)
2. **Date** — the date on the invoice or receipt.
3. **Vendor** — pick from your vendor list.
4. **Budget Item** — the line the cost belongs to.
5. **Amount**.
6. **Funding Source** — **Loan** if this is part of your construction loan draw, **Cash** if you are paying it yourself.
7. Tick **I have completed the QC checklist for this work**.
8. Add the **Invoice / Receipt** file if you have it.
9. Select **Add Expense**.

The expense appears in the ledger as **Logged**, and the linked budget line's **Actual Cost** increases straight away.

Recording a bill is not paying it

Saving an expense records that the cost exists. It does not pay anyone and does not tell your bank anything. Use **Mark Paid** in the ledger once you have actually paid the vendor.

What comes next

• Marking payment, draws, receipts and the waiver step: [How to Record and Manage Expenses](/help/expenses/expenses-page-guide).
• What Actual Cost means on your budget: [Understanding Your Budget Amounts](/help/budget/actual-vs-budget).

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**Verification note:** Field names and the save behaviour were confirmed by inspecting the current app code and opening the Add Expense form. No expense was saved on a live project for this pass.