The custom format lets you tailor how your Pleo expenses are exported. You can adjust the data to be compatible with the accounting system of your choice (NetSuite, Sage 200c, Navision, etc). The below steps take you through the one-time custom format setup. Once you've got your format customised to your accounting needs, you'll save lots of time by not having to amend the export file every time.
Step 1: Select the custom format
Click on Settings.
Click on Accounting.
Click on Create your own format:
Step 2: Add in your contra accounts
On the Settings page in Pleo:
Select a contra account number for your Pleo Wallet (this includes any card expenses or invoice payments). We recommend creating a new account in your chart of accounts, just as you would for a bank account.
If Pocket is enabled for your company, select an account for your Pleo Pocket expenses. This will be the transition account to which the expenses are accounted against until they have been reimbursed. Also related to Pocket, select a Pleo Pocket reimbursement account. This will typically be the account from which you send reimbursements to your employees.
If you are using Pleo invoices, please also remember to fill out the "Default Supplier Account for Invoices" field. What's the benefit of having a default supplier account? If any of your invoices in Pleo are missing a supplier account, they will be sent to a single place in your accounting system, making it easier for you to then book them to the correct supplier later on.
Step 3: Add in your tax codes
If your accounting system allows tax codes to be imported, you can add these in as well (for example, Sage utilises tax codes such as T0, T1 and T9):
If you want to add a G/L code for VAT on your export, please select the multi-line format (see next section) and tick the box that says "VAT on separate line". You can manually enter the G/L code in either the Ingoing (if a standard tax type) or Outgoing (if a reverse tax type) columns:
When you export, the G/L code will be posted to both the Category account and VAT account associated with the expense.
Step 4: Select your file format
To customise the file format based on your needs, click the button that says Format settings: one line & XLSX. Here you have the option to choose between one line (see the left option below) or multiple lines (see the right option below). You can also choose between exporting Pleo expenses in a .csv or Excel file.
Step 5: Set up data to be exported to your accounting system
The next step is to tell Pleo which data you want to include in your file.
Once you know what you need from Pleo, you can type in what you want your column headings to be in the "Name" column and select the respective data in "Data Source." The "Example" column provides visual cue on what the format looks like in the exported file.
In the "Data Source" column, you can click the three little dots next to the data source to make changes like deleting, selecting the numeric format of the numbers. You can also select multiple data sources if needed. It's also possible to change the position of different columns into different sequences. A good example of this is to choose the "Receipt file" data source. This will be helpful for bookkeepers, as they'll be able to cross-reference the receipt file names in the spreadsheet with the associated receipts in the zip file.
If you need a free text field, you can choose ‘Static value’ from the data source and then click on the three little dots to add the value. For example, writing the bank account name in your accounting system for each expense.
If you are using Pleo invoices, please also make sure to add a supplier account field when setting up your file format. This will ensure that the invoice supplier code (whether specific or default) is included in your export:
This video shows you how you can format the data source column:
You can find an explanation of each data point in the table at the end of this guide. The data points you choose will likely depend on the accounting system you use.
What to see what your export file will look like? Click the Download a file preview button at the bottom of the page.
Step 6: Complete your first Pleo export
You're all done! Great work. Now you can go to the Export page and download your expenses in the format you've just set up.
Definitions of data points in Pleo
Name of Datapoint | Explanation |
Receipt Number | Pleo creates a receipt number for each expense. When you download a receipt, the receipt file name will be the same as the receipt number in the table. |
Settled date | Date when transaction gets settled |
Authorised date | Date when transaction is made |
Balance | Wallet balance |
Settled amount | When an expense has settled between the payment processor and the merchant and the amount is final |
Settled Currency | When an expense has settled between the payments processor and the merchant and the currency is final |
Authorised amount | When something has just been purchased and the amount has just been authorised |
Authorised currency | The currency of the authorised amount |
Contra Account | Pleo account number in the accounting system |
Merchant name | The name of the merchant where purchase was made |
Merchant country code | Country where the merchant is registered |
Employee name | The person who owns the card that the purchase was made with |
Employee code | Code that can be added in the Employee’s settings in People page |
Category name | Category name that employees choose when reporting expenses in Pleo |
Account number | Nominal code from the accounting system, connected to the category name |
Supplier account | Either the specific supplier code listed on a Pleo invoice, or the default supplier account (if no specific code is available) |
Note | Note that employee fills in Pleo while reporting expenses |
Tax Code | Tax code from the accounting system |
Review status | “OK”, “Needs more details” OR “Not Okay” - all can be chosen by the admins or the reviewers |
Review Note | Note if reviewer has chosen “Needs More details” or “Not Okay” |
Receipt URLs | URL which allows you to click and download receipt if logged into Pleo as an admin |
Tax rate | Tax rate percentage |
Net Amount | Amount after deductions like taxes |
Tax Amount | The amount of tax that is calculated by Pleo based on the tax rate |
Gross Amount | Amount before taxes |
Team Name | Can be created in the People > Teams page |
Team Code | Code can be added to each team |
Tag ID | You can bring in tag ID like a project ID that you have in your accounting system |
Tag name | Tag name, that users can select like a project name |
Static value | Choose a value for each transaction, like the type of transaction |