The Expenses by Vendor Report is a powerful financial reporting tool available in GlassJar that shows how much your business has spent with each vendor over a given time period. This report breaks down all expenses—such as bills, payments, reimbursements, and purchases—and organizes them by vendor name, providing a clear view of where your money is going and how frequently you’re engaging with each supplier.
GlassJar automatically pulls this information from linked transactions and vendor records. The report can be filtered by date, vendor, category, or expense type, making it highly customizable and easy to analyze. It’s ideal for small business owners, accountants, and bookkeepers who need to monitor spending patterns, manage vendor relationships, and prepare for audits or budgeting cycles.
Available Data
- Vendor Name
- Vendor Email
- Vendor Address
- Expense Transactions
Available Filters & Sorting
- Transaction Date
- Vendor Name
- Vendor Address
- Expense Amount
Available Totals
- Vendor Count
- Transaction Count
- Expenses
COMING SOON
Why This Report Matters for Business Owners
Understanding where your money goes is critical to the financial health of any business. The Expenses by Vendor Report plays a vital role in this process by giving you a consolidated summary of expenditures associated with each vendor. Instead of manually reviewing every transaction, this report automates the process of categorizing and totaling vendor expenses.
By reviewing this report regularly, you can:
- Identify which vendors are costing you the most
- Monitor contract compliance and pricing consistency
- Spot unusual or duplicate charges
- Prepare for renegotiations with vendors
- Understand seasonal or project-specific expense trends
Businesses that rely heavily on external suppliers, freelancers, or subscription-based services benefit most from using this report consistently. It reveals spending concentration and can help you evaluate whether to continue, modify, or end certain vendor relationships.
How to Use the Expenses by Vendor Report in GlassJar
GlassJar makes it simple to access and understand the Expenses by Vendor Report. To get started, users can navigate to the reporting section and select “Expenses by Vendor” from the available report types. Once opened, you’ll be prompted to define a reporting period—monthly, quarterly, annually, or custom.
After selecting your preferred date range, the report will display a list of vendors alongside the total expense amount linked to each one. You can then click into each vendor name to see a breakdown of all associated transactions, including the invoice number, payment method, and the general ledger account to which the expense was applied.
From there, the report can be exported as a CSV, PDF, or Excel file for internal presentations, financial reviews, or tax preparation. The real-time data ensures that your report reflects the most current transactions recorded in your system, which is especially helpful for month-end or year-end closing.
GlassJar also allows you to save report settings, so if you prefer viewing this report by project, department, or vendor type, you can apply filters and save them for future use.
When to Use the Expenses by Vendor Report
There are several key scenarios where the Expenses by Vendor Report becomes essential in day-to-day business operations and financial management.
During Budget Reviews and Forecasting
When preparing a budget for the next quarter or fiscal year, knowing how much you’ve historically spent with specific vendors is crucial. This report provides the evidence needed to forecast accurately and set realistic spending limits for future periods. You may also use the report to compare budget vs. actual expenses by vendor.
Before Vendor Negotiations or Contract Renewals
If you’re entering negotiations with a vendor, having historical expense data strengthens your position. The report can demonstrate loyalty through volume, or it may reveal sharp price increases that could justify seeking alternative vendors. Reviewing vendor-level spend helps ensure you’re not overpaying or continuing relationships that no longer serve your business.
For Internal Expense Audits and Fraud Prevention
Anomalies such as duplicate invoices, unauthorized spending, or vendor misuse can be flagged quickly by reviewing this report. Spotting patterns like unusual spikes in spending or recurring transactions that bypass approval workflows can help prevent fraud and operational inefficiencies.
When Analyzing Project-Based or Departmental Spending
If your organization assigns vendors to different projects or departments, the Expenses by Vendor Report can be filtered to show project-specific or department-specific expenses. This is particularly useful in construction, consulting, creative agencies, or any business that runs multiple concurrent jobs.
Preparing for Tax Season or Financial Audits
During tax preparation or audits, having clear records of your vendor-level spending makes documentation easier. You’ll be able to quickly produce evidence of who was paid, how much, when, and for what. This simplifies tax deductions, especially for contractor payments and 1099 filings.
Insights the Report Can Uncover
Many businesses don’t realize how concentrated their spending is until they run this report. It may reveal that a significant portion of the budget is tied up in just a few vendors, which can signal over-dependence or an opportunity to diversify suppliers. Alternatively, the report may expose vendors who are billing for services that are underutilized.
You may also discover missed opportunities for discounts or bulk purchasing. For example, if you’re spending a large amount with a vendor monthly but haven’t negotiated a volume-based discount, this report can support the business case for doing so.
Recurring charges for services like software subscriptions, telecommunications, or office cleaning may not feel significant on their own, but when tallied over a full year, they can represent a considerable expense category. The Expenses by Vendor Report brings these costs into full view.
Similar Reports to Consider in GlassJar
While the Expenses by Vendor Report provides focused insights into vendor-related spending, several other reports in GlassJar complement this view and offer a broader understanding of financial performance.
Profit and Loss Report
The Profit and Loss Report shows all income and expenses over a set period, offering a high-level summary of business profitability. While it doesn’t break expenses down by vendor, it helps identify expense categories that may need further review using the Expenses by Vendor Report.
Vendor Detail Report
The Vendor Detail Report offers a more granular view of all transactions with a specific vendor. Unlike the Expenses by Vendor Report, which summarizes totals, the Vendor Detail Report lists each invoice, bill, or reimbursement associated with that vendor. It’s ideal for deeper analysis or resolving specific discrepancies.
Bill Payment History Report
This report shows which bills have been paid, how they were paid, and when. It helps reconcile the vendor totals shown in the Expenses by Vendor Report and ensures that no bills are missing or unpaid. It’s especially helpful for managing accounts payable and maintaining accurate payment records.
Accounts Payable Aging Report
The Accounts Payable Aging Report focuses on outstanding vendor balances and helps monitor overdue bills. When used alongside the Expenses by Vendor Report, it offers a full picture of both paid and unpaid vendor obligations.
Project Cost Report
For companies that manage project-based accounting, the Project Cost Report allows users to track all costs—labor, materials, and vendors—assigned to a specific project. This report can be filtered to view only vendor-related costs within a project, complementing the vendor-level data shown in the Expenses by Vendor Report.
Customizing the Report to Your Business Needs
GlassJar allows users to tailor the Expenses by Vendor Report based on specific reporting goals. Whether you want to analyze spending by department, category, or date, built-in filters provide the flexibility to refine the view. You can include or exclude specific types of transactions, such as credit card purchases, employee reimbursements, or recurring payments.
Tags and custom fields assigned to transactions can be used as additional filters. For example, you may want to see only expenses related to a marketing campaign, equipment purchases, or IT vendors. By using custom tags consistently across your transactions, the Expenses by Vendor Report becomes even more insightful and tailored to your workflow.
For organizations with multiple approvers or user roles, access to this report can be restricted based on permissions. Financial admins can grant department managers the ability to view vendor expenses relevant to their teams, without giving them access to sensitive company-wide financial data.
Leveraging the Report for Strategic Planning
Reviewing vendor expenses on a monthly or quarterly basis allows businesses to make smarter decisions about how funds are allocated. It becomes easier to identify overspending, underutilized services, and trends that may not be visible in other financial reports. The data can be used to build more accurate forecasts, strengthen vendor relationships, or find new efficiencies.
For growing businesses, this report also helps evaluate whether it’s time to bring certain services in-house or consolidate vendors. If you notice rising expenses with multiple overlapping vendors, it might make sense to streamline processes and negotiate better terms.
In GlassJar, the Expenses by Vendor Report is more than just a summary of payments—it’s a window into your company’s financial operations and vendor strategy. When used effectively, it can lead to meaningful cost savings and stronger control over business spending.