Welcome to the Expenses page! You should be able to find answers to most of your questions here. If you can't find what you are looking for, then:
#expense-reporting-inquiresap@gitlab.comGitLab utitilizes Expensify as our team member expense reimbursement tool. All team members will have access to Expensify within 2 days from their hire date. If you didn't receive an email from Expensify for your access, please contact ap@gitlab.com. Note: Ensure to opt-out from news by logging in and navigating to Settings > Preferences > Contact Preferences and un-checking the box at Relevant feature updates and Expensify news.
Expense reports are to be submitted at least once a month. Additional information on getting started with Expensify and creating/submitting expense reports can be found here.
As the service does not require your personal information in order to process the reimbursement, we encourage you to redact your personal information before uploading receipts to protect your privacy. Managers should relay this caution to your team members, but we will no longer deny the expense report if receipt images contain personal information.
Consider redacting this information:
At a minimum, information about the items/products purchased and the total purchase amount should be visible so managers can validate the expense reimbursement amount requested along with the actual items and total purchase price.
The procedure by which reimbursable expenses are processed varies and is dependent on contributor legal status (e.g. independent contractor, employee) and subsidiary assignment. Check with Payroll if you are unsure about either of these.
For general information and guidelines regarding the company expense policy, check out the section of our team handbook on Spending Company Money. Managers and the Accounts Payable team will review expenses for compliance with the company travel policy. The CEO will review selected escalations at least annually.
Team members should also consider the terms and conditions of their respective contractor agreements when submitting invoices to the company.
Team members in a US policy will be automatically reimbursed through Expensify after their report is "final approved" within 7 business days by Accounts Payable team. For all other team members, please see the reimbursement process below based on your location or employment status.
The company will reimburse for the following items if you need it for work or use it mainly for business, and local law allows us to pay for it without incurring payroll taxes. Please keep in mind that while the amounts below are guidelines and not strict limits, any purchase (other than a laptop) that will cost GitLab $1000 USD per item (or over) will require prior approval from your Manager and Accounting.
The below averages are what GitLab usually reimburses. If you prefer to spend more on a given item, that's OK considering the average price. You are also welcome to expense the GitLab Average Price in USD portion, and cover the rest with personal funds. For example, if you purchase a high-end Steelcase ergonomic chair, you are welcome to expense the average price per the table below and cover the rest with personal funds. We are encouraging our members to use their best judgment when spending the company's money.
When reimbursing through Expensify please select "reimbursable" for the portion which GitLab will be covering, and add a note explaining the receipt difference.
Team members should not use a Corporate Credit Card to purchase office equipment for their personal workspace. All office equipment purchases for a team member's personal workspace should be made on a personal credit card and expensed.
For Laptop Purchases/Refreshes, please refer to IT Ops Laptop policy and procedure.
Take inspiration from our all-remote page covering key considerations for a comfortable, ergonomic workspace. You can also consult the #questions and #remote channels in Slack for recommendations from other GitLab team members.
It is uncommon for you to need all of the items listed below. Read GitLab's guide to a productive home office or remote workspace, and use your best judgement and buy them as you need them. If you wonder if something is common, feel free to ask IT Ops (and in turn, IT Ops should update the list).
| Item | Average Price in USD | Reimbursable Amount | Importance | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height-adjustable desk | $300 - $500 | $500 | 10/10 | We use our desks everyday and need them to be ergonomic and adjustable to our size and needs, whether that is sitting or standing. |
| Ergonomic chair | $200 - $400 | $400 | 10/10 | We use our desk chairs hours at a time, and need them to be healthy, supportive, and comfortable. |
| Headphones (wired or wireless, with mic ability) | $100 | $100 | 10/10 | We use our headphones everyday during our meetings, to connect with our fellow team members. We need our headphones to be comfortable, functional, and great quality. Due to low audio quality we do not reimburse air-pods. |
| External monitor | $400 | $400 | 10/10 | Finding a monitor that is large, comfortable to use with sharpness is extremely important for our eyes and health. If your job requires the need for two monitors, each monitor can cost up to $400. |
| Keyboard | $250 | $250 | 10/10 | Find a keyboard that works for you and is comfortable for your workflow and hand size. |
| Mouse or Trackpad | $80 or $145 | $145 | 10/10 | Find a mouse/trackpad that works for you and is comfortable for your workflow. |
| Laptop stand | $90 | $90 | 10/10 | Your eyes and head must look at the same angle as you work and so your laptop must be elevated if you are working with an external monitor. |
| Webcam | $80 | $80 | 9/10 | If you would like a much better image quality than from the camera in your laptop, a webcam can make video conversation better. For those who interface routinely with clients, leads, and external parties, you may also consider a pricier mirrorless or DSLR camera as a webcam. |
| Dedicated microphone | $130 | $130 | 6/10 | For those who routinely interface with clients, leads, media, and external parties — or create regular content for GitLab channels — you may also consider a dedicated microphone to capture your voice with added richness and detail. |
| Portable 15" external monitor | $200 | $200 | 9/10 | You have the freedom to work from any location, and having a portable monitor allows that your workflow does not suffer from being constrained to a single small laptop screen. |
| USB-C Adapter | $80 | $80 | 9/10 | Most MacBooks only have 1 free USB-C port, so an adapter with additional ports is a necessity. |
| HDMI / monitor cable | $15 | $15 | 9/10 | Find a quality cable so that the connection between your laptop and monitor is healthy and secure. |
| Yubikey | $50 | $50 | 8/10 | Per our Security Practices, purchasing Yubikey is not mandatory, but is considered as an extra layer of authentication for better security. |
| Monitor Privacy Filter | $80 | $80 | 8/10 | Important if you work in public places and need to be certain your work cannot be seen. |
| WiFi Router with guest functionality | $80 | $80 | 7/10 | If your existing router does not allow for isolating your work notebook from your personal devices in your home network, consider buying a router that does. |
| Ethernet connector | $20 | $20 | 6/10 | This is if you choose to connect to your internet directly versus by Wi-Fi. |
| Powerline / WiFi network extender | $50 - $100 | $100 | 6/10 | Useful for extending your home network to your workspace |
| Laptop bag or backpack | $60 | $60 | 7/10 | Carry your laptop and external monitor safely with this travel bag. We recommended you get a bag (or backpack) with straps so the device stays on you when you need your hands free. |
| Earpods | $30 | $30 | 7/10 | If you use your headphones at home but would like lighter headphones to use while on the go, these earpods are the way to go. |
If you wish to go over the recommended reimbursement, this is an exception and should first be raised with your manager and if supported, should be raised in the "expense-reporting-inquiries who will review and respond to the request.
Also feel free to check your local Freecycle group or similar second-hand/free markets when looking for equipment, especially furniture such as desks and chairs. GitLab will reimburse the cost of any transport and delivery services you need to procure the item(s) provided the total cost does not exceed the average spend for the item based on the table above.
GitLab will also reimburse costs relevant to one's location in cases where anniversary gifts or company issued swag incurs additional import costs.
Look at our equipment examples page to see some of the items that other GitLab team members have purchased, and please consider adding to the list if there's something you'd like to share.
The company will reimburse for the following expenses if you need it for work or use it mainly for business, and local law allows us to pay for it without incurring taxes:
people-exp@ gitlab.com. The People Experience team will then send it to the payroll provider in the Netherlands via email. The details of the payroll provider can be found in the PeopleOps vault in 1Password under "Payroll Contacts".If working from home is not practical you may submit for reimbursement for the cost of a co-working space. This can include non-traditional spaces that require a recurring (full-time monthly) membership as long as you average at least ~4 working days per month at the space. If flexible membership options exist in the form of daily passes or hourly packages, then these can be expensed as well, as long as the prorated cost per month does not exceed that of a recurring membership subscription. For instance, if both the monthly subscription and a hypothetical 10-day pass is $200 USD, then you can only expense one such pass each month.
Any agreement must be between the team member and the co-working space (i.e. GitLab will not sign or appear on the agreement). All expenses must be submitted through the normal travel and expense reimbursement policy. The Company will not be responsible for the deposit, and therefore will not reimburse for the upfront deposit. This will solely be the responsibility of the employee. In addition, the company will not be responsible for any expense that relates to office space subsequent to the termination of service between GitLab and the team member.
GitLab team members are allotted $10,000 USD per calendar year to spend on one or multiple training courses. Follow the process for submitting a Growth and Development Reimbursement. Expenses related to reimbursement of tuition will be capped at $1,000 USD within Expensify. Anything over $1,000 USD must go through payroll for reimbursement. Team members must attach a proof of receipt screen shot of the submitted G&D form when submitting a expense report for tuition, while choosing the "Training" category option. Please note any sort of conference attendance should be categorized to "Conference Attendance", and follow the same G&D steps as outlined above with reimbursement in Expensify capped at $1,000 USD.
Managers are able to send Gifts and Flowers on behalf of their team members in acknowledgment of significant life events such as the birth of a little one; well wishes ahead of surgery, or the loss of a loved one.
The event in question must pertain to a GitLab Team Member or the immediate family of a GitLab Team Member and will be allocated to the respective team members departmental budget - the spend range for significant life events is $75 to $125.
Managers can facilitate the ordering of Flowers or Gifts for delivery, but please note that you are unable to send restuarant gift cards at this time. In an instance where you would like to extend the offer of a meal or food delivery service, this will need to be expensed by the recipient for reimbursement.
When expensing Team member gifts please use the tag FY21_EmployeeGiftsFlowers.
In FY22, each eGroup member has been allocated $50 per team member per quarter for FY22-Q1 to FY22-Q3 for team building events. There is an additional budget for $100 per team member in FY22-Q4. More to come in the section below as we get closer to FY22-Q4.
In previous years, GitLab has allocated $100 USD per GitLab team member for a holiday event in December. We also encouraged GitLab team members to self organize holiday parties with those close by, but due to COVID restrictions in most countries, we have decided to have a more universal approach this year. We will update this policy again ahead of July 2021.
For additional Company Travel related questions, please refer to our Travel Handbook regarding booking travel through TripActions.
When reducing spend, we'll not take the easy route of (temporarily) reducing discretionary spending. Discretionary spending includes expenses like travel, conferences, gifts, bonuses, merit pay increases and Contributes. By reducing in these areas we put ourselves at risk of increasing voluntary turnover among the people we need most. Discretionary spending is always subject to questioning, we are frugal and all spending needs to contribute to our goals. But we should not make cuts in reaction to the need to reduce spend; that would create a mediocre company with mediocre team members. Instead, we should do the hard work of identifying positions and costs that are not contributing to our goals. Even if this causes a bit more disruption in the short term, it will help us ensure we stay a great place to work for the people who are here.
Purchase the liability insurance that is excess of the standard inclusion of State minimum coverage in the rental agreement at the rental agency. GitLab’s insurance policy provides liability insurance for rental cars while conducting company business, but it may be excess over any underlying liability coverage through the driver or credit card company used to purchase the rental.
Purchase the liability offered at the rental counter if there are foreign employees renting autos in the US or Canada. While workers' compensation would protect an injured US employee, other passengers may have the right to sue. To ensure that GitLab has protection when a foreign employee invites another person into the car we recommend the purchase of this insurance when offered at the rental counter.
Do Not purchase the Collision Damage Waiver offered at the rental counter. GitLab purchases coverage for damage to rented vehicles. If travel to Mexico is required, purchase the liability insurance for Mexico offered at the rental counter. You should verify that the rental agreement clearly states that the vehicle may be driven into Mexico and liability coverage will apply.
Purchase the liability insurance offered at the rental counter when traveling outside the US and Canada. Automobile Bodily Injury and Property Damage Liability insurance are required by law in almost every country. Please verify this coverage is included with the rental agreement.
Purchase the Collision Damage Waiver or Physical Damage Coverage offered by the rental agency when traveling outside the US and Canada.
In the event of an accident resulting in damage to the rental car, the foreign rental agency will charge the credit card used to make the reservation with an estimated amount of repair costs if insurance is not purchased. If this happens, GitLab does not purchase Foreign Corporate Hired Auto Physical Damage Coverage to reimburse for damages.
Currently Suspended
No problem, and consider adding it to this list if others can benefit as well.
If you are a team member in Spain or France, please submit your expenses through Safeguard in-house expense reimbursement management system and also submit them through Expensify. Accounts Payable will review, approve, and send the approval of your expense reports in Expensify to your gitlab email address. You will need to forward the approval email to Safeguard enable for them to process your expense reimbursement via payroll.
For Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Ireland, and Japan AP will process the approved report on Friday. The payment will be deposited into your account no later than three business days the following week. Accounts payable uses Tipalti to drive payment to the above policies. As part of onboarding, an invitation to the Tipalti portal will be sent. Please sign up and onboard only banking information, no tax information is needed. If set up of the personal Tipalti account is not completed in a timely manner, this may result in a delay of expense payment.
The list of SafeGuard countries can be found here
Team members who are employed through SafeGuard must submit their expense for reimbursement through Expensify. All expense reports must be submitted and approved by the manager and the Accounts Payable team by the 8th of the month to be included in the current month payment. All Expense Reports must be approved by the Manager, and Montpac by EOD on the 7th of the month
Team members working via SafeGuard must submit their expenses through:
The list of Global Upside & Remote countries can be found here
The list of CXC countries can be found here
These instructions apply if a team member is unable to purchase required items, for whatever reason.
Examples of things we do not reimburse:
In accordance with Reimbursable Expense guidelines, independent contractors should note which expenses are Contribute related on their invoices, prior to submitting to the Company.
Return to the main finance page.
