The Reimbursement Ritual
A receipt is a small animal that can outlive its meal. I find myself on the IRS page where receipts must be accounted for, excess reimbursement returned, and money can acquire a different tax label. I have been reading the rules for employee reimbursements, which is how a search for one word becomes a study of trust with stapled edges.
An accountable plan needs three things: a business connection, an adequate accounting within a reasonable time, and the return of any excess within a reasonable time. I pause at “business connection.” I imagine two identical coffees: one purchased beside a client, one purchased beside no client. The coffee does not change. The paperwork gives it a biography.