View the Top Merchants report
View the Top Merchants report
The Top Merchants report shows which merchants or vendors received the highest total spend last month. It’s an easy way to:
- Understand which vendors are receiving the most payments
- Identify recurring merchant relationships
- Spot trends without exporting data
- Make data-driven purchasing decisions with less effort
This report is a pre-built suggested search that uses filters to group your expenses by merchant.
Who can use the Top Merchants report
The Top Merchants report is available to all workspace members on web and mobile.
- Workspace members can view top merchants for expenses on reports they’ve submitted or approved.
- Workspace Admins and Auditors can view top merchants for all expenses on the workspace.
Where to find the Top Merchants report
Web:
Click Reports in the left navigation, then click Top merchants under the Insights section
Mobile:
Tap Reports from the navigation tabs on the bottom, then tap the hamburger menu in the top-right corner. Under Insights, tap Top merchants.
What the Top Merchants report shows
The Top Merchants report is powered by Expensify’s search query engine using grouping and filters. The report shows:
- All merchants sorted by total spend in the last month
- The total amount spent at each merchant
- The number of expenses for each merchant
How to interpret the Top Merchants report
Each merchant entry represents a single vendor or merchant, ordered from highest to lowest total spend. The report shows:
- Number of expenses for that merchant
- Total amount spent at that merchant
Select a merchant to review all expenses included in that grouping.
How to customize the Top Merchants report
You can adjust filters like status, expense type, or employee to explore spending trends.
The Top Merchants report is a suggested search template. You cannot save changes directly to this report, but you can create a custom version.
To create and save a custom report:
- Go to the Reports or Expenses tab.
- Use filters to adjust the merchant grouping or timeframe.
- Apply filters and click Save search to save your custom report.
Learn how to create custom reports
How to switch the Top Merchants report to table view
By default, the Top Merchants report displays a bar chart. The table view shows merchants sorted in descending order by total spend.
To change the view:
- Click View in the top navigation tabs.
- Select Table.
The table view shows merchants as rows sorted in descending order by total spend.
Ways to use the Top Merchants report
Workspace Admins and finance teams use the Top Merchants report to:
- Monitor vendor spending patterns
- Identify opportunities for volume discounts or contract negotiations
- Quickly compare expense volume by vendor
- Track subscription and recurring service costs
- Make purchasing decisions without needing spreadsheets
FAQ
Can I export the Top Merchants report?
The Top Merchants report can’t be exported with its grouped totals or summary data directly. However, if you expand each group to reveal the individual expenses, you can then select those expenses and use Export to CSV to download the raw data.
To export expenses:
- Go to the Reports or Expenses tab.
- Use filters to group by merchant and apply the same timeframe.
- Expand the merchant group, select the expenses, and click Export to CSV.
What’s the difference between the Top Merchants report and other insights reports?
Each report provides a different view of your spending:
- Top Merchants shows which vendors received the most payments
- Top Categories shows the highest-spending expense types (e.g., Travel, Meals)
- Top Spenders shows which employees submitted the most expenses
All reports help identify trends from different perspectives to support better financial decisions.
How is the Top Merchants report calculated?
The report uses all expenses from the previous calendar month and groups them by merchant. It shows the top 10 merchants based on total spend.
Why do some merchant names look different?
Merchant names are captured from receipt data and card transactions. The same vendor might appear under different names (e.g., “Amazon.com” vs “AMZN Marketplace”). You may need to review the individual expenses to confirm they’re from the same merchant.
