Before you start
If you use Expend's integration with Xero or QuickBooks, check your configuration to ensure that you are ready to start reviewing expenses:
Xero or QuickBooks integration users
Xero or QuickBooks integration users
Open the sidebar menu menu, go to MANAGE, click Settings, select Integrations, and select your accounting platform.
Under Set Control Accounts, check that the Rejected Expenses account mapping is not empty. If it is empty, set up this account and then click Save.
Tip for Xero users: To create the account without going to Xero, click the + Xero Asset Account button.
Check your sync settings:
Xero: Under Expense Sync Settings, select an appropriate option to sync Expend card expenses when you’ve approved or rejected them. Read the guidance on the page for more information.
QuickBooks: Under Advanced Settings, turn the ”Require expense reports to be reviewed before syncing them” setting on or off. Read the guidance on the page for details.
Click Save.
The “Require Review Before Syncing Expenses” setting
When users save expense details in the Expend web app or the Expend mobile app, your sync settings determine when expense details (including attachments) are synced to your accounting platform.
QuickBooks: If “Require expense reports to be reviewed before syncing them” is turned ON (under Advanced Settings), no receipts, expense categories, or other expense details will be sent to QuickBooks until the expense is approved; only transaction data will be synced.
Xero: You can choose from four options under Expense Sync Settings:
When the transaction is final and you’ve approved/rejected the expense.
When you’ve approved/rejected the expense even though the transaction may not yet be final
When the transaction is final but without having approved/rejected the expense
Immediately when the card is used. Please read the guidance on the Integrations page for Xero for details.
Note that all Expend card transactions are synced to your accounting platform no matter whether this setting is turned on or off. The setting pertains to expense details added by the user – category (and whether the transaction is allocated to the mapped account), tax type and description, as well as attachments.
Reviewing expenses
You need the Administrator or Financial Reviewer role, or be a Team Reviewer, to review and approve expenses.
At the top of the Inbox, click Review. This shows all items that have been submitted for review.
Click the item in the Inbox that you want to review. You can make changes, approve instantly, or access further review options.
Choose your next step by clicking one of the buttons at the top of the page.
From the right:Review: This gives you the options to Approve, Reject, Request Changes, or Leave a comment. Select the outcome, optionally add a comment, and click the button in the bottom right corner to confirm.
Approve: Instantly approve the expense and move to the next one in the list.
Edit: Make changes to the expense if necessary. For more information about how to edit an expense in the Inbox, see Create an expense report from a card transaction. Click Save when you are done.
Note the following on the page:
You can choose between My Inbox and Company Inbox at the top of the Inbox area to focus on only your items or see everyone’s items.
Click Open to see draft expenses (not yet submitted for review) – as an Administrator or Financial Reviewer, you can edit and approve these if needed.
Click Completed to see items that have already been reviewed; click All to see both reviewed and draft items.
You can search for specific items by using the Search box.
The Sort and Filter buttons can help you organise the list according to your requirements.
What happens next?
If you approve or reject an expense, the expense details and attachments submitted by the user are synced to your accounting platform. (For Xero users, syncing may be delayed until the transaction is final, if this is specified under Expense Sync Settings.)
Depending on your settings, the review outcome selected also effects the following:
Approved
In your accounting platform, the transaction is allocated to the account in the Chart of Accounts that is mapped to the selected Expend category.
“Approved by” and the name of the reviewer is added to the transaction.
Rejected
The transaction is allocated to the Rejected Expenses account in your accounting platform’s Chart of Accounts.
The cardholder is notified by email that the expense hasn’t been approved.
“Rejected by” and the name of the reviewer is added to the transaction.
Changes requested
If your sync settings specify that an expense needs to be approved or rejected before syncing it, expense details are not synced to your accounting platform at this point.
The cardholder is notified by email that changes are required.
Comment
The comment is simply recorded against the expense.
If your sync settings specify that an expense needs to be approved or rejected before syncing it, expense details are not synced to your accounting platform at this point.