Approval Workflow

Every expense submitted in the system goes through an approval workflow before it is finalized. This ensures that all spending is reviewed, verified, and authorized before being recorded in financial reports.

Approval Flow Overview

The expense approval process follows three statuses:

Status	Description
Pending	The expense has been submitted and is awaiting review by an authorized approver.
Approved	The expense has been reviewed and approved. It is now recorded in financial reports.
Rejected	The expense has been reviewed and rejected. A reason is provided to the submitter.

The typical flow is:

A user creates an expense and submits it.
The expense enters the Pending queue.
An authorized approver reviews the details, receipt, and amount.
The approver either approves or rejects the expense.

Who Can Approve Expenses

Expense approval is restricted to users with the following roles:

Admin -- Full access to approve or reject any expense
Finance Manager -- Can approve or reject expenses within their scope

Standard employees and drivers can submit expenses but cannot approve them -- including their own.

How to Approve or Reject an Expense

Reviewing a Single Expense

Navigate to Finance > Expenses > Expense List.
Click on the Pending status tab to filter for expenses awaiting review.
Click on an expense row to open the detail view.
Review the following information:
- Amount -- Does the amount seem reasonable for this type of expense?
- Category -- Is the expense categorized correctly?
- Description -- Does the description clearly explain the purpose?
- Attached documents -- Is a receipt or invoice attached? Does it match the claimed amount?
- Date -- Is the date consistent with the description and receipt?
Click "Approve" to approve the expense, or click "Reject" to reject it.
If rejecting, provide a reason for rejection so the submitter understands what needs to be corrected.

Bulk Approval

For efficiency, you can review and act on multiple expenses at once:

From the Expense List, filter by Pending status.
Select multiple expenses using the checkboxes.
Click "Approve Selected" or "Reject Selected" from the bulk actions toolbar.
If rejecting in bulk, provide a common reason that applies to all selected expenses.

Bulk approval is best suited for routine, low-value expenses such as daily fuel costs where the amounts are predictable and consistent. For larger or unusual expenses, review each one individually.

After Approval

Once an expense is approved:

The expense amount is recorded in financial reports and reflected on the Finance Dashboard.
The amount appears in the Employee Compensation module as part of the employee's expense totals.
The expense is included in any export or reporting for the relevant period.
The expense can no longer be edited.

Once approved, expenses cannot be edited. Double-check all details -- amount, category, date, and attached receipt -- before approving. If a mistake is discovered after approval, contact your system administrator.

After Rejection

When an expense is rejected:

The submitter is notified of the rejection.
The rejection reason is visible on the expense record.
The submitter can review the feedback, make corrections (update description, attach a missing receipt, correct the amount), and resubmit the expense.
The resubmitted expense enters the Pending queue again for a fresh review.

Best Practices for Approvers

Review daily -- Do not let pending expenses accumulate. Regular reviews keep the process moving smoothly.
Check receipts -- Always verify that the attached receipt matches the claimed amount and date.
Be specific with rejections -- Vague rejection reasons like "Rejected" are unhelpful. Instead, write "Receipt is missing" or "Amount does not match the attached invoice."
Use consistent standards -- Apply the same criteria to all expenses to ensure fairness across the team.
Flag anomalies -- If you notice unusually high amounts or frequent expenses from a specific person, investigate further before approving.

On this page