You can edit expenses in Expensify to update details like category, description, or attendees. You can also split or merge expenses to break up a larger expense or resolve duplicates. However, some fields have restrictions based on the expense type and report status.

Expense Editing Rules

Editing restrictions apply based on expense type and report status.

General Editing Rules

Category, description, attendees, and report assignment can be edited by the expense owner, approvers, and Workspace Admins.
Amount can be edited for most manually entered expenses, except for company card transactions.
Tag and billable status can be updated as long as the report is editable.

Company Card Expenses

Amount cannot be edited for expenses imported from a company card.
Category, tag, and billable status can be edited if the report is Open or Processing.
Receipt images can be added or replaced at any time.

Submitted and Approved Expenses

Submitted expenses can only be edited by an approver or Workspace Admin.
Approved expenses cannot be edited unless reopened (also called unapproved).
Expenses in a Closed report cannot be edited.

Description and Workspace Violations

If an expense has a violation but includes a description or comment, it will still be submitted via Scheduled Submit.
The description acts as the user’s explanation for why the violation wasn’t resolved.
This allows the report to move forward while providing visibility for approvers or Workspace Admins.

Note: The violation will still appear but will not block submission if a comment or explanation is provided.

Expense Icons

Each expense has an icon showing how it was created:

🏦 Cash Icon: Manually added or SmartScanned
💳 Credit Card Icon: Imported from a personal card
📄 Spreadsheet Icon: Imported via CSV
🔒 Locked Credit Card Icon: Imported from a company card feed or company CSV

Image of different expenses

Edit an Expense

On Desktop:

Click the Expenses tab.
Select the expense you want to edit.
Click the field you want to change (e.g., category, description, attendees).
Make your changes and click Save.

On Mobile:

Tap the Expenses tab.
Select the expense you want to edit.
Tap More Options.
Update the relevant fields and tap Save.

Split an Expense

Each split becomes its own expense, and the image of the same receipt is attached. You can assign different categories, tags, or details to each one.

💡 Things to know before splitting expenses: 💡

Splitting an expense cannot be undone.
Each split must be greater than $0.00.
All splits must add up precisely to the original expense total.

Splitting Expenses on Desktop:

Go to the Expenses tab.
Click the expense you want to split.
Scroll to the bottom and click Split Expense.
Choose how to split the expense:
- Add Split – Add another line to enter a custom amount manually.
- Split by Days – Great for hotel receipts or multi-day expenses.
- Split Even – Divide the total evenly between the selected number of splits.

Splitting Expenses on Mobile:

Tap the Expenses tab.
Select the expense you want to split.
Scroll to the bottom and tap More Options.
Tap Split.
Tap each split expense to enter the amount, category, and other details, then tap Save.
- To split additional expenses, tap Add Split.
Once complete, tap Save again.

Merge Expenses

You can merge two duplicate expenses into one consolidated entry. This is useful when the same purchase appears twice—once as a SmartScanned receipt and once as an imported credit card transaction.

💡 Things to know before merging expenses: 💡

Merging expenses cannot be undone
You cannot merge two credit card expenses.
Ideally, credit card expenses also include a SmartScanned receipt. If your admin has enabled eReceipts (U.S. only), low-value expenses may show a QR code as the receipt image.

Merging Expenses on Desktop

From the Expenses tab:

Go to the Expenses tab.
Check the box next to the two expenses you want to merge.
Click Merge.
Choose which details to keep (e.g., receipt image, merchant, category, etc.).

From the Reports tab:

Go to the Reports tab.
Open the report that includes both expenses.
Click the Details tab, then select the Edit icon.
Select the two expenses you want to merge.
Choose which details to retain for the new merged expense.

Merging Expenses on Mobile

If Expensify detects potential duplicates, you’ll see a Resolve Now button.

Tap Resolve Now.
Tap Merge Expense to combine them into one.

Note: If the two expenses are on different reports, you’ll be asked to choose which report the new expense should be added.

Delete an Expense

The submitter can only delete expenses, and the report must be in the Open state.

Navigate to the Expenses tab.
Select the expense you want to delete.
Click Delete and confirm.

Note: If the report has been submitted, you will need to retract it before deleting an expense.

FAQ

Who can edit an expense?

Expense owner: Can edit expenses if the report is Open.
Approvers and Workspace Admins: Can edit submitted expenses before final approval.
Finance teams might have additional permissions based on workspace settings.

Why can’t I edit my expense amount?

Company card expenses have a fixed amount based on imported transaction data and cannot be changed.

Can I edit an expense after it has been approved?

No, approved expenses cannot be edited unless the report is reopened (unapproved).

If you need to edit an expense on a submitted report, you can contact an approver or Workspace Admin to reopen (un-approve) the report.

Can I undo a split expense?

No, it can’t be undone once an expense is split and saved. If you want to start over, delete the split expenses and re-upload the receipt.

Will each split have the same receipt image?

Yes. The same image will appear on all the split expenses for easy reference and audit compliance.

Can I apply different categories or tags to each split?

Absolutely! That’s one of the main benefits of splitting an expense — you can customize each part individually.

Can Expensify automatically merge a cash expense with a credit card expense?

Yes! When a SmartScanned receipt matches an imported credit card transaction by date and amount, Expensify merges them automatically.

If the SmartScan comes first, the card import will merge.
If the card transaction comes first, the SmartScan will merge once complete.
Expensify uses the SmartScanned merchant name over the one from the card feed.

Merging won’t happen automatically:

If you manually stop SmartScan.
If the expenses were created via the Expense Importer API.

Why didn’t my expenses merge automatically?

Here are some common reasons:

The cash receipt was not SmartScanned.
The transaction dates are different.
Amounts differ (in the same currency).
Amounts exceed a 5% difference in foreign exchange (FX) rates.
The transaction is over 90 days old.
One of the duplicates already merged with a third entry.
The cash expense was already submitted, reimbursed, or exported before the card import.
The card and receipt are in different Expensify accounts.

You can still merge expenses manually if both are Unreported or Open and exist in the same account.

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