Expenses can be created through manual entry, tracking distance, or scanning a receipt. They can be submitted to an individual or to a workspace. For steps on creating and submitting expenses, check out Create an Expense.

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Expenses Sent to an Individual (Not a Workspace)

When an expense is submitted to an individual (rather than on a workspace), it won’t go through an approval process. It only needs to be paid. See Pay an Expense for the payment steps.

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Expenses Submitted on a Workspace

When an expense is submitted on a workspace with an approval workflow configured, it must be approved before it can be paid.

For each expense report, you can:

• Approve: Confirm the expense is valid and ready to pay.
• Hold: Temporarily delay approval if more information is needed.
• Unapprove: Send the expense back to the submitter for changes.

To set up an approval workflow:

1. In the left-hand menu, go to Workspaces > [Workspace Name] > Approvals.
2. Create a custom workflow to route expenses to the appropriate approvers.

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Approve an Expense

1. You’ll receive an in-app and email notification when an expense is submitted.
2. Click the notification to review the expense in Expensify, or you can find the expense in your Inbox.
3. Review details like the receipt, amount, and description.
4. Click Approve.

Note: If the transaction is still pending (e.g., an Expensify Card or SmartScan expense), you must wait until the transaction posts before approving.

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Hold an Expense

To place an expense on hold:

1. In the left-hand menu, head to Reports > Expenses.
2. Locate the expense using the search bar or filters.
3. Click View.
4. Open the More dropdown at the top of the expense.
5. Select Hold and enter a reason (this will be added to the report).

To take an expense off hold to approve:

1. In the left-hand menu, head to Reports > Expenses.
2. Locate the held expense using the search bar or filters.
3. Click View.
4. Open the More dropdown at the top of the expense.
5. Select Unhold.
6. Then follow the steps above to Approve.

Note: Held expenses cannot be paid until they are approved.

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Unapprove an Expense

1. In the left-hand menu, head to Reports > Expenses.
2. Locate the expense using the search bar or filters.
3. Click View.
4. Open the More dropdown at the top of the expense.
5. Select Unapprove.

The submitter will be notified so they can revise or delete the expense.

Note: Paid reports cannot be unapproved. If the expense was already exported to accounting software, unapproving it may cause reconciliation issues. Be sure to remove the exported data before approving the expense again.

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FAQ

Why is an employee expense showing as pending?

Expensify Card expenses show as pending until the merchant posts them. This can take 1–3 business days. Hotel or rental car holds may take longer (up to 31 days for hotels).

What are expense reports?

Expense reports group multiple expenses into one batch for review or payment. Draft reports collect new expenses automatically. You can check the status of an expense under Reports > Expenses.