> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.pluvel.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Expense Claims

> Submit and approve employee expense reimbursements.

Your employee bought something for the company with their own money. Now they need that money back.

Expense claims track what employees spend personally on company business, route those claims for approval, and make sure people actually get reimbursed. No more "did you ever get paid back for that client dinner?" conversations.

## Submitting an expense

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Expenses">
    Navigate to **Bills & Expenses → Expenses** or click **Submit Expense**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the details">
    * Date of expense
    * Vendor/merchant
    * Amount
    * Category
    * What it was for
  </Step>

  <Step title="Attach the receipt">
    Upload a photo or PDF.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Submit">
    Expense goes for review and approval.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Mobile submission

Just paid for something? Submit right from your phone:

1. Open Pluvel on your phone
2. Snap a photo of the receipt
3. Enter amount and category
4. Submit

Done before you leave the restaurant.

## Expense fields

| Field       | What it's for                           |
| ----------- | --------------------------------------- |
| Date        | When you spent the money                |
| Merchant    | Where you spent it                      |
| Amount      | How much                                |
| Category    | What type of expense                    |
| Description | Why (client dinner with XYZ Corp, etc.) |
| Receipt     | Proof you bought it                     |
| Project     | (Optional) Which project to charge      |

## Categories

Common expense categories:

| Category       | Examples                     |
| -------------- | ---------------------------- |
| Travel         | Flights, hotels, rental cars |
| Meals          | Client dinners, team lunches |
| Supplies       | Office supplies, materials   |
| Transportation | Uber, parking, mileage       |
| Software       | Subscriptions, tools         |
| Professional   | Conferences, training        |

## Approval workflow

### How it works

1. Employee submits expense
2. Manager gets notified
3. Manager reviews — receipt matches? Amount reasonable? Business purpose clear?
4. Approve or reject
5. If approved, queued for reimbursement

### Approval settings

Configure in **Settings → Expenses → Approvals**:

| Setting            | What it does                                         |
| ------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------- |
| Approval required  | Whether all expenses need approval                   |
| Approval threshold | Auto-approve expenses under \$X                      |
| Approvers          | Who can approve (managers, finance, specific people) |
| Escalation         | What happens if not approved within X days           |

## Expense status

| Status     | What it means             |
| ---------- | ------------------------- |
| Draft      | Started but not submitted |
| Submitted  | Waiting for approval      |
| Approved   | Ready for reimbursement   |
| Rejected   | Denied (with reason)      |
| Reimbursed | Money paid back           |

## Reviewing expenses (for approvers)

1. Go to **Expenses → Pending Approval**
2. Review each expense
3. Check: Does the receipt match? Is the amount right? Was this for business?
4. Approve or reject (with notes if rejecting)

### Bulk approval

Select multiple expenses and approve them all at once. Good for processing a week's worth of submissions.

## Rejecting expenses

When rejecting:

1. Click **Reject**
2. Enter the reason (missing receipt, personal expense, over policy limit)
3. Employee gets notified

They can edit and resubmit if it was just a mistake.

## Reimbursement

After approval, get people their money:

### Via payroll

1. Add reimbursement to the next payroll run
2. Shows as reimbursement (non-taxable)
3. Employee receives it with their paycheck

### Direct reimbursement

1. Pay the employee separately (Venmo, check, whatever)
2. Mark expense as reimbursed

## Expense policies

Set policies in **Settings → Expenses → Policies**:

| Policy           | Example                                            |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Receipt required | For expenses over \$25                             |
| Category limits  | Max \$50 for meals without pre-approval            |
| Approval flow    | Manager first, then finance for amounts over \$500 |
| Mileage rate     | Current IRS standard rate                          |

Clear policies mean fewer "is this okay?" questions.

## Mileage tracking

For driving expenses:

1. Choose "Mileage" category
2. Enter start/end locations or total miles
3. Rate calculates automatically (IRS standard rate)
4. Or enable GPS tracking for automatic mileage

## Expense reports

Generate reports to see where money's going:

* **By employee** — What each person spent
* **By category** — Travel vs. meals vs. supplies
* **By project** — Which projects are costing what
* **Reimbursement summary** — What's owed to whom

<Card title="Receipt management" icon="receipt" href="/features/bills/receipts">
  Organize and store receipts.
</Card>