Expenses

Statuses & Submission

Understand the expense report lifecycle, the rules that govern submitting a report, and who can edit it at each stage.

Statuses & Submission

Every expense report moves through a defined lifecycle from a private draft to a reimbursed payment. This page explains each status, the checks that run when you submit, and who is allowed to edit a report at each stage. For the approver's view, see expense approvals.

The status flow

DRAFT → SUBMITTED or PENDING_APPROVAL → APPROVED → PAID
                                              ↘ REJECTED
        (any pre-paid stage) ───────────────→ CANCELLED

Status	What it means	Who sees it
DRAFT	Editable working copy	Only the submitter — not visible to approvers
SUBMITTED	Sent in when approval isn't required	Submitter + finance
PENDING_APPROVAL	Waiting on an approver's decision	Submitter + approver
APPROVED	Cleared for payment	Submitter + finance
REJECTED	Sent back with a reason	Submitter
PAID	Reimbursed	Submitter + finance
CANCELLED	Withdrawn before payment	Submitter

Drafts are private. A report stays invisible to approvers until you submit it. Take the time to get line items, per diems, mileage, and receipts right before submitting.

You cannot cancel a PAID report. Once a report is reimbursed it's final. Cancel only applies to reports that haven't been paid yet.

What happens when you submit

The Submit action runs a series of checks before the report leaves draft. If any check fails, submission is blocked and you'll see the reason.

Check	Rule	If it fails
At least one item	The report must contain at least one item	Add a purchase, per diem, or mileage row first
Receipts required	If the org requires receipts, every line item over the receipt threshold needs a receipt	`N expense(s) above $X require receipts` — attach receipts and resubmit
Maximum report amount	If a max report amount is set, the total must not exceed it	`Expense report total … exceeds maximum allowed`

If all checks pass, the report's destination status depends on policy:

Condition	Result
Total is under the "auto-approve below" threshold (if set)	Report is APPROVED immediately
Approval is required	Report becomes PENDING_APPROVAL
Approval is not required	Report becomes SUBMITTED

Who approves it

The approver is the submitter's manager. If the submitter has no manager, it routes to the first admin or executive.

Department heads can only approve or reject expenses within their own department — see expense approvals.

Editing after submission

Role	Can edit
ADMINISTRATOR / EXECUTIVE	Can keep adding items to reports in DRAFT, SUBMITTED, or PENDING_APPROVAL
Everyone else (EMPLOYEE, DEPARTMENT_HEAD)	Can only edit a report while it's in DRAFT

Once a report is submitted, regular users can no longer change it — they must wait for approval or rejection. A rejected report comes back with a reason so it can be corrected and resubmitted.

Policies that affect submission

Receipt threshold. The dollar amount above which a line item must have a receipt attached.
Maximum report amount. A cap on the total a single report can claim.
Auto-approve below. A threshold under which reports skip approval and go straight to APPROVED.
Max days to submit. How long after the expense you have to submit it — default 30 days.

Exporting a report

Each report has its own Excel export for sharing or record-keeping. For organization-wide reporting and analytics, see Reports.

Troubleshooting

Message / symptom	Cause	Fix
Can't submit — "at least one item"	The report is empty	Add a purchase, per diem, or mileage row
`N expense(s) above $X require receipts`	Items over the receipt threshold have no receipt	Attach receipts to those items, then resubmit
`Expense report total … exceeds maximum allowed`	The total exceeds the max report amount	Split the report or remove items to get under the cap
Report went straight to APPROVED	Total was under the auto-approve threshold	This is expected — auto-approve is enabled and your total qualified
Approver can't see the report	It's still in DRAFT	Submit it; drafts are not visible to approvers
Can't cancel the report	The report is already PAID	Paid reports are final and cannot be cancelled
Can't edit after submitting	You're not an admin/exec and the report left DRAFT	Wait for approval/rejection; admins/execs can still add items

Receipt Scanning

Use AI to read receipts and bank statements automatically, manage stored receipts, and understand per-plan scan limits.

Overview

How the BookYourPTO document hub works — the personal filing cabinet, built-in and custom folders, the Company Library, and how files are encrypted and protected at rest.