This article is for: approvers.
Quick answers to the questions approvers ask most, with a link to the full article for each. Read this if you've just been made an approver, or if something about an expense doesn't look the way you expected.
Tips and Best Practices
- Filter the list by Pending approvals > Mine to see only what's waiting for you.
- Prefer Request changes over Reject when the employee can fix the problem.
- Add a reason to every rejection or request for changes.
Related articles: How do I find the expenses I need to approve? · How do I approve, reject or send back an expense? · How do I review a card expense? · Why is an expense stuck in Pending or with the wrong approver? · How do I fix an expense that was sent back or rejected? · How do I approve expenses with One? · Expense statuses and alerts
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
I can't find an expense assigned to me.
Check the Pending approvals > Mine filter and the Document date filter (the list starts with the last 30 days). The expense may also have been decided by another approver of the same step, reset, or sent back to the employee. See How do I find the expenses I need to approve?.
An expense has been waiting for me, but I can't approve it.
If your company uses Expense checks, the approval starts once the checks finish, at the latest 1 hour after the expense was sent. See Why is an expense stuck in Pending or with the wrong approver?.
FAQ
1. Which expenses do I need to act on, and what does each status mean?
An expense has one status at a time. As an approver, you only act on Pending expenses that are waiting for you; everything after Approved is handled by your finance team. See Expense statuses and alerts.
| Status | What it means | Do you need to act? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Waiting for a decision. Open it to see who it's waiting for. | Yes, if it's waiting for you |
| Changes requested | Sent back to the employee to fix | No, the employee does |
| Rejected | The approval ended with a rejection | No |
| Approved | All approval steps are done | No, finance pays it back |
| In payroll | Added to the employee's payslip | No |
| Sent to pay | Included in a SEPA transfer file | No |
| Paid | Paid back, or set as paid | No |
2. I'm going on holiday. Can someone approve for me?
Someone with the Global Approver for Expenses permission can approve any pending expense with Global approve. Your admin can also change the approval flow with One so your expenses go to someone else while you're away. See How do I approve, reject or send back an expense?.
3. I rejected an expense by mistake. What now?
Ask someone with permission to reset the approval flow (usually an admin or finance). The expense goes back to Pending at the first step, so you may need to approve it again. See How do I fix an expense that was sent back or rejected?.
4. How do I know if I've already reviewed an expense?
It leaves your Pending approvals > Mine list. If another step follows yours, it shows "You already approved this expense. Pending to be approved by [name]." See How do I find the expenses I need to approve?.
5. A manual expense has no receipt. Can I approve it?
You can: alerts and checks never stop you from deciding. But we recommend Request changes and asking for the receipt first. See How do I approve, reject or send back an expense?.
6. Do I need to review card expenses if the card already has limits?
Yes, but it's a lighter review: check the receipt and that it was for work. See How do I review a card expense?.
7. Why do I see "In payroll", "Sent to pay" or "Paid"?
These come after approval, when your finance team pays the expense back. You don't need to do anything. See Expense statuses and alerts.
8. Can I approve several expenses at once?
Yes. In Spending > Employee expenses, select them and click Approve. You can also ask One, for example "Approve the expenses waiting for me that are in policy". See How do I approve expenses with One?.
9. Do "Out of policy" or "Duplicate" alerts stop me from approving?
No. They're there to help you decide. Add a comment when you approve an expense with an alert. You only see Duplicate alerts if you can see all company expenses. See How do I approve, reject or send back an expense?.
10. Where can I see the full history of an expense?
Open the expense: its Approval history shows each approval step and who it's waiting for, and its activity shows comments and status changes. See Why is an expense stuck in Pending or with the wrong approver?.
11. Can I approve expenses from Slack or Microsoft Teams?
No. Expenses doesn't send approval requests to Slack or Microsoft Teams. You get an email and a request in your Inbox in Factorial, on the web or the mobile app, and you can also ask One to approve for you. See How do I find the expenses I need to approve? and How do I approve expenses with One?.