This article is for: finance teams and admins.
Once your accounting software is connected, send approved expenses to it from the expense list in a few clicks, without retyping them or moving files around. You decide when to send, so your books only get what you've checked.
Send approved expenses
Overview
Only expenses that are Approved, In payroll, Sent to pay or Paid can be sent.
What you need:
- Your accounting software connected for your company. See How do I connect my ERP or accounting software to Factorial?
- The permission to manage expenses. Your admin can give it to you.
- Categories linked to ledger accounts, if your software needs them (SAP Business One and DATEV do). See How do I make expense categories map automatically to ledger accounts?
How to use
- Go to Spending > Employee expenses > Expenses.
- Select the approved expenses you want to send, or filter by Sync status = Pending sync to find everything not sent yet.
- Click Sync to (your software).
- If something is missing, you'll see Review before syncing with the issues, for example "Missing ledger accounts". Click Review expenses to fix them, or Proceed and sync to send the rest.
- When it says Ready to sync, click Sync. The dialog warns that this can't be undone: Factorial doesn't take an expense back out of your software. You get a notification when the sync finishes.
Follow what was sent
How to use
- In Spending > Employee expenses > Expenses, look at the Sync status column, or filter by it.
- For an expense with an error, open it: the Alerts tab says why it couldn't be sent.
Most expenses go from Pending sync to Syncing to Synced. For what every status means and what to do, see FAQ 9.
Tips and Best Practices
- Send after approvals, before you close. Filter by Sync status = Pending sync at month-end so nothing approved is left out. See How do I close the month in Expenses? A checklist for finance.
- Check "Re-sync needed" every month. It catches expenses someone changed after you sent them.
- Fix the cause, not just the expense. If many expenses fail for a missing ledger account, link the category once and every new expense in it will carry the account.
Related articles: Which ERP and accounting connections does Factorial offer? · How do I connect my ERP or accounting software to Factorial? · How do I make expense categories map automatically to ledger accounts? · How do I send expenses to DATEV? · How do I export expenses?
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
I don't see the Sync to button.
Your accounting software isn't connected for your company, or you don't have permission to manage expenses. Ask your admin, or see How do I connect my ERP or accounting software to Factorial?
An expense is skipped.
It isn't approved yet. Only Approved, In payroll, Sent to pay and Paid expenses can be sent. Drafts, pending, rejected and reversed expenses never are.
"Sync failed" on an expense.
Open it and go to the Alerts tab to see why. The most common reason is a missing ledger account: its category has none for that legal entity, or the account was added after the expense was created. Link the account to the category, open the expense and save it again so it picks it up, then send it again.
FAQ
1. Are expenses sent automatically when they're approved?
No, you send them yourself from the Expenses list, in one click. That way you choose the moment, for example after the last approvals of the month, and nothing reaches your books before you've checked it.
2. If an expense changes after it was sent, does my software update?
Not by itself. Approved expenses can't be edited, but one can change after you sent it, for example when its approval flow is reset and it is edited. Its status then becomes Re-sync needed. Send it again, or correct it in your software, depending on what your software accepts.
3. What happens to an expense that is rejected or reversed after it was sent?
Factorial doesn't remove it from your software. Correct it there.
4. Can I send an expense again after it failed?
Yes. Fix what the Alerts tab says, select the expense and click Sync to (your software) again.
5. How often should I send expenses?
Whenever you want your accounting up to date: every week, or at month-end after the last approvals. You choose which expenses go and when. Check the Sync status column after each send, and again before you close the month.
6. Can employees see the sync status?
No. Employees don't see the Sync status or the Sync to button.
7. Does Factorial check the expenses before sending them?
Yes. When you click Sync to, Factorial checks the expenses first and lists any issues in Review before syncing, for example missing ledger accounts.
8. Is sending expenses to DATEV different?
The steps are the same, and DATEV also gives you a processing log. DATEV is available only for companies where it has been activated. See How do I send expenses to DATEV?
9. What does each sync status mean, and what should I do?
| Sync status | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Pending sync | Approved, not sent yet | Send it when you're ready |
| Syncing | Being sent | Wait. A sync that takes over an hour stops with an error |
| Synced | Your software received it | Nothing |
| Re-sync needed | It changed in Factorial after it was sent | Send it again, or correct it in your software |
| Sync failed | It couldn't be sent, or your software refused it | Open the expense: the Alerts tab says why. Fix it and send it again |
| Partially synced | Sent to one connection but not another (if you have more than one) | Check the failed one |