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

# Expense management

> Turn every card transaction into a structured expense record — with receipt capture, AI categorisation, approval routing, and accounting sync.

Expense Management is an optional feature that turns every Dash.fi card swipe into a structured expense record. Cardholders submit receipts and confirm details. Managers approve against configurable policies. Once approved, expenses flow directly into your accounting integration — no re-entry, no reconciliation overhead.

<Note>
  Expense Management covers spend on Dash.fi cards only. Reimbursements for personal card spend are not currently supported.
</Note>

## How it works

When Expense Management is enabled, each cleared card transaction becomes an expense record assigned to the cardholder. The cardholder's job is to submit it with the required information before it goes to their manager for review.

Your policies determine what information is required — typically:

* A receipt
* A memo describing the purchase
* Confirmation of the merchant, amount, and spend category

Once an expense is approved, it moves into the accounting sync queue, fully coded and ready to post to your GL.

## Expense lifecycle

```text theme={null}
Needs coding → Draft → Submitted → Approved → Ready to Sync → Synced
                             ↘ Needs Review → (cardholder corrects) → Resubmitted
                                                                    ↘ Sync Failed (retryable)
```

| Status            | Meaning                                                         |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Needs coding**  | Transaction captured — no submission started yet                |
| **Draft**         | Cardholder has started filling in details but not yet submitted |
| **Submitted**     | Cardholder has submitted for review                             |
| **Approved**      | Approver has approved the expense                               |
| **Needs Review**  | Sent back to the cardholder for correction                      |
| **Ready to Sync** | Finance has marked it ready for GL sync                         |
| **Synced**        | Successfully pushed to the connected accounting platform        |
| **Sync Failed**   | Sync attempt failed — retryable without re-triggering approvals |

## Receipt capture

Cardholders attach receipts from the Dash.fi web or mobile app. Dash.fi's AI reads each receipt automatically — extracting merchant name, date, and amount — to eliminate manual data entry. Printed and digital receipts work best. Handwritten receipts may need manual correction.

## AI categorisation

When an expense is submitted, Dash.fi analyses the merchant descriptor and transaction context to suggest the most appropriate accounting category. Cardholders can accept or override the suggestion. Corrections feed back into the model over time, improving accuracy across your team.

## Approval routing

You configure approval rules in the [Policy Manager](/spend-management/policy-manager). Policies can route based on spend amount, merchant category, department, or card type.

If an approver returns an expense, the cardholder receives it back for correction and can resubmit through the same workflow.

## Accounting sync

Once an accountant marks an expense as ready, Dash.fi pushes it to your connected accounting platform. Supported platforms:

* QuickBooks Online
* Xero
* NetSuite
* Sage Intacct

Fields synced include amount, date, merchant, category, memo, and receipt attachment. If a sync fails, the expense surfaces in **Sync Failed** status and can be retried without re-routing through approvals.

## What's captured end to end

Every approved expense has a complete audit trail:

* Card request → card approval
* Transaction
* Expense submitted → expense approved
* Receipt and memo attached
* Spend category confirmed
* GL sync completed

## Related

* [Submitting expenses](/spend-management/submitting-expenses) — cardholder guide for adding receipts, memos, and categories on web
* [Coding transactions](/spend-management/coding-transactions) — how finance assigns GL codes and marks transactions ready to sync

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Do all card transactions require expense submission?">
    Only when Expense Management is enabled for your account. It's an optional feature — if it's not enabled, transactions flow directly into the accounting sync queue for review by your accountant.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if an expense sync fails?">
    The expense moves to **Sync Failed** status. You can retry it without re-routing through the approval workflow.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I have multiple approvers for a single expense?">
    Multi-stage approval chains are on the roadmap. Currently, each expense routes to a single approver as defined by your policy.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does receipt OCR work on handwritten receipts?">
    It works, but results are best on printed or digital receipts. Handwritten receipts may need manual correction after OCR.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>