Using Expense Rules, you can automate the approval of certain expenses. This helps your team save time, reimburse faster, and reduce manual reviews for low-risk expenses.
And if you're using Smart Audit, you can confidently approve even more without compromising on control.
Many companies successfully auto approve a wide range of everyday expenses. The goal is to automate what's low risk and recurring, while keeping manual control over anything that needs extra attention.
In this article, we will highlight common categories companies choose to auto approve:
1. Low value and routine expenses
These are simple, recurring costs that rarely cause issues.
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Snacks, coffee, drinks under 15 EUR
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Parking and tolls under 20 EUR
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Office supplies under 50 EUR
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Internet or phone bills under 50 EUR
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Postage or shipping fees
2. Travel and transport
Often capped per ride or expense, and easy to track.
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Taxi and public transport under 40–50 EUR
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Fuel under 50 EUR
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Train or bus tickets
3. Meals and hotels
Set per-person or per-night thresholds to keep control.
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Lunch or dinner under 30–50 EUR per attendee
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Breakfast under 15 EUR per attendee
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Hotels capped by region (e.g. up to 300 EUR per night)
4. Recurring or predictable spend
These happen regularly and usually stay consistent in value.
- Mileage expenses
- Daily allowances
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Subscriptions and memberships
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Training and conference fees
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Phone bills or software licenses
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Bank and card fees
5. Specific user groups
Some companies auto approve expenses submitted by:
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Executives or senior managers
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Assistants or travel coordinators
6. Micro-expenses
Some teams choose to auto approve any expense under a certain threshold (e.g. 10 EUR) to avoid spending time reviewing small items.
💡 The condition 'receipt is attached' is often added to these examples as well.
How to set up these automatic approval rules? -> Find some guidance here.