Expense Management: Definition, Types, Examples & Templates

expense management definition

The process involves various tasks, such as generating expense reports, seeking approvals, processing reimbursements, and conducting audits. Expense management is a bookkeeping system for controlling, tracking, and processing employee expense reimbursements and employee-related corporate credit card transactions. Specialized online and mobile app expense management software integrates with accounting software and ERP systems.

  • The platform’s alert system actively flags potential issues, promptly notifying users of duplicate receipts.
  • In most organizations, business expenses are managed manually, using spreadsheets and paperwork, or the process is automated using expense management software.
  • Traditional expense management is one expense management process that relies on several steps to manage spending and ensure the process for an expense claim is correct.
  • It should be noted if you plan to reimburse employees in other countries, or need to reimburse them in different currencies.
  • You get a centralized dashboard with all the key information available in a unified place, acting as a single source of truth.
  • An expense management policy outlines what company expenses can and cannot be submitted for reimbursement.

The expense management process is the steps through which employees request reimbursement or provide details of expenses made in carrying out work-related tasks. Unless special tools are adopted to automate the process, creating and tracking costs and reports can be time-consuming. Expense management refers to the systems deployed by businesses to process, pay, and audit expenses. These expenses can encompass a wide range of categories, including travel, entertainment, and office supplies, among others.

Formplus – For Seamless Data Collection

Expense management software reduces employee workloads and accurately tracks expenses for better regulatory compliance. Generally speaking, expense cards help cut out the middleman by cutting down on the amount of paperwork you have to do each time an expense is filed. They also offer you an opportunity to centralise your expense management function, so that all outgoing business costs come from the same place. Your expense management policy doesn’t necessarily have to be comprehensive, as it will evolve to suit your employees and business. Employees should be encouraged to clarify whether their expenses are permitted. One of the most effective ways to manage employee expenses through your business is to create a company expenses policy.

  • The transparency and security that blockchain brings to the table are set to revolutionize how we handle expense transactions.
  • Thus, TechWave Solutions’ new evolving expense policy, tailored to its specific business needs and culture, provides a structured and clear framework for managing expenses.
  • This continual scrutiny not only safeguards against financial mismanagement but also reinforces a culture of accountability.
  • In today’s volatile business environment, managing expenses is no longer a back-office task but a strategic imperative.
  • You can avoid this as the software detects duplicate invoices and gives visibility into the status of invoices.
  • The accounting system integration syncs data across the financial systems to provide a consistent and accurate database.
  • They also offer features like role-based access, IP based access, and auditor-access to ensure different stakeholders with different roles only have access to data you decide to let them see.

Expense management is more than simply keeping track of your employees’ reimbursement claims. As a result, teams have inconsistent data across company systems and spend more time fixing these issues than expense management definition focusing on their core activities. Additionally, expense reports are trackable in real-time, giving managers, finance teams, and accounting departments complete visibility over the business’s finances.

Examples of Expenses tracked in Expense Management

The accounting team reports on past expenses to give the finance team an idea of the business’s solvency. From there, finance teams work with company executives to craft a budget based on historical data and projected business expenses. Expense management involves planning for, paying, tracking, reporting, and reimbursing business expenses. These may include recurring expenses necessary to keep facilities running and teams operating effectively. They may also include discretionary spending on things like employee perks, engagement activities, and travel. As you already know, expense management refers to monitoring, controlling, and reducing business expenses.

expense management definition

Wafeq’s platform facilitates this transformation, making expense management not just a task but a strategic asset. In today’s business landscape, expense management is a pivotal factor that determines a company’s success or failure. Primarily, it assists in maintaining control over the company’s finances by monitoring and managing corporate expenses. It aids businesses in identifying unnecessary expenditures and areas where costs can be reduced. With automated custom workflows, employees no longer have to constantly remind their managers and the finance department to approve expense reports.

How Formplus Helps with Expense Management

As managers, department heads, or the finance department, there are better and more important things you have to do than verifying expense claims against policies. An expense management https://www.bookstime.com/articles/billable-hours software automates policy checks and alerts you about any violations. This enables you to take appropriate action and without wasting productive hours on verification.

  • A company’s expense policy defines what expenses can be reimbursed and what cannot be, how the employees will be reimbursed, and other important information.
  • You can visualize and interact with discrepancies directly on the centralized platform, turning what used to be a tedious task into a more intuitive and efficient process.
  • A well-defined workflow will ensure the employees’ expense reports reach the right people at the right time.
  • Owners, managers, or C-levels are more concerned about growing revenue, managing risk, reducing expenses, satisfying employees, and having a productive business.
  • One of the key benefits is the ability to track spending in an organized manner.
  • Expense management is the process of tracking, processing, and reimbursing employee spending.