Operational expenses capture spend you already cleared (or reimbursed immediately)—usually wiring through a Paid Through account such as petty cash or a clearing bank / corporate card—with the correct ledger classification for budgeting and statutory reporting.
Use Expense when payables-heavy vendor bills are unnecessary but you still need receipt-backed evidence inside the books: for accrued supplier invoicing rely on Bills and vendor payments. The checklist mirrors the Welcome guide's expense flow.
Create an expense
Steps follow the Welcome guide; the screenshot shows the expense form UI.
- Open Purchases, then choose Expense to create a new expense entry.
- Select the vendor from your vendor list (or the counterpart your organisation expects for reimbursements when applicable).
- Choose the expense account that corresponds to how the transaction should appear in your chart of accounts.
- Enter the expense amount inclusive of VAT treatment your policy requires—you can align tax fields when the form exposes them.
- Select Paid Through—the cash-on-hand account, petty cash, clearing bank/card account, or other funding source.
- Add a note or memo so reviewers understand the spend without opening attachments.
- Attach receipts, agendas, approvals, or other evidence so auditors can reconcile the payout quickly.
- Click Save when the expense is complete; route through approval queues if they are enforced for your team.
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Reviews and approvals
Locks after submissions depend on your finance policy; batches of pending claims are easier to reconcile from the Manage Expenses article alongside filters and CSV exports for monthly close-ready evidence.
What comes next
- Structured distance claims belong under Mileage Expenses so grade-based SAR/km rates stay consistent rather than estimating fuel inside general expenses alone.
- Harden organisational defaults inside Expense Preferences so reviewers see consistent dimensions, approvals, or attachment rules every submission.
Quick tips
- Attach the receipt or tax invoice before submitting for approval.
- Tag the expense to the right project or branch for accurate cost reports.
- For mileage claims, use the mileage flow instead of estimating fuel in a general expense.