Approving reports

Learn how to review and approve expense reports submitted by your team members efficiently and accurately.

Quick approval process

Approving an expense report in Eloope typically takes about 30 seconds once you're familiar with the process. The system is designed to give you all the information you need at a glance, making it easy to make informed decisions quickly.

When you receive a report for approval, you'll review it against a simple 4-point checklist covering business justification, policy compliance, receipt verification, and accuracy. After your review, you'll add any necessary comments and click either the Approve or Reject button. The entire process is streamlined to minimize the time you spend on administrative tasks while ensuring proper oversight of company spending.

Access pending approvals

There are several ways to access reports waiting for your approval in Eloope, depending on where you are in the application.

From your dashboard, you can click the "Pending Approvals" card which displays the total number of reports awaiting your review. This card is prominently displayed on your home screen and updates in real-time as new reports come in or existing ones are processed.

Alternatively, you can access your approval queue by clicking "Approvals" in the main sidebar navigation. This takes you to a dedicated page showing all pending reports in a list format, with key details like submitter name, report total, and submission date visible at a glance.

You can also access approvals directly from notifications. Click the bell icon in the top navigation bar to see all recent notifications, then select any approval notification to jump straight to that specific report. This is particularly useful when you want to process approvals as they come in rather than in batches.

Review checklist

Use this comprehensive 4-point checklist every time you review an expense report to ensure consistency and thoroughness in your approval process.

Business justification. Start by verifying that the expense represents a legitimate business need. Consider whether the expense aligns with the employee's role and responsibilities. For example, it would be appropriate for a sales representative to expense client meals, but not for someone in an accounting role unless they're entertaining a vendor. Check that the purpose of the expense is clearly stated in the description field. For meal expenses specifically, look for details about who attended the meal and what business was discussed, as this information is often required for tax and compliance purposes.

Policy compliance. Next, verify that the expense adheres to company policies. Confirm that all required receipts are attached to the expense items—most companies require receipts for expenses above a certain threshold, typically $25 or $50. Check that expense amounts fall within approved policy limits for each category. For example, if your company policy allows a maximum of $75 per person for business dinners, verify that the meal expense doesn't exceed this amount. Ensure that each expense is categorized correctly according to your company's chart of accounts. If the system has flagged any policy violations, review the employee's justification carefully before making your decision.

Receipt verification. Examine all attached receipts to ensure they match the reported expense amounts. Verify that receipts are legible and complete—they should clearly show the merchant name, date, itemization, and total amount. Confirm that the dates on receipts match the expense dates entered in the system. Check that merchant names on receipts correspond to what's entered in the expense details. If you notice any discrepancies between receipt amounts and entered amounts, reach out to the employee for clarification before approving.

Accuracy check. Finally, review the expense details for accuracy and completeness. Look for obvious errors like typos in amount fields—for example, entering $1,500 instead of $15.00. Verify that dates are correct and make sense in the context of the business activity. Read expense descriptions to ensure they clearly explain what the expense was for and why it was necessary. Double-check that expenses are categorized correctly, as proper categorization is important for financial reporting and budget tracking.

Approve a report

Once you've completed your review using the checklist above and are satisfied that the report meets all requirements, you're ready to approve it.

Start by adding a comment to document your review, even though this step is optional. Adding comments is considered a best practice because it creates a clear audit trail and can help with future reviews. Your comment might be simple, such as "Approved. All receipts verified and within policy." For reports that are acceptable but have minor issues, you might add a note like "Approved with note: Please itemize meal receipts in future to show individual attendees."

Click the green "Approve" button located at the bottom of the report page. A confirmation dialog will appear asking you to confirm your decision. Click "Confirm" to finalize the approval.

Once approved, the report will automatically move to the next step in your approval workflow. If you're the final approver, the report goes directly to the Finance team for payment processing. If additional approval levels are configured, the report will route to the next approver in the chain and they'll receive a notification immediately.

Reject a report

Sometimes you'll need to reject a report that doesn't meet approval criteria. When rejecting a report, it's crucial to provide clear, specific feedback so the employee knows exactly what needs to be corrected.

Before rejecting, consider whether the issues can be resolved with a quick conversation or email. Sometimes a simple clarification is all that's needed, and reaching out directly can save time for everyone. However, if the expense genuinely doesn't meet policy requirements or has significant issues that require resubmission, rejection is appropriate.

To reject a report, add a detailed comment explaining exactly why you're rejecting it and what the employee needs to do to fix the issues. Be specific rather than vague—instead of saying "Receipt issues," write "Missing receipts for hotel expense on March 15 ($245) and taxi expense on March 16 ($28). Please attach receipts and resubmit."

Click the red "Reject" button and confirm your decision. The employee will immediately receive a notification that their report was rejected, along with your comments. They can then make the necessary corrections and resubmit the report for your review.

Common reasons for rejection include missing receipts, expenses that exceed policy limits without proper justification, unclear expense descriptions, expenses that don't have clear business purposes, or expenses that were submitted well past the deadline specified in your expense policy.

Best practices for approvers

Review reports promptly. Aim to review reports within 24-48 hours of receiving them. Employees are waiting for reimbursement, and delayed approvals create frustration and cash flow issues for your team members. Set aside specific times during your day or week to process approvals in batches if you receive many reports.

Be consistent. Apply policies and standards consistently across all team members to maintain fairness and credibility. If you approve a certain type of expense for one employee, you should approve similar expenses for others in comparable situations. Inconsistent approval practices can lead to confusion and resentment among team members.

Communicate unclear policies. If you notice that multiple employees are submitting expenses that violate policies or that the same types of issues keep coming up, this may indicate that policies aren't clearly communicated. Bring these patterns to the attention of management or your HR team so policies can be clarified or updated.

Use delegation. When you're going to be unavailable for an extended period, such as during vacation or business travel, set up delegation so another manager can approve reports in your absence. This prevents reports from piling up and keeps the reimbursement process moving smoothly. You can configure delegation in your user settings, specifying which approver should receive your reports and for what date range.

Ask questions when unsure. If you're uncertain whether an expense should be approved, reach out to the employee for clarification or escalate to your manager or finance team for guidance. It's better to ask questions than to approve expenses that shouldn't be approved or reject expenses inappropriately.

Related articles

• Quick start for managers
• Understanding user roles
• Policy violation handling workflow
• Rejection and resubmission workflow