> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.smartbills.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Expense Reports > Learn how expense reports work - from creation to reimbursement ## What is an Expense Report? An expense report is a collection of related expenses bundled together for review, approval, and reimbursement. Employees create reports to submit their out-of-pocket business expenses to their manager or finance team. Each report includes a title, a business purpose, and one or more expenses with their supporting receipts. Expense reports are the primary mechanism through which Expenses expenses move from the employee to the approver and ultimately to reimbursement. ## How It Works The employee creates a new expense report from the Expense Reports page. They give it a title, describe the business purpose, set a date range, and begin adding expenses from their Expenses list. The employee selects one or more expenses from their Expenses and attaches them to the report. Each expense should already have a receipt, category, and any required fields filled in. Expenses added to a report change their status to **In Report**. When the report is complete, the employee submits it for approval. The report status changes to **Submitted** and the designated approver(s) receive a notification. Once submitted, the employee can no longer edit the report unless they recall it or the approver requests changes. The approver reviews each expense in the report, checking receipts, amounts, categories, and business justification. The approver can approve the entire report, reject it, or request changes on specific expenses. If approved, the report moves to the **Approved** status and all included expenses are marked as approved. If rejected, the employee is notified with the reason and can make corrections before resubmitting. See [Approval Workflows](/guides/concepts/approval-workflows) for details on multi-level approvals. After approval, the finance team processes the reimbursement. The report status changes to **Reimbursed** and the employee receives confirmation. The report and all attached receipts are automatically archived in the [Vault](/guides/concepts/vault). ## Report Statuses | Status | Meaning | | ---------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Draft** | The report is being prepared. Expenses can be added or removed. | | **Submitted** | The report has been sent for approval. Editing is locked. | | **Under Review** | An approver has opened the report and is reviewing it. | | **Approved** | All required approvers have approved the report. | | **Rejected** | The report has been sent back to the employee with feedback. | | **Reimbursed** | The employee has been paid for the approved expenses. | ## What Goes in a Report | Field | Required | Description | | -------------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Title** | Yes | A short name for the report (e.g., "Q1 Client Visits" or "March Travel") | | **Business Purpose** | Yes | A brief explanation of why these expenses were incurred | | **Date Range** | Yes | The start and end dates covering the period of the expenses | | **Description** | No | Additional context or notes for the approver | | **Expenses** | Yes | One or more expenses with receipts, each properly categorized | ## Key Terminology | Term | Definition | | -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Report** | A collection of expenses submitted together for approval | | **Submission** | The act of sending a completed report to the approval chain | | **Recall** | Withdrawing a submitted report back to Draft status before it is approved | | **Business Purpose** | The justification for the expenses in the report | | **Reimbursement** | The payment made to the employee for approved out-of-pocket expenses | | **Timeline** | The chronological history of all actions taken on a report | ## Roles Involved | Role | Responsibility | | ------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Employee** | Creates reports, adds expenses, submits for approval, corrects issues if rejected | | **Manager / Approver** | Reviews submitted reports, approves, rejects, or requests changes | | **Finance / Accountant** | Processes reimbursements for approved reports, ensures accounting accuracy | | **Admin** | Configures approval chains, spending policies, and report requirements | ## Related Guides Understand how single and multi-level approvals work Step-by-step guide to creating your first expense report How to submit a report for approval Learn about the expenses that go into reports