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Overview

When an employee submits an expense report, it appears in your approval queue. This guide walks you through the process of reviewing the report, verifying its contents, and approving it.
Permissions required: You must have an approver role assigned to your account. The Approvals section only appears in the sidebar for users with approval permissions.

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Steps

1

Navigate to Approvals

Click Approvals in the left sidebar. A badge on the icon shows the number of items waiting for your review.
2

Open a Pending Report

In the approval queue, click on the expense report you want to review. Reports with a Pending status are waiting for your action. You can use the filters at the top to narrow the list by date, submitter, or amount.
3

Review the Report Summary

The report detail view displays a summary at the top with key information:
  • Total amount: The combined value of all expenses in the report
  • Expense count: How many individual expenses are included
  • Submitter: The employee who created and submitted the report
  • Date range: The period the expenses cover
  • Description: Any notes the submitter included
4

Review Individual Expenses

Below the summary, you will see a list of all expenses included in the report. Click on any expense to open its detail panel and verify:
  • The receipt image or document
  • The amount and currency
  • The category and description
  • The merchant name and date
  • Any policy compliance flags
5

Click Approve

Once you are satisfied with the report, click the Approve button in the top-right corner of the report detail view.
6

Add an Approval Note (Optional)

A confirmation dialog appears. You can add an optional note for the submitter, such as a comment about the review or a reminder for future submissions. This note is visible to the submitter in their report timeline.
7

Confirm the Approval

Click Confirm Approval to finalize. The report status changes from Pending to Approved.
8

Submitter Is Notified

The employee who submitted the report receives a notification that their report has been approved. If multi-level approval is enabled, the report advances to the next approver in the chain instead.

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After Approval

Once a report is approved:
  • The report moves to Approved status in the submitter’s report list
  • If configured, the report is forwarded to the finance team for reimbursement processing
  • An entry is added to the approval audit trail with your name, timestamp, and any notes
  • The approved report and its receipts are archived in the Vault

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Tips for Approvers

Review receipts carefully. Verify that each expense has a matching receipt and that amounts are consistent. Look for duplicate expenses and check that categories are correct.
  • Check policy flags: Smartbills highlights expenses that may violate company policy. Review these carefully before approving.
  • Use notes: Leave a note when you approve a report with minor issues so the submitter can correct their habits for next time.
  • Act promptly: Pending reports delay employee reimbursements. Try to review submissions within your organization’s expected turnaround time.

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What’s Next?

Reject a Report

How to reject a report that cannot be approved

Request Changes

Send a report back for revisions instead of rejecting it