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Introduction

The Inbox Settings page allows administrators to configure how the Business Expenses behaves. You can set default categories, define auto-approval rules, enable duplicate detection, and manage notification preferences. Access settings by navigating to /{slug}/expenses/settings or by clicking the gear icon in the top-right corner of the inbox.
Inbox settings require the that access permission. By default, only Owners and Admins can modify these settings.

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Default Category

Set a default category that is automatically assigned to new expenses when no category can be determined from the receipt:
  1. Navigate to Inbox Settings
  2. Under Default Category, select a category from the dropdown
  3. Click Save
When Smartbills cannot auto-detect a category from the merchant or receipt content, the default category is applied. Reviewers can always change the category during the review process.

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Auto-Approval Rules

Auto-approval rules allow certain expenses to be automatically approved without manual review. This is useful for low-risk, routine expenses that do not need human verification.

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Create a Rule

  1. Navigate to Inbox Settings
  2. Under Auto-Approval Rules, click Add Rule
  3. Define the rule conditions:
    • Amount threshold: Automatically approve expenses under a specific amount (e.g., under $25)
    • Category: Only apply the rule to specific categories (e.g., Office Supplies)
    • Employee: Limit the rule to specific employees or teams
  4. Click Save Rule

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Example Rules

Auto-approved expenses skip the review queue entirely. Use auto-approval rules carefully and set reasonable thresholds. You can always review auto-approved expenses retroactively from the Approved filter.

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Duplicate Detection

Smartbills can detect potential duplicate expenses based on matching criteria. When a duplicate is detected, the expense is flagged for manual review instead of being processed automatically.

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Configure Detection

  1. Navigate to Inbox Settings
  2. Under Duplicate Detection, toggle the feature on
  3. Select the matching criteria:
    • Same amount and date: Flag expenses with identical amounts on the same day
    • Same merchant and amount: Flag expenses from the same vendor with the same total
    • Same receipt image: Use image comparison to detect re-uploaded receipts
  4. Click Save
When a potential duplicate is detected, the expense appears in the inbox with a Duplicate warning badge. Click on the expense to compare it with the suspected original and decide whether to keep or delete it.

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Notification Preferences

Control which inbox events trigger email or in-app notifications for your team: To change notification preferences:
  1. Navigate to Inbox Settings
  2. Under Notifications, toggle each event on or off
  3. Click Save
If your team receives a high volume of expenses, consider turning off “New expense received” notifications and relying on periodic inbox reviews instead.

Business Expenses

Overview of the company-wide expense inbox

Review Expenses

Step-by-step guide to reviewing incoming expenses

Categories & Departments

Set up categories used for default assignment and auto-approval

Roles & Permissions

Understand who can access and configure inbox settings