Review and monitor employee expense requests

Updated in June- 2026 | Subscribe to watch greytHR how-to video

Reviewing expense requests is crucial to ensure that all requests comply with company policies, are supported by valid documentation, and fall within approved budgets. It helps maintain financial accuracy, prevent misuse, and streamline timely reimbursements for employees.

Managing expense requests with greytHR is easy. As an admin, you can effortlessly track and review all expense requests, whether pending or closed, directly from your greytHR Admin portal.

To manage expense requests effectively, you must first ensure that the correct user roles and permissions are enabled. 

To configure access for managing expense requests, from the greytHR Admin portal, go to Settings > User Administration > Users > User Roles. 

1. Select the admin user role card and click the Edit icon.

2. From the Category dropdown list, select Expense Management. The table displays all the related features.

3. Enable the Read Access and Write Access checkboxes for features such as Expense Management, Expense Review, Expense Review - View Policy, Expense Review - View Rule, Expense Workflow, and Workflow Expense Admin.

4. Click Save. 

To manage the expense requests of your employees, from your greytHR Admin portal, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow. 

The Workflow page in the Expense module allows you to:

• Review the employee expenses

• Monitor the employee expenses

Review employee expenses

As an admin, you need to review the expense requests before processing to ensure they comply with company policies and are supported by valid documentation.

To review an expense request, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Review. 

The Review section on the Workflow page has two tabs:

• Pending: Displays the list of all the expense requests submitted by the employee that you need to review. 

  • This includes the Employee Details, Expense Category, No. of Expense Items, Total Amount, and the submission date. 

  • You can filter the data, add additional columns, and export or download the list as needed using the icons on the top right.

• Completed: Lists the requests that have already been reviewed and processed.

You can review a single or multiple expense requests at once, as per your requirement.

Review a single expense request

1. From the Pending tab, select the expense request that you want to review and click on the View Details button.

2. On top of the View Details screen, you will be able to see the Employee Name, Expense Category, Total Amount, and submission date. 

3. Under the Request Details tab, on the left, you can view the individual expense items. 

   • In the Details section, you can see the detailed information about the expense request, such as the Expense Category, Expense ID, Bill No., any notes from the employee, and attachments shared by the employee. The PDF Viewer helps you to zoom in and out of the attachments, preview the attachment without downloading it, view multiple attachments, and also download the attachments. You will also have the Actions options (Accept/Reject/Forward) as per the policy configurations and Remarks sections. 

   • Under the Policy section, you can view the policy details applicable to each expense item.

   • Under the Rules Applicable section, you can see what the rules apply to each expense item.  

4. Under the Timeline tab, you can view the actions taken and the status with respect to each expense item. 

5. Once reviewed, click the required action option (Accept/Reject/Forward) as per the policy configuration for each expense item and click Submit.
   Note: If you reject the expense item, it is mandatory to add the remarks.

6. A Request Summary pop-up will appear, displaying the actions taken for each expense item. Enter the remarks if needed, and click Confirm to complete the review process. 

Note: If you need to override the bill amount or price per kilometer, click on the Edit icon next to the respective option. Enter the Override Amount/Override Price per Kilometer, remarks for overriding, and click Save. The updated Overridden Amount/Updated Bill Amount would appear accordingly. 

Review multiple expense requests

To review multiple expense requests, from the Pending tab, select the required requests using the checkboxes. 

1. Select the required action as Accept/Reject/Forward as per the policy configuration.

2. A pop-up window appears, enter the Remarks, and click Confirm.
   Note: If you reject the expense request, it is mandatory to add the remarks.

Monitor employee expenses

You can monitor an expense request submitted by the employees and take actions on it, such as Accept/Reject/Forward, as per the requirement. 

To monitor an expense request, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Monitor.

1. From the Pending tab, select the required request and click View Details. 

2. Select the required action as Accept/Reject/Forward as per the policy configuration and click Submit. 

3. A pop-up window appears, enter the Remarks, and click Confirm.
   Note: If you reject the expense request, it is mandatory to add the remarks. 

Export expense requests as PDF

For audit and record-keeping purposes, expense requests can be exported as PDF along with all attached bills and supporting documents. 

Export expense requests in bulk

Admins can export multiple expense requests at once from the Workflow page.

1. From the greytHR Admin portal, hover over the 9 dots and go to Expense > Workflow > Review.

2. Select the Pending or Completed tab. 

3. Select one or more expense requests using the checkboxes. A floating banner appears with the Export as PDF option.

4. Click Export as PDF. A ZIP file is downloaded containing one folder per expense request, named with the Expense ID and Request ID.

5. Each folder contains:

   • A summary sheet with the key details of the expense request.

   • All attachments uploaded by the employee for that request.

Export single expense request

Admins can export a single expense request from its detail page.

1. Open the required expense request.

2. Click the Download button (hovering shows Export as PDF).

3. A ZIP file named [Request ID].zip (for example, EXP-23.zip) is downloaded.

For a single request, the ZIP has a flat structure — the Summary Sheet PDF and all attachments sit at the root, with no subfolders.

The Summary Sheet PDF includes a header section and an expense details table. The fields vary based on whether the request is in the Pending or Completed tab, and whether it is being exported by the admin or the employee. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the Expense Workflow in greytHR?

The Expense workflow in greytHR allows admins to effortlessly track, review, and monitor all employee expense requests, whether they are pending or already processed.

Where can admins find the expense requests submitted by employees?

You can access all employee expense requests from your greytHR Admin portal. Hover over the 9 dots, and select Expense > Workflow.

The Workflow page in the Expense module allows you to:

• Review the employee expenses

• Monitor the employee expenses

Why am I unable to view or manage employee expense requests in greytHR?

You may be unable to view or manage expense requests if the required user roles and permissions are not enabled. 

To resolve this, from the greytHR Admin portal go to Settings > User Administration > Users > User Roles.

1. Select the admin role and click Edit. 

2. Under the Expense Management category, ensure that the Read Access and Write Access checkboxes are enabled for features such as Expense Management, Expense Review, Expense Review – View Policy, Expense Review – View Rule, Expense Workflow, and Workflow Expense Admin.

3. Click Save to apply the permissions. 

Once updated, you will be able to track and manage expense requests.

What is the difference between the Review and Monitor tabs?

• The Review tab is primarily for admins to review expense requests that are assigned to them as per the policy configuration. This involves checking the expense request details, policy adherence, and making decisions (Accept/Reject/Forward).

• The Monitor tab allows admins to track the status of expense requests and take actions (Accept/Reject/Forward) as needed, often for requests that are already in progress or require follow-up.

Can I filter or customize the expense request list?

Yes, you can filter the list, add or remove columns, and even export or download the data using the icons at the top right of the screen.

Where can I find expense requests that need my review?

To review pending expense requests, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Review. In the Review section, you'll find the requests listed under the Pending tab.

What information is available in the Pending tab for expense requests?

The Pending tab displays key information such as Employee Details, Expense Category, No. of Expense Items, Total Amount, and the submission date. You can also filter, add additional columns, and download or export this data.

Can I see expense requests that have already been reviewed?

Yes, under Expense > Workflow > Review, you can find a Completed tab that lists all requests that have already been reviewed and processed.

How do I review a single expense request?

To review pending expense requests, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Review.

1. From the Pending tab, select the expense request that you want to review and click the View Details button.

2. On top of the View Details screen, you will be able to see the Employee Name, Expense Category, Total Amount, and submission date. 

3. Under the Request Details tab, you can view the individual expense items on the left. 

   • In the Details section, you can see the detailed information about the expense request, such as the Expense Category, Expense ID, Bill No., any notes from the employee, and attachments shared by the employee. The PDF Viewer helps you to zoom in and out of the attachments, preview the attachment without downloading it, view multiple attachments, and also download the attachments. You will also have the Actions options (Accept/Reject/Forward) as per the policy configurations and Remarks sections. 

   • Under the Policy section, you can view the policy details applicable to each expense item.

   • Under the Rules Applicable section, you can see what the rules apply to each expense item.  

4. Under the Timeline tab, you can view the actions taken and the status with respect to each expense item. 

5. Once reviewed, click the required action option (Accept/Reject/Forward) as per the policy configuration for each expense item and click Submit.
   Note: If you reject the expense item, it is mandatory to add the remarks.

How can I view the attachments submitted by employees?

In the Details section under the Request Details tab, you can view the attachments submitted by the employees. The PDF Viewer lets you preview attachments without downloading them. You can zoom in/out, view multiple attachments, and download files when needed—all within the same screen for convenience.

Can I review multiple expense requests at once?

To review multiple expense requests, from the Pending tab, select the required requests using the checkboxes. 

1. Select the required action as Accept/Reject/Forward as per the policy configuration.

2. A pop-up window appears, enter the Remarks, and click Confirm.
   Note: If you reject the expense request, it is mandatory to add the remarks. 

What happens after I select an action for multiple expense requests?

A pop-up window will appear where you can enter general remarks for the batch of requests. Click Confirm to apply the action.

Is it mandatory to add remarks when rejecting a request?

Yes, if you reject an expense item or request, it is mandatory to add remarks explaining the reason for rejection.

What actions can I take on an expense item when reviewing it?

You can Accept, Reject, or Forward an expense item, as per the policy configurations.

Can I override the bill amount or price per kilometer for an expense item?

Yes, you can override the bill amount or price per kilometer. 

1. Click on the Edit icon next to the respective option, enter the override amount/price, provide remarks for the override, and click Save. 

2. The updated Overridden Amount/Updated Bill Amount would appear accordingly.

Where do I go to monitor employee expense requests?

To monitor expense requests, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Monitor.

What actions can I take when monitoring employee expenses?

From the Pending tab under Expense > Workflow > Monitor, you can select the required request using the checkbox and then choose to Accept, Reject, or Forward them as per the policy configuration. A pop-up will appear to confirm your action and add remarks if necessary.

How do I view the history or status of an expense request?

1. To view the history or status of an expense request, from your greytHR Admin portal, hover over the 9 dots and select Expense > Workflow > Review. From the Pending tab, select the expense request for which you want to view the status and click on the View Details button.

2. Under the Timeline tab in the View Details screen, you can see all actions taken and the status updates for each expense item.

How can admin export expense requests as PDF? 

From the Admin portal, go to Expense > Admin Tools > Review and Monitor. Select one or more expense requests, click Export as PDF from the floating banner, and a ZIP file is downloaded. Each request is exported as a separate folder containing a summary sheet and all employee-uploaded attachments. The same option is available on the details page of an individual expense request.

What does the exported ZIP file contain?

The ZIP file contains one folder per expense request, named with the Expense ID and Request ID. Each folder includes a summary sheet with the request's key details and all attachments uploaded by the employee.

What is included in the Summary Sheet PDF? 

The Summary Sheet contains the employee details, request details, and the full list of expenses with bill information. The exact fields vary based on the tab (Pending or Completed) and the persona (admin or employee). Employee exports from the Pending tab also include a signature placeholder and declaration. 

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