Expense settings control account-wide expense report behavior and requirements.

Open the expense settings #

1. Open Admin.
2. Open System.
3. Select the Expense settings tab.

If the tab is missing, confirm that Expense Tracking is available for the account and that your role includes system-administration access.

Understand allowed expense dates #

Allowed-date controls define the range of dates employees can use for expense reports or items. Use them to prevent entry far outside the organization's acceptable reporting period.

Before limiting the date range:

1. Find open and rejected reports near the proposed boundary.
2. Identify employees who still need to enter or correct older expenses.
3. Coordinate with approvers and accounting.
4. Choose dates that match the written expense policy.

A report date and an item date are different. A report can have an allowed report date but still contain an item whose date is blocked by the account rule.

Set the last editable date #

The last editable date closes older expense activity. Dates on or before the configured boundary can become read-only, depending on the screen and account behavior.

Use this setting after an accounting period is complete, not as a substitute for resolving an individual report.

Before moving the date forward:

• review open and rejected reports,
• confirm that required corrections are complete,
• export or reconcile receipts when needed,
• tell employees and approvers when the lock will take effect,
• and document the accounting period being closed.

Choose when a project is required #

Select the rule that matches how the organization tracks and bills expenses:

• Project not required allows expenses without a project.
• Project required for billable expenses requires a project when Billable is selected.
• Project required for all expenses requires every expense item to be connected to a project.

Requiring a project improves project and client reporting, but employees must be able to select the correct project. Before enabling a stricter rule, confirm that:

• active projects allow expense entry,
• project dates include the expected expense dates,
• employees are assigned or otherwise permitted to use the projects,
• and an internal project exists when nonclient expenses must also have a project.

For example, an organization can require projects only for billable expenses so every client charge is linked to the correct work while internal, nonbillable expenses remain optional.

Review receipt storage #

The settings page can show how much receipt storage the organization is using. Receipt images can contain confidential transaction, location, or payment information.

When storage or retention needs attention:

1. Confirm the organization's receipt-retention policy.
2. Use Export expense receipts to create an authorized archive when appropriate.
3. Store exports in a protected location.
4. Remove information only through an approved retention process.

Test and communicate a settings change #

1. Record the current setting so it can be compared with the proposed change.
2. Review affected reports and users.
3. Save the new setting.
4. In a test account or open sample report, test one date that should be allowed and one that should be blocked.
5. Test a billable expense and a nonbillable expense for the project rule.
6. Confirm that employees can select the projects they need.
7. Announce the effective date and explain what employees should do if an older correction is required.

Expense-type requirements for comments, receipts, calculations, and defaults are configured in Configure expense types.

Troubleshooting #

Employees cannot enter an expected date #

Review the allowed date range and last editable date. Check both the overall report date and the expense item's date.

Project is required but no correct project appears #

Confirm that the project is active, open for the expense date, available for expense entry, and accessible to the employee.

A project is required unexpectedly #

Check whether the account requires projects for all expenses or only billable expenses. Also review whether Billable was selected by default on the expense item.

A receipt or comment is required unexpectedly #

Those requirements normally come from the selected expense type, not the account-level expense settings.

Related articles #

• Create an expense report
• Submit an expense report for approval
• Add expense items and receipts
• Configure expense types
• Configure expense payment methods
• Export expense receipts
• Manage employee expense reports