An Expense Claim records business expenses an employee paid out of pocket — travel, meals, fuel, or office purchases. When approved, the claim amount is a reimbursement that increases net pay on the employee's Pay Run. Approved claims are auto-suggested as expense lines when you create a pay run; on pay-run approve the claim moves to Closed.
Go to Payroll → Expense Claim. The list shows every claim with its id, date, category, employee, amount, and status.
List columns
| **Column** | **Shows** |
|------------|-----------|
| Id | Claim reference number. |
| Date | Date of the expense or submission. |
| Expense Claim Category | Type of expense (Travel, Meals, etc.). |
| Employee | Employee who submitted the claim. |
| Amount | Total amount claimed. |
| Status | Current status of the claim. |
Quick filter tabs
| **Tab** | **Shows** |
|---------|-----------|
| Default | All claims except cancelled. |
| Approved | Claims that have been approved. |
| Draft | Claims saved but not yet approved. |
| Cancelled | Claims that have been cancelled. |
Advanced Filters
Expense Claim Category, Employee, Branch, Brand, Status, Date, and Created date.
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
Quick Start — Create an Expense Claim
1. Navigate
Go to Payroll → Expense Claim and click New.
2. Fill in details
Set the Date.
Choose the Employee * requesting reimbursement.
Select an Expense Claim Category * (e.g. Travel, Meals). Categories map to expense accounts — see Expense Claim Categories.
Enter the Amount *.
Optionally add Notes, Branch, Brand, and Project.
3. Save
Save — keeps the claim as Draft.
Save And Approve — approves in one step (when permitted).
Reset / Cancel — clears or closes the form without saving.
4. Get it reimbursed
Once approved, the claim appears as an expense line when you create a Pay Run for that employee. Alternatively, use Create Expense from the claim view to post an account expense with pay mode Payrun — Reimbursement (see Connection with Pay Run).
Header Fields Reference
| **Field** | **Description** |
|-----------|-----------------|
| Date * | Date of the expense or claim submission. |
| Employee * | Employee requesting reimbursement. Required. |
| Expense Claim Category * | Category of expense. Determines the expense account used on pay run. Required. |
| Amount * | Total claim amount. Required. |
| Notes | Optional remarks or description. |
| Branch | Branch where the expense occurred. |
| Brand | Brand tag, when brand tracking is enabled. |
| Project | Optional project linkage. |
Actions & Status
View toolbar actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Approves the claim. Hidden when a multi-level approval template is assigned — use the approval workflow instead. | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the claim for editing. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Permanently removes the claim. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Clone | Creates a copy of the claim. | All (if permitted) |
| Print | Prints the claim. | All |
More menu (⋮) actions
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Create Expense | Opens a new Account Expense linked to this claim. Pay mode defaults to Payrun — Reimbursement. | Approved |
| Cancel | Cancels the claim. | Approved |
| WorkFlow Request | Starts a company process linked to this claim. Does not approve the claim. See WorkFlow Request. | Approved, Closed |
| Master Update | Updates selected header fields without reopening the full form. | Approved |
| Add/Update Note | Adds or edits a note on the claim. | All |
| Print | Prints the claim. | All |
Multi-level approval
When an expense claim category or company setting assigns an approval template, the standard Approve button is hidden. Instead:
The claim moves through configured approval stages (status Multi Level Approval).
Each approver uses Request Approval, Approve Request, or Reject as configured.
When all stages pass, the claim reaches Approved and becomes eligible for pay-run reimbursement.
Statuses
| **Status** | **Description** |
|------------|-----------------|
| Draft | Saved but not approved. Can be edited or deleted. |
| Approved | Finalized. Eligible for pay-run expense lines or Create Expense. |
| For Revisal | Sent back for correction. Can be edited. |
| Cancelled | Claim cancelled. Not payable. |
| Closed | Fully settled through an approved pay run. |
| Multi Level Approval | Pending multi-stage approval workflow. |
| Multi Level Approval Rejected | Rejected during multi-level approval. |
Connection with Pay Run
Expense claims feed the Expenses section of a pay run — reimbursements that increase net pay.
| **Step** | **What happens** |
|----------|------------------|
| Claim approved | Claim status → Approved. Amount is available for reimbursement. |
| Pay run draft | Approved claims for the employee are auto-suggested as expense lines in the Expenses section. |
| Pay run approved | Linked claim status → Closed. Reimbursement is included in net pay and journal. |
| Pay run cancelled | Claim reverts to Approved (reopened for the next pay run). |
Net pay formula: Total Payables = Salary Payables − Deductions + Expenses (reimbursements) + Round off.
Payment Mode is set to Payrun — Reimbursement and Payrun Employee is filled from the claim employee.
Complete and approve the expense.
On pay-run creation, this approved account expense is auto-pulled into Expenses (along with any open expense claims).
> Use Create Expense when you need to record the expense in accounts immediately (with a specific GL account or tax) while still settling through payroll. Use direct pay-run pull when the claim category expense account is sufficient.
Accounting
Expense claims do not post to accounts on their own. Accounting happens when the linked amount is included in an approved Pay Run (or via an approved account expense settled through pay run):
On pay-run approve: claim status → Closed; journal posts DR EXP22 / CR 57 for ₹1,200.
Best Practices
Define clear Expense Claim Categories with the correct expense accounts before employees start claiming.
Attach receipts on the claim view (Attachments tab) for audit trail.
Approve claims promptly so they appear on the next pay run.
Use Create Expense only when you need account-level detail (tax, project, cost centre) beyond what the claim category provides.
For field staff, ensure each user has a default Employee in app settings so mobile claims save correctly.
FAQ
Does an expense claim increase or decrease net pay?
It increases net pay. Reimbursements are added in the Expenses section of the pay run.
When does a claim appear on a pay run?
When the claim is Approved and the pay run is created for the same employee. The system auto-suggests open approved claims.
What happens to the claim when I approve the pay run?
The claim status changes to Closed and cannot be paid again.
Can I reimburse without a pay run?
No. Reimbursement is always settled through a pay run — either by pulling the claim directly or via an account expense with pay mode Payrun — Reimbursement.
Can employees approve their own claims on mobile?
No. The Field Sale App supports create and edit on Draft only. Approval is done on the web.
What is multi-level approval?
When configured, claims route through multiple approvers before reaching Approved status. The direct Approve button is hidden until all stages complete.
Can I attach receipts to a claim?
Yes. Use the Attachments tab on the expense claim view — supported on web and Field Sale App when attachment access is granted.
Why was my claim closed without pay run?
A claim may close when reimbursed through an accounts expense with pay mode Payrun — Reimbursement or when manually closed after external payment — check linked pay run or payment voucher.
Can one claim span multiple pay runs?
No. An approved claim is pulled in full on one pay run. Split large claims into separate claim documents if needed.
What pay mode links expense entry to payroll?
Use Payrun — Reimbursement on Expense Entry to tie account expenses to employee reimbursement workflow.
Related Topics & Videos
Related documentation
Pay Run Dashboard — Pending Expense Claims opens this list with status Approved.
Pay Run — processes reimbursements and posts salary journal.
List columns
| **Column** | **Shows** |
|------------|-----------|
| Id | Claim reference number. |
| Date | Date of the expense or submission. |
| Expense Claim Category | Type of expense (Travel, Meals, etc.). |
| Employee | Employee who submitted the claim. |
| Amount | Total amount claimed. |
| Status | Current status of the claim. |
Quick filter tabs
| **Tab** | **Shows** |
|---------|-----------|
| Default | All claims except cancelled. |
| Approved | Claims that have been approved. |
| Draft | Claims saved but not yet approved. |
| Cancelled | Claims that have been cancelled. |
Advanced Filters
Expense Claim Category, Employee, Branch, Brand, Status, Date, and Created date.
List row actions
| **Action** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|------------------------------|
| Edit | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Draft, For Revisal |
| View | All statuses |
| **Action** | **Description** | **Available when status is** |
|------------|-----------------|------------------------------|
| Approve | Approves the claim. Hidden when a multi-level approval template is assigned — use the approval workflow instead. | Draft |
| Edit | Opens the claim for editing. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Delete | Permanently removes the claim. | Draft, For Revisal |
| Clone | Creates a copy of the claim. | All (if permitted) |
| Print | Prints the claim. | All |
> Use Create Expense when you need to record the expense in accounts immediately (with a specific GL account or tax) while still settling through payroll. Use direct pay-run pull when the claim category expense account is sufficient.