Submitting an expense
Mobile submission
Just paid for something? Submit right from your phone:- Open Pluvel on your phone
- Snap a photo of the receipt
- Enter amount and category
- Submit
Expense fields
| Field | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| Date | When you spent the money |
| Merchant | Where you spent it |
| Amount | How much |
| Category | What type of expense |
| Description | Why (client dinner with XYZ Corp, etc.) |
| Receipt | Proof you bought it |
| Project | (Optional) Which project to charge |
Categories
Common expense categories:| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Travel | Flights, hotels, rental cars |
| Meals | Client dinners, team lunches |
| Supplies | Office supplies, materials |
| Transportation | Uber, parking, mileage |
| Software | Subscriptions, tools |
| Professional | Conferences, training |
Approval workflow
How it works
- Employee submits expense
- Manager gets notified
- Manager reviews — receipt matches? Amount reasonable? Business purpose clear?
- Approve or reject
- If approved, queued for reimbursement
Approval settings
Configure in Settings → Expenses → Approvals:| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Approval required | Whether all expenses need approval |
| Approval threshold | Auto-approve expenses under $X |
| Approvers | Who can approve (managers, finance, specific people) |
| Escalation | What happens if not approved within X days |
Expense status
| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | Started but not submitted |
| Submitted | Waiting for approval |
| Approved | Ready for reimbursement |
| Rejected | Denied (with reason) |
| Reimbursed | Money paid back |
Reviewing expenses (for approvers)
- Go to Expenses → Pending Approval
- Review each expense
- Check: Does the receipt match? Is the amount right? Was this for business?
- Approve or reject (with notes if rejecting)
Bulk approval
Select multiple expenses and approve them all at once. Good for processing a week’s worth of submissions.Rejecting expenses
When rejecting:- Click Reject
- Enter the reason (missing receipt, personal expense, over policy limit)
- Employee gets notified
Reimbursement
After approval, get people their money:Via payroll
- Add reimbursement to the next payroll run
- Shows as reimbursement (non-taxable)
- Employee receives it with their paycheck
Direct reimbursement
- Pay the employee separately (Venmo, check, whatever)
- Mark expense as reimbursed
Expense policies
Set policies in Settings → Expenses → Policies:| Policy | Example |
|---|---|
| Receipt required | For expenses over $25 |
| Category limits | Max $50 for meals without pre-approval |
| Approval flow | Manager first, then finance for amounts over $500 |
| Mileage rate | Current IRS standard rate |
Mileage tracking
For driving expenses:- Choose “Mileage” category
- Enter start/end locations or total miles
- Rate calculates automatically (IRS standard rate)
- Or enable GPS tracking for automatic mileage
Expense reports
Generate reports to see where money’s going:- By employee — What each person spent
- By category — Travel vs. meals vs. supplies
- By project — Which projects are costing what
- Reimbursement summary — What’s owed to whom
Receipt management
Organize and store receipts.