Upload and review an expense

From a file to a reviewed expense

1. 1
   Upload

   Choose the client and add the original document.

2. 2
   Compare

   Check the expense fields against the original file.

3. 3
   Approve

   Click Approve & post, and the next document opens.

Add the expense

1. Open the correct client and choose Expenses.
2. Click Add to record an expense by hand, or open the arrow next to it and choose Upload scanned documents to pick one or more files.
3. The Expense document intake window opens right away and shows each file’s upload progress. A file that fails stays in the list with the reason; the others continue.
4. If the office has an automatic reading (OCR) allowance, tick Read the data automatically so the fields are pre-filled. When the option is greyed out, the data is entered by hand.
5. Click Continue to enter the documents. A draft expense is created for every file and the review screen opens on the first one.
6. Compare the fields with the original document: vendor, tax identifier, document type, document number, date, currency, amount, and classification. There is no save button: every change saves on its own, and Saved shows at the bottom of the screen. The vendor’s tax identifier is saved on the vendor card and applies to all of that vendor’s expenses. The vendor’s account key shows next to its name (hover it for the keys in other systems), and the vendor picker also finds a vendor by its key. A search of digits only lists first the vendors whose key starts with them, in key order (300 shows 300, 3001, 3002…), each with the key it was found by, even a key in another system. The pencil next to the field, or the pencil on a vendor’s row in the picker, opens the vendor card to view and edit it without choosing it, its account key and keys in other systems included.
7. When you type the total, the amount before VAT and the VAT update right away. You can also correct either of them separately.
8. Click Approve & post (or Ctrl+Enter, ⌘+Enter on a Mac). The expense is posted to the books and the next document in the queue opens. The Journal entry row shows whether posting is ready; click it to see the lines.

Automatic document reading can help fill fields, but you still need to check them. Learn about document reading.

A file that is already in the client’s file library (for example, one that arrived through the portal) can become an expense from the Files page: open the file and click Create expense from this file.

An expense, one check at a timeIllustration · fictional details

1Upload the file2Check the details3Review before approval

SmartBill OfficeUploaded

Office supplies receipt

Client

Noga Studio

File

office-supplies.pdf

Check the client before uploading. The file arriving is only the first step.

Review several expenses

Use the expense filters to choose the items you need, then click Review drafts to go through every draft that matches the filters (up to 100 at a time), or select specific expenses and click Review. The review screen lets you move between documents while keeping the original file visible: Alt+Down or Alt+Up moves to the next or previous expense, and Skip leaves an expense as it is. For an expense without a file, you can drag the document onto the file area.

The list keeps the filters and sorting you last used for each client, also on another computer. When you open an expense and return, or come back to the list later, you see the same view. When you switch to another client from the list, the current filters move with you to that client. A link or bookmark that asks for particular filters shows them. The plain address of the list, also in a new tab, opens the view you left. You can also drag columns to another place, hide columns with the Columns icon and save views with the Saved views icon next to the buttons at the top of the list. A saved view works for any client, so it leaves out the vendors, classifications or customers you filtered by. See Arranging lists and saved views.

Above the table, Filtered total counts and sums every expense that matches the filters, including rows further down the list that have not appeared yet: Ex VAT, VAT, and Gross. When you select rows, a Selected rows total replaces it and shows how many of the matching rows are selected.

You can also select several expenses and click Run OCR to send them to the office’s automatic reading. The confirmation dialog shows what will be sent and what will be skipped, for example an expense with no file. Learn about document reading.

Update several expenses at once

To give several drafts the same vendor, classification, or report period, select them in the table and click Update.

1. In the window that opens, choose a value only in the fields you want to change: Vendor, Expense classification, or Report period. A field left on Keep as is does not change.
2. A vendor or classification that does not exist yet is created from the search itself: type the name and choose Create vendor or Create classification. The vendor or classification card opens over the window, and once saved it is chosen for the update. Creating a classification is available to people allowed to manage the client’s classifications.
3. Before updating, the table in the window shows what will happen to each expense: the current and new value, expenses already set that way, and expenses that will not change and why.
4. Click Update N expenses. Each expense saves on its own, and at the end each one shows Updated or Not updated with the reason.

What a bulk update does not change:

• Only drafts update. Change a posted expense from its own page.
• An expense included in a VAT report filed in SmartBill keeps its vendor and report period; only its classification can change.
• An expense split across several classifications stays as it is. Change the split from its own page.
• A classification that takes amounts entered on each expense is not offered.
• When the vendor has defaults (for example a classification or payment method), they fill in on every expense whose vendor changes, as when you pick the vendor on one expense. The window says so. A classification you choose in the update replaces the vendor’s.
• An expense that changed while the window was open is not updated. Close and open the update again.

While the table has changes that are not saved yet, the button is unavailable: save or discard them first.

Date and report period

The Report period follows the Doc date and changes with it until you choose a period yourself. A document from a period that has already passed goes to the working period: the first open period whose filing deadline has not passed. Periods already filed for VAT cannot be chosen.

Notes appear under the fields, for example a date later than when the document was received, or a period earlier than the document date. When there is a matching fix, a Move to report period link moves the expense in one click.

A different transaction type for one expense

Next to Expense classification, the classification’s transaction type code is shown. Choosing another transaction type keeps the expense card and moves only this expense to the matching classification. If none exists, it is created with the card’s name and the transaction type code in parentheses. If you switch back and this expense was the only one using it, it is removed.

Approval is unavailable

Complete the missing required details and classification. Hover over Approve & post to see what is missing. Approval is also blocked when the report period was already filed for VAT, when it is earlier than the document date, or when the books are locked on the document date. If the message concerns a period or permissions, ask the responsible bookkeeper.

Check the result

Look at the expense’s updated status and any confirmation or error shown. If saving fails, Save failed appears at the bottom of the screen with a Retry button. Uploading, saving, and approving are different steps.

Expenses approved in SmartBill

For a client connected to SmartBill, approving an expense in SmartBill also posts it to the books. An expense approved there posts in Office on its own and appears in the profit and loss report, without clicking Approve & post. The other way round, Approve & post in Office also approves the expense in SmartBill.

• Approved but not posted: if a classification or a required detail is missing, the expense stays a draft. A warning sign appears next to its status in the table, and the review screen shows the reason. Complete what is missing and click Approve & post. A later change from SmartBill also tries to post it again.
• Changed in SmartBill after approval: the expense updates in Office and posts again. The previous entry is reversed on its own date and a new entry is posted, so the original month stays correct. A change that does not affect the journal entry, such as the document number, adds no entries.
• Approval withdrawn in SmartBill: the expense leaves the books and returns to draft in Office. Reversing an expense’s journal entry in Office returns it to awaiting approval in SmartBill.
• Locked period: a SmartBill change to an expense in a locked period does not post on its own. It appears as a difference to review, and the expense stays as posted.

Change an expense that is already posted

A posted expense stays editable on the review screen while its period is open. Its changes do not save on their own: edit it and click Save & re-post. The existing entry is reversed on its own date and a new entry is posted. Changing the classification re-posts right away.

• An expense in a locked period, or one included in a VAT report filed in SmartBill, cannot change. The message on the review screen explains why.
• If the expense’s payment is already matched to a bank line, you can change its classification, but not its date, amount, vendor or payment method. Undo the match first.
• Changing a posted expense requires bookkeeping posting permission.

Classifications from an older system

In a document import, select its source client file to use the reviewed structure mappings. Counterparty keys must resolve to current primary cards. For a classification managed by a source chart, the allocation dialog links to Import data to change the shared mapping. Editing one document does not change the shared source mapping. Review the import workflow.