# Expenses: payment approval and payments

> An employee submits an expense with an invoice, the expense follows its category's approval route, and once approved it lands in the treasurer's payment calendar.

Источник: https://jecheck.io/en/docs/expenses/overview

The **Finance → Expenses** section replaces invoices in messengers and "who approved this?". An employee creates an expense — category, amount, counterparty, invoice. The expense follows the **approval route** of its category on its own: for example, up to 100,000 — the manager, above that — also the CFO. An approved expense lands in the treasurer's **payment calendar**, and payment is marked manually — in full or in parts.

![Expenses: payment approval and payments](/docs-media/en/expenses/list.jpg)

## Menu items

The **Finance** section in the left bar:

- **Expenses** — the list: tabs **Waiting for me**, **Mine**, **All**, **To pay**; the **New expense** button. See [How to submit an expense](/docs/expenses/create-expense).
- **To pay** — the payment calendar. See [Payments](/docs/expenses/payments).
- **Budgets** — monthly plan by category and actuals. See [Budgets and analytics](/docs/expenses/budgets-and-analytics).
- **Expense analytics** — where the money goes and how fast approvals happen.
- **Categories and routes** — categories, approval routes, counterparties, recurring payments, general settings. See [Settings](/docs/expenses/settings).

The first time you open the section, a short introduction is shown. You can open it again with the **?** button in the header.

## How it works

1. **An employee creates an expense** and attaches the invoice — AI fills in the counterparty, amount and VAT. On the right you can see whether the expense fits the category budget and who will approve it.
2. **The expense follows the route.** Each step gets a notification and decides: **Approve**, **Return** for revision with a comment, or **Reject**. See [Approval](/docs/expenses/approval).
3. **Checks flag risks:** a repeated invoice, the same amount recently, a split payment, a first payment to a new counterparty, a budget overspend. The AI controller compares the expense with the company's policy and gives a recommendation — but never approves anything itself.
4. **The approved expense goes to the treasurer** in **To pay**. The treasurer plans the date by dragging the expense onto a calendar day and marks the payment. The author gets a "paid" notification.
5. **Management sees the big picture** in budgets and analytics: plan vs actual by category, the largest counterparties, who is holding up approvals.

## Expense statuses

| Status | What it means |
|---|---|
| Draft | the expense is saved but not submitted |
| Pending approval | following the route |
| Returned for revision | an approver returned it to the author with a comment |
| Approved | waiting for payment |
| Payment scheduled | the treasurer picked a date |
| Partially paid / Paid | payments have been recorded |
| Rejected / Cancelled | an approver rejected it or the author withdrew it |

## Export to Excel

Every screen in the section has an **Excel** button. The file contains what you see on screen, with all rows and a total line:

| Screen | What the file contains |
|---|---|
| **Expenses** | the list with the current tab and filters: number, dates, category with its parent, location, counterparty and tax ID, author, status and step, amounts (VAT, paid, left to pay), due dates, invoice |
| **To pay** | the "To pay" sheet — what to pay in the two weeks shown, overdue and undated items, with counterparty bank details; the "Paid" sheet — the register of payments on those dates with payment order numbers |
| **Budgets** | plan, actual and paid for every category and month of the selected year, year totals and execution percentage — for the company or the selected location |
| **Expense analytics** | "Summary", "By category", "Locations", "Counterparties", "Trend" and "Approval" sheets for the selected period |
| **Categories and routes → Counterparties** | the directory with bank details and the total expenses for each counterparty |

Every export is recorded in the access log.

## Who can do what

Permissions are set in [Roles and permissions](/docs/account/access-roles), group "Expenses and payments":

| Permission | What it gives | By default |
|---|---|---|
| **Expenses: submit** | create expenses for your locations and send them for approval | the "Location manager" role — at their locations |
| **Expenses: all expenses of locations** | see colleagues' expenses at the selected locations | administrator only |
| **Expenses: payment** | payment calendar, "paid" mark, bank details, morning digest | administrator only |
| **Expenses: budgets** | plan by category and overspend control | administrator only |
| **Expenses: analytics** | expense structure, trends, approval speed | administrator only |
| **Expenses: settings** | categories, routes, counterparties, policy for AI; intervening in approvals | administrator only |

Authors always see their own expenses, and approvers see expenses where they take part in a step.

## Plan

The section is included in the Network plan and above. AI invoice recognition and the AI controller work when the "AI" feature is on.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is money debited from the bank account automatically?

No. jeCheck doesn't connect to the bank: the treasurer pays as usual and marks the payment in the expense, optionally with the payment order number.

### Can I approve an expense from my phone?

Yes. Approvers get a push notification and an email; the approval request is also visible among tasks in the mobile app.

### Where do I start?

Categories and three routes are created the first time the section is opened. Check them in **Categories and routes**, assign permissions and submit the first expense — see [Settings](/docs/expenses/settings).