Expense Approval Reports

Expense Approval Reports

Expense approval reports in EquiBillBook track the approval status of expenses, monitor approval workflows, and help manage expense approvals efficiently. This guide explains how to generate and use expense approval reports.

What are Expense Approval Reports?

Expense approval reports provide information about:

• Expenses pending approval
• Approved expenses
• Rejected expenses
• Approval history and status
• Approval turnaround times
• Expenses by approver

Accessing Approval Reports

To generate expense approval reports:

1. Navigate to Expense Reports or Reports → Expense Reports
2. Select "Expense Approval Reports" or "Approval Status Report"
3. Configure report parameters
4. Click "Generate Report"

Report Parameters

Configure the following parameters:

• Date Range: Select the period for analysis
• Approval Status: Filter by status (Pending, Approved, Rejected, All)
• Approver: Filter by specific approver (if multiple approvers)
• Business Location: Filter by branch/location (optional)
• Category: Filter by expense category (optional)
• User/Employee: Filter by expense creator (optional)

Types of Approval Reports

1. Pending Approvals Report

Shows expenses awaiting approval:

• List of expenses pending approval
• Submission dates
• Days pending approval
• Assigned approvers
• Expense amounts and details

2. Approved Expenses Report

Shows expenses that have been approved:

• List of approved expenses
• Approval dates
• Approver information
• Approval turnaround time
• Expense details

3. Rejected Expenses Report

Shows expenses that were rejected:

• List of rejected expenses
• Rejection dates
• Rejection reasons
• Rejected by (approver)
• Resubmission status (if applicable)

4. Approval Summary Report

Provides overview of approval activity:

• Total expenses by status
• Approval rates
• Average approval times
• Rejection rates
• Statistics by approver

Report Contents

Approval reports typically include:

• Expense Details: Date, amount, category, description
• Submission Info: Submitted by, submission date
• Approval Info: Approved/rejected by, approval date, status
• Turnaround Time: Time taken for approval/rejection
• Comments/Notes: Approval comments or rejection reasons
• Status Indicators: Visual indicators for status

Using Reports for Management

Use approval reports to:

• Monitor Workflow: Track pending approvals and ensure timely processing
• Identify Bottlenecks: Find delays in approval process
• Performance Tracking: Monitor approver performance and turnaround times
• Compliance: Ensure proper approval workflows are followed
• Training: Identify areas needing training or clarification
• Policy Review: Analyze rejection patterns to review policies

Analyzing Approval Patterns

Look for patterns in approval data:

• Average Approval Time: How long approvals typically take
• Peak Times: When most approvals occur
• Rejection Patterns: Common reasons for rejection
• Approver Workload: Distribution of approvals across approvers
• Backlog Analysis: Expenses waiting too long for approval

Approval Turnaround Time Analysis

Track how quickly expenses are approved:

• Calculate time from submission to approval
• Identify expenses taking longer than expected
• Set and monitor service level agreements (SLAs)
• Compare turnaround times across approvers
• Improve processes to reduce approval times

Rejection Analysis

Analyze rejected expenses:

• Review rejection reasons to identify patterns
• Identify common issues leading to rejection
• Provide feedback and training to expense creators
• Review and clarify policies if needed
• Track resubmission rates

Best Practices

• Generate approval reports regularly (daily, weekly)
• Review pending approvals to ensure timely processing
• Monitor turnaround times and set targets
• Analyze rejection patterns for process improvement
• Share reports with approvers and management
• Use reports for performance reviews and training

Exporting Reports

Export approval reports in various formats:

• PDF: For documentation and sharing
• Excel: For detailed analysis and filtering
• CSV: For data import into other systems

Action Items from Reports

Based on approval reports, you may:

• Follow up on pending approvals
• Address bottlenecks in approval workflow
• Provide training based on rejection patterns
• Adjust approval workflows if needed
• Recognize efficient approvers
• Review and update approval policies

Dashboard Views

Some systems provide approval dashboards showing:

• Count of pending approvals
• Approval statistics at a glance
• Quick access to pending items
• Visual indicators of approval status

Note

Expense approval functionality and reports may vary based on your EquiBillBook configuration. Some features mentioned here may need to be configured or may not be available in all versions. Check with your system administrator about available approval features.

Next Steps

After reviewing approval reports:

• Process pending approvals promptly
• Address any workflow issues identified
• Provide feedback to expense creators if needed
• Update approval processes based on findings
• Schedule regular approval report reviews