Expense categorization with approval flows

Purpose

1. Automate extraction, classification, approval, and ledger entry of business expenses from various sources.

2. Reduce manual data entry, minimize categorization errors, and ensure timely multi-level managerial approval.

3. Integrate expense data flow across financial systems for audit readiness and process transparency.

4. Enhance compliance with financial controls by enforcing spend thresholds and approval hierarchies.

Trigger Conditions

1. Receipt upload by employee (mobile scan, web form, email submission).

2. New transaction logged in expense management software.

3. Bank feed update for connected corporate account.

4. Vendor invoice arrival in centralized mailbox.

5. Manual batch import trigger by finance user.

Platform Variants

1. QuickBooks Online

• API: Create and categorize Expense endpoint; configure webhook for new Expense event.
  

2. Xero

• API: POST /api.xro/2.0/Receipts; event polling for new/updated receipts.
  

3. Expensify

• API: Expense Create function and Report Submit trigger.
  

4. SAP Concur

• Feature: Real-Time Expense Event Subscription for new expense line submission.
  

5. Zoho Books

• API: Expenses module – POST /expenses for new entries and GET for status updates.
  

6. Oracle NetSuite

• REST API: Expense Report POST and status webhook events.
  

7. FreshBooks

• API: Create Expense function, webhook for expense approvals.
  

8. Sage Intacct

• API: create_expense_report, expense approval notification event.
  

9. Wave Accounting

• API: MutateTransactions endpoint for expense creation and listTransactions for polling.
  

10. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance

• API: POST /ExpenseReports, listen for workflow approval updates.
  

11. Google Sheets

• Apps Script: OnFormSubmit trigger for new expenses, script for category mapping.
  

12. Airtable

• Automation Script: On record add, categorize via Automation, approval via collaborator update.
  

13. Slack

• Workflow Builder: Form intake trigger, Expense Category dropdown, approval via message action.
  

14. Gmail

• Apps Script: On email received (with receipt PDF), parse body and attachments, assign category label.
  

15. Dropbox

• API: On file upload to 'receipts' folder, invoke webhook to process OCR and categorize.
  

16. Trello

• API: Card creation in Expenses list, label for category, custom field for approval toggle.
  

17. Asana

• API: Task with expense details in Finance project, assign to approver, move to “Approved” section.
  

18. Jira

• Automation Rule: On Issue Created in Financial Requests, auto-assign category, custom approval status.
  

19. Zoho Flow

• Workflow: Trigger on new receipt in Zoho Expense, categorize, and send approval notifications.
  

20. Monday.com

• Automations: New Item in Expenses board, map to category, approval status column update.
  

21. Power Automate

• Workflow: On new row in SQL/Excel, call Expense API, conditionally route for approval.
  

22. Box

• API: Webhook on file upload in Expense folder, trigger categorization and approval flow via API.
  

23. HubSpot

• Workflows: On new expense form submission, set property for category, assign approval task.
  

24. ServiceNow

• Flow Designer: Expense item created, auto-category, approval flow per policy rules.
  

Benefits

1. Minimizes manual reconciliations and entry errors.

2. Accelerates month-end close and real-time oversight.

3. Enhances audit trail creation and compliance.

4. Reduces delays with multi-level dynamic approval paths.

5. Ensures consistency by standardizing expense categorization logic across systems.