# Expense Approval

How to clear the Expense Approval Backlog in Job Book: the columns, the quick filters and the filter icon, batch approval and Undo Last Approval Batch, and what happens to an expense once it is approved.

Source: https://getjobbook.com/help/Expense_Approval
Last updated: 2026-09-18

## Key Concepts

An expense is a claim by a member of staff for something they paid for out of pocket. It is filed, approved, and then processed, and this page is the middle step: the Expense Approval Backlog is where submitted expenses wait for a Manager or an Administrator, in practice the job's project manager, who is named on every row. Approve blindly and you risk paying staff the wrong amount or billing the wrong client. What expense tracking does for your job costs is on the [Expenses](https://getjobbook.com/features/expenses) product page.

- **Approve regularly**: reimbursements go out on time and the general ledger and job budgets stay current.
- **The same records as Not Approved**: the backlog holds exactly what the **Not Approved** view of the Expenses list holds, shown as a grid instead of cards. Filing an expense is covered in [Expense Entry](https://getjobbook.com/help/Expense_Entry).
- **Approved is not Processed**: approval is this screen's job. **Processed** is the step after it, ticked elsewhere, and what it means is your company's call; see [What happens after approval](#what-happens-after-approval).

## Performing Common Tasks

### Opening the backlog

On the dashboard, in the **Workflow** card, click **Expense Approval Backlog**.

![The Workflow card on the dashboard, with Expense Approval Backlog marked](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/workflow-card-expense-approval.D7-C97AM.png)

*The Workflow card is on the Manager's and the Administrator's dashboard only; a Job Coordinator does not see it.*

**Approve Selected Expenses** is at the top left and **Undo Last Approval Batch** at the top right.

![The Expense Approval Backlog with its two buttons, the grouping bar, the eight columns, the quick filter row and three rows](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/expense-approval-backlog.BAeEzBo1.png)

*The rows are everyone's claims, not just those on your jobs. Filter on Project Manager to work your own.*

The grid is the one the backlogs share. Ticking rows, the batch button, sorting, grouping, the funnel filter, the filter row and undo are all described on [Backlog Grids](https://getjobbook.com/help/Backlog_Grids). This page covers what is particular to expenses.

### Reading the table

The columns are **Date**, **Submitted**, **Job #**, **Project Manager**, **Expense Item**, **Employee Name**, **Amount** and **Description**. The **Date** column contains hyperlinks to the individual expenses, and each one opens in a new browser tab. The table gives you all the information needed to approve an expense without opening it.

### Sorting, filtering and grouping

By default, expenses are sorted by **Date** and **Employee Name** in ascending order. That means the oldest expenses appear first, and within each day they are sorted by **Employee Name**.

To see only the expenses over $100, click the funnel on **Amount**, choose **Is greater than**, type 100 and click **Filter**.

### Correcting an expense before you approve it

If an expense needs only a minor fix, such as a typo, you can correct it on the spot: click the **Date** link to open the expense, then click **Edit**. If the submission needs more work, or cannot be approved as it stands, hand it back: open it the same way, click **Edit**, clear the **Submitted** checkbox and click **Save**. The expense leaves the backlog and returns to the employee's **My Expenses** view as a draft, for them to correct and submit again. Tell them what needs to change and why.

### Approving expenses

- After you have reviewed the expenses, tick the ones you want to approve and click **Approve Selected Expenses**.
- The confirmation names the number of expenses. Click **OK**.

![Every row ticked and the approval confirmation dialog open over the Expense Approval Backlog](https://getjobbook.com/_astro/expense-approval-confirm-dialog.jlSxSSUu.png)

*The header checkbox ticks every row that passes your filters, not every row in the backlog. Check the count before you confirm.*

The selected expenses are now approved and drop out of the backlog immediately.

### Undoing an approval

**Undo Last Approval Batch** brings back the expenses from the batch you just approved.

To unapprove a single expense: on the dashboard, in the **Expenses** card, click **Explore**, open the **All** view and locate the approved expense. Open it, click **Edit**, uncheck the **Approved** checkbox and save.

### What happens after approval

Approval hands the expense on. It leaves this backlog, and the Expenses list shows it in the **Admin Queue** view until someone ticks **Processed**. Processed is the last step, and what it stands for is your company's decision. Some of our customers tick it when the employee has been paid back; others tick it when the expense has been put on the invoice that charges the client, which is done from the **Expenses:** table on the invoice ([Invoices](https://getjobbook.com/help/Invoices#the-expenses-table)).

Approval changes nothing on the [Active Job Dashboard](https://getjobbook.com/help/Active_Job_Dashboard): its **Expense $** column already counts every submitted expense, approved or not.

### Best practices

- Schedule a daily approval window. Clearing the backlog at the same time each day keeps reimbursements predictable for staff.
- Scan for duplicates before you approve. If two employees submitted the same hotel receipt, sort it out before the batch goes through.
- Check the job on each expense, not just the amount. An expense filed against the wrong job distorts two budgets.
- Open the attachment and check it is legible. Ask for a replacement rather than approving a receipt nobody can read
  later.
- Agree on what **Processed** means at your company and who ticks it, so an expense is not paid back or invoiced twice.
- Group or filter to reach the risky ones first: large amounts, a single job, or an employee with many submissions.
  See [Sorting, filtering and grouping](#sorting-filtering-and-grouping).

## Video

Watch the video: [Job Book How to Use Guide #9: Expense Approval Backlog](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPvB6LDnHWI)

## Related Guides

- Expense Approval
- [Expense Entry](https://getjobbook.com/help/Expense_Entry)
- [Site Staff Expense Entry](https://getjobbook.com/help/Site_Staff_Expense_Entry)
- [DWR Approval](https://getjobbook.com/help/DWR_Approval)
- [Active Job Dashboard](https://getjobbook.com/help/Active_Job_Dashboard)
- [Invoices](https://getjobbook.com/help/Invoices)
- [Backlog Grids](https://getjobbook.com/help/Backlog_Grids)