Create an Expense Policy

The Expense Policy screen in Emburse Spend lets you define and enforce how employees can submit, approve, and reimburse expenses. By creating flexible policy rules, admins can set clear limits, automate approval routing, and maintain compliance across all spending activity.

This article explains the different rule types, how to build and manage them, and how to route expenses for review or approval.

Blocking Rules vs. Warning Rules

There are two rule types:

  • Blocking rules: Prevent users from submitting an expense that violates policy.
  • Warning rules: Display guidance during submission. Users can fix the expense or submit with the policy violation flagged for review.

If you try to submit an expense that violates a blocking rule, Emburse Spend prevents submission and identifies the rule.

Blocking rule message that prevents submitting an out-of-policy expense

Warning rules alert you to the policy and give you the option to go back and fix the expense or submit it anyway.

Warning banner that explains how to bring the expense within policy

Expenses that violate a warning rule show an orange warning icon on the Transactions screen.

Transactions list with an orange warning icon on an expense

Select the Warning icon to open the expense and view the list of warnings in the Expense Details window.

Expense Details window showing policy warnings

You can search and filter for expenses with warnings.

Configure Comment Requirement for Policy Checks

Admins can control whether users must enter a comment when responding to warning policy checks.

Comment Required toggle: Determines whether a user must enter a comment when submitting an expense that triggers a policy response.

Comment Required is toggled off by default.

Behavior

  • On: Users must enter a comment to submit an expense when a warning policy check is triggered
  • Off: Users can submit an expense without entering a comment when a warning policy check is triggered

Applies To

  • Applies to warning policy checks
  • Emburse Assurance rules always require a comment and are not affected by this setting

Emburse Spend Rule Builder

The Emburse Spend rule builder enforces your organization’s policy using flexible conditions.

Create a Rule

To start, select Add a Rule on the Expense Policy screen, then configure the fields below.

Add a Rule button on the Expense Policy screen

Rule builder form with source, submitter, amount, and category fields

Rule Types

Each rule type defines what is enforced and which fields are required. Use the table below as the complete reference when building rules.

Rule Type

Purpose

Scope Fields

Rule-Specific Fields

Optional Filters

Behavior

Notes
Requirement Collect information from the submitter (for example, receipt, category, custom field, or note) Source: Every expense, corporate card, or reimbursable

Submitted By: Everyone, a specific member, or a Team Field (for example, Department or Location)		 Requirement type (receipt, category, custom field, or note)

Amount: Routes expenses above this amount to an approver (if applicable)

Categorized As (select one or more categories)

Tagged As (select one or more Expense Fields)

 Warn or Block Use to enforce required fields or trigger approval routing
Budget Enforce spending limits by amount and time Source: Every expense, corporate card, or reimbursable

Submitted By: Everyone, a specific member, or a Team Field 		Expenses Should Not Exceed: Budget threshold

Per: Per expense, day, month, quarter, or year

Categorized As (select one or more categories)

Tagged As (select one or more Expense Fields)

 Warn or Block Fiscal year for yearly budgets runs January 1 to December 31
Time Limit Require expenses to be submitted within a defined time window Source: Every expense, corporate card, or reimbursable

Submitted By: Everyone, a specific member, or a Team Field 		Expenses Should Be Submitted In: Days, months, quarters, or years

Categorized As (select one or more categories)

Tagged As (select one or more Expense Fields)

 Warn or Block Helps enforce timely submission
Daily Rate Manage per-diem-style expenses (for example, hotels) Source: Every expense, corporate card, or reimbursable

Submitted By: Everyone, a specific member, or a Team Field 		Daily rate amount or Unlimited option

Categorized As (select one or more categories)

Tagged As (select one or more Expense Fields)

 Warn or Block

Requires check-in and check-out dates; system calculates allowed amount. 

Select Unlimited to require dates without a budget

Edit or Delete a Rule

To edit an existing rule, select the Pencil icon next to the rule.

To delete a rule, select the Trash can icon next to the rule.

Editing a rule and saving the changes on the Expense Policy screen

Route Expenses to Specific Approvers

Create an Approval Routing rule to send certain expenses to specific managers or admins. Routed expenses appear in Pending for admins until they are approved.

For setup steps, see Use Expense Approval Routing.

If a rule references a specific Expense Field, that field appears on the submission form (for example, Location).

Expense submission form showing the Location field added by a rule

Approval Routing configuration showing approver selection and rule conditions

Prevent Admins or Managers from Approving Their Expenses

Turn on Prevent administrators or managers from ever approving their own expenses to require a different admin to approve an admin’s expense.

Organization setting to prevent admins or managers from approving their own expenses

Prevent Non-Admins from Editing Approved Expenses

Turn on Prevent non-admins from editing their expenses after they have been approved to lock approved expenses from editing by non-admins.

Organization setting that blocks non-admins from editing approved expenses

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