---
title: Approving expense reports
description: Where to find the expense reports and per diems to approve, how to accept, reject or delegate them, when an expense is approved automatically and how the approval workflow is set up.
url: "https://illizeo.com/en/centre-aide/expenses-approve/"
updated: "2026-11-01"
category: Expense Reports
---

# Approving expense reports

This article is for approvers, managers first of all, and for the administrators who set up the workflow: it explains where to find the expense reports and per diems to approve, how to accept, reject or delegate them, when an expense is approved automatically and how the approval workflow is set up.

## Before you start

- To see the expenses to approve, your role must hold the "View expense reports pending approval (team)" and "Approvals — Expenses" permissions at the **Access** level.
- To decide (accept, reject, delegate), the "View expense reports pending approval (team)" permission must be at the **Execute** level. By default, only the Manager and Administrator roles hold it at that level.
- You only receive the expenses for which the workflow designates you. Nobody can decide on their own expense.

## Finding the expenses to approve

Open **Workflows › Expense reports**: the **Workflows** page opens on the **Approvals — Expense Reports** tab. It shows:

- three counters: **Awaiting my decision**, **Approved** and **Rejected**;
- on the left, the **Approvals** list, in two parts: **Awaiting my decision** and **Processed**. Each row shows the employee and the date; the details say whether it is an expense, a mileage trip or a per diem;
- on the right, the details of the selected request.

The link in a notification or e-mail opens the expense directly.

## Reviewing an expense

The details of an expense bring together:

- the **Approval workflow**: the workflow steps and the one the expense has reached, with the **Current step**, the **Approver** and the **Time left**;
- the **Expense details**: name, category, amount in the entered currency, **Converted amount**, **Applied rule** and the **View receipt** link;
- the **History** of decisions already taken.

![Workflows page, Approvals — Expense Reports tab: counters, Awaiting my decision list, details of an expense with the approval workflow and the Reject, Delegate and Accept buttons](https://i0.wp.com/illizeo.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/expenses-approve-01.en_.png?resize=800%2C500&quality=80&ssl=1)
An expense awaiting a decision: workflow, expense details and the Reject, Delegate and Accept buttons.

## Deciding

### Accept

Click **Accept**. If you are the last approver, the expense becomes "Approved", the employee is notified and the expense becomes payable. Otherwise the message "Step approved — the expense now awaits the next approver" appears: the expense stays "Pending" with the next approver and moves to your **Processed** list.

### Reject

1. Click **Reject**.
2. Enter the **Rejection reason**: it is mandatory and will be passed on to the employee.
3. Click **Confirm rejection**.

A rejection is final for this workflow: the following steps are cancelled. The employee can fix the expense and submit it again, which starts a new workflow.

### Delegate

1. Click **Delegate**.
2. Under **Delegate to**, choose the person.
3. Click **Confirm**.

Illizeo refuses, with a message, a delegate who could not decide on this expense for lack of permissions.

## Automatic approvals

Some expenses are approved when submitted, without going through the workflow. The history marks them "Auto-approved".

| Case | Condition |
| --- | --- |
| Expense rule | The applicable rule has **Automatic approval** set to Yes and the amount stays under its limit. |
| Company threshold | The **Automatic approval below a threshold** setting is on and the amount does not exceed the threshold of its currency (mileage excluded). |
| Mileage trip | The trip distance is 200 km or less. |

An expense whose exchange rate could not be determined is never approved automatically.

## Setting up the approval workflow

The workflow is set under **Settings › Manage Employees › Workflows**, Expenses category. It starts on the "Expense report or per diem submitted (to approve)" trigger and applies to expense reports and per diems alike.

- Your workspace contains the **Expense report circuit** workflow. It carries over the approval circuits set before Workflows, population by population; without a configured circuit, it sends the expense to the employee's line manager, then moves up the hierarchy to an administrator if nobody can decide.
- To have large expenses approved by a second level, add the condition on the amount of the expense ("Montant de la note supérieur à"): the threshold is entered in the currency of the expense, with one line per currency if needed.
- Without an active workflow for this trigger, the expense goes to the employee's line manager. This fallback circuit is visible in Workflows, where you can read and edit it.
- For an employee with several contracts, approval follows the contract of the expense.

## Good to know

- An expense that has been paid, or included in a payment file or in the payroll, can no longer be approved or rejected.
- Reminders to the approver are set on the "Expense report to approve" e-mail template (listed as "Note de frais à approuver" on the e-mail screen), under **Settings › Manage Illizeo › Email**.
- Only the approvers designated by the current step can decide: an administrator outside the workflow cannot decide in their place.
- The **Awaiting my decision** list only counts your own pending decisions, not every pending expense in the company.

## FAQ

### The message "You have no expense reports to approve." appears

Your role does not hold the permissions needed to see the expense queue. Contact your administrator.

### I can see the expense but the decision buttons do not appear

Your role does not hold "View expense reports pending approval (team)" at the Execute level, or you are not the approver of the current step.

### A 150 km trip was approved without me

This is expected: a trip of 200 km or less is approved automatically.

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