Quick answers to the questions employees ask most about reporting expenses in Factorial, from creating one to getting paid back. Each answer links to the full article when you need the steps.

Tips and Best Practices

Troubleshooting and FAQ

Troubleshooting

I can't find the New expense button.
If your company pays per user, you need to be added as an Expenses user; if not, you need the permission to create expenses. Ask your HR or finance admin. See Why can't I see Expenses or the New expense button?.

Factorial read the receipt wrong.
Correct the fields in the draft before you send. Everything it fills in can be edited. See Why won't my receipt upload, or why was it read wrong?.

I can't send: "Cannot send for approval".
A required field is missing, often the receipt. The message lists what's missing.

I paid with my Factorial card but there's no expense.
Card expenses appear as drafts once the payment goes through. If there's no payment at all, the card payment was probably declined: you get a "Payment at [merchant] declined" notification when that happens. Ask your admin to check your card. See A card payment is missing in Factorial. Where is it?.

FAQ

1. What's the fastest way to report an expense, or add one I already paid?

Start from the receipt: on the mobile app, go to Expenses > Add > Regular expense; on the web, My spending > My expenses > New expense > Regular expense. Upload or photograph the receipt, check the details Factorial filled in, and click Send for approval. See How do I create an expense?.

2. I have several receipts. Do I create them one by one?

No. Choose Upload receipts and One, our AI assistant, creates one expense per receipt. See How do I submit expenses by sending receipts to One?.

3. What types of expenses can I report?

Regular expense (a receipt or invoice), mileage (driving your own vehicle for work, priced with your company's rate) and per diem (a daily travel allowance). Your company decides which are turned on. See How do I claim mileage? and How do I claim per diems?.

4. Do I need a receipt?

For regular expenses, yes by default: you can't send the expense without a receipt (an admin can make it optional if your plan allows form customisation). Mileage and per diem don't need a receipt scan. See Expenses without a receipt.

5. I lost the receipt. What now?

Ask the merchant for a copy or download the invoice from your booking or account. If you can't, ask your finance team what proof they accept. See Expenses without a receipt.

6. Which files can I upload?

PDF, PNG, JPG or JPEG. iPhone photos (HEIC) are converted for you. See Why won't my receipt upload, or why was it read wrong?.

7. Can I edit an expense I already sent?

While it's Pending, yes: open it, click Reset to draft and confirm with Reset, edit it and click Send for approval. If a reviewer asked for changes, edit it and send it again; once it's approved, rejected or paid, you can't. See How do I edit or take back an expense?.

8. My expense was rejected. How do I resubmit it?

You can't send a rejected expense again yourself. Read the reason on the expense, then create a new expense with the corrections. If the rejection was a mistake, ask someone with the permission (your admin or finance team) to reset its approval flow: it goes back to Pending. See How do I fix an expense that was sent back or rejected?.

9. I created the same expense twice.

Delete the copy while it's a draft. If both were sent, take one back with Reset to draft and delete it. See How do I handle duplicate expenses?.

10. I can't select my mileage or per diem rate.

Rates are assigned by your company, by legal entity or to specific people. Ask your admin to add you to the right rate. See How do I set up mileage and per diem rates?.

11. The receipt is in another currency. What do I enter?

Enter the amount and currency shown on the receipt. Factorial converts it to the currency you're paid back in, using the exchange rate of the receipt date. See How do I get the amounts right on an expense?.

12. When do I get paid back?

After approval, your finance team pays it back with your payslip (In payroll), by bank transfer (Sent to pay), or marks it Paid. Ask them for their schedule. See Expense statuses and alerts.

13. Which notifications do I get?

For example when an expense is approved, rejected or sent back for changes ("Expense reviewed"), when drafts are waiting for you ("Expenses in draft"), and when someone reports an expense for you. You can turn each one on or off in your notification settings. See How do I set up expense notifications and alerts?.

14. Who can see my expenses?

You, the people reviewing them, and the people your company gives permission to see expenses (for example your finance team).

15. Why was my expense rejected?

Open the expense: your approver's reason is at the top. Adding a reason is optional, so if there's none, ask your approver, for example in a comment. See How do I fix an expense that was sent back or rejected?.

16. Who approves my expense next?

Open the pending expense: its Approval history shows the steps already done and who it's waiting for now. You can also ask One, our AI assistant, for example "Who has to approve my taxi expense next?". See Why is an expense stuck in Pending or with the wrong approver?.

17. Can I get a cash advance before a trip?

No. Expenses doesn't have cash advances: you pay, report the expense, and get paid back once it's approved. See Expenses overview: what it does for your company.

18. How do I do an expense report for a trip?

Create an expense group for the trip, add the costs to it (receipts, mileage, per diems) and send it for approval in one go. See How do I group expenses from one trip?.

19. What do I enter when I stayed overnight on a work trip?

Report the hotel as a Regular expense with the invoice. For a daily travel allowance, use Per diem if your company has it turned on. See How do I claim per diems?.

20. How do I upload medical expenses?

Report them like any other expense: Regular expense, with the receipt attached. Whether your company pays medical costs back is your company's decision, so ask your finance team.