This article is for: admins.
Enable someone to submit expenses (or activate Expenses for yourself) in a few clicks, and remove them when they no longer need it. If your company pays per person, only Expenses users can create expenses: admins included. Can't see New expense? See Why can't I see Expenses or the New expense button?.
Add people to Expenses
Overview
Add a person when they join and need to claim expenses, or before they start using a Factorial card. You need the Manage subscription permission (admins have it by default). Not sure if your company pays per person? If Settings > Subscription shows Manage users > Expenses users, it does.
How to use
From Expenses (the quickest way):
- In the sidebar, go to Spending > Employee expenses.
- Open the ⋯ menu at the top right, next to New card, and click Add users.
- Under Employee, click Search employees, search or tick the people you want, then click Apply selection.
- Click Add (it reads Add 2 users if you picked two). You'll see "Users added to Expenses successfully".
From Settings:
- Go to Settings > Subscription.
- In Manage users > Expenses users, click Add users.
- In the window "Select the people you want to add to the Expenses module.", search for each person by name, or select all, and click Apply selection.
- Click Add (it reads Add 2 users if you picked two). You'll see "Users added to Expenses successfully".
The people you add can create expenses straight away.
Remove people from Expenses
Overview
Remove someone when they no longer need to claim expenses, so you don't pay for a seat nobody uses. Their Expenses cards are deactivated (Factorial warns you first). Leavers are removed automatically (see FAQ 2).
How to use
- Go to Settings > Subscription and click the arrow next to Expenses users to open Manage expenses users.
- Find the person, open the menu on their row and click Remove from plan. To remove several people, select them and use the same action.
Tips and Best Practices
- Add people to Expenses as part of your onboarding checklist, so new joiners can claim their first expenses without waiting.
- If you use Factorial cards, add the cardholder to Expenses first: card payments become expenses for that person.
- Review Manage expenses users once a month to make sure you're only paying for people who need it.
- Related: How do I set roles and permissions in Expenses? · How do I add Expenses users when a partner manages my plan? · How do I create an expense?
Troubleshooting and FAQ
Troubleshooting
An employee can't find the New expense button.
Usually they aren't an Expenses user yet. Check that they appear in Manage expenses users, and add them if they don't. For every cause (including turned-off expense types, mobile and the Groups tab), see Why can't I see Expenses or the New expense button?.
I'm an admin and I can't submit my own expenses.
Admins need to be Expenses users too: having full permissions in Factorial is not enough on its own. Add yourself in Manage expenses users.
I can't see the Add users button, or adding fails.
You need the Manage subscription permission. Ask an admin to add the people for you.
The Add users button is greyed out.
When a partner manages your plan, adding is blocked once you have used all the Expenses users your partner set, or when no limit has been set yet. Contact your partner. See How do I add Expenses users when a partner manages my plan?.
I don't see the Subscription section, or Expenses users isn't in it.
Try adding people from Spending > Employee expenses > ⋯ > Add users instead (steps above). If that isn't there either, your plan may not be priced per person, so there is no Expenses users list. In that case, who can create expenses is decided by the Can create an expense permission, in Settings > Permissions. See How do I set roles and permissions in Expenses? If you're still stuck, contact our support team.
FAQ
1. Can I add all employees to Expenses at once?
Yes. In the Add users window you can select all employees who aren't Expenses users yet. Some plans include Expenses for every employee: in those plans, active employees and new hires are added automatically.
2. Do I need to remove leavers from Expenses by hand? A terminated employee still shows as an Expenses user.
No. When an employee is terminated, Factorial removes them from Expenses users automatically the day after their termination date; until then, they still appear in the list. Their Factorial cards are deactivated at the same time (a card still waiting to be issued is cancelled). If they still appear after that day, contact our support team.
3. What happens when I remove someone from Expenses?
They can no longer create new expenses. Their history stays visible, and the expenses they already submitted keep going through approval and can still be reimbursed.
4. Does removing someone cancel their card?
No. Their Expenses cards are deactivated, so they can't be used, but they aren't cancelled. Factorial shows this warning on the page before you remove anyone.
5. Can someone submit expenses for a colleague who isn't an Expenses user?
No. Both people need to be Expenses users to report an expense on someone's behalf.
6. How do I see who has access to Expenses, how many people there are, or whether one person is an Expenses user?
Go to Settings > Subscription. In Manage users, the Expenses users row shows how many people have access. Click the arrow next to it to open Manage expenses users: it lists everyone who can use Expenses, with the date they were added, and you can search for one person.
7. I added someone but they still don't see New expense. Why?
Ask them to refresh the page or reopen the mobile app; people you add can create expenses straight away.
8. Is there another place to add or change Expenses users besides Settings > Subscription?
For adding, yes: Spending > Employee expenses > ⋯ > Add users opens the same window. For removing people, use Settings > Subscription > Manage expenses users > Remove from plan.