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Reviewing & Approving Expense Reports

The treasurer side of expense reports: review, approve, or reject submissions, see what payment method the submitter requested, choose how to actually pay (check, printed check, Zelle, or a direct vendor payment), leave internal notes, and process payment.

Reviewing & Approving Expense Reports

Once a volunteer submits an expense report (see Expense Reports), a treasurer or other reviewer approves or rejects it in BeeKeeper. This article covers that review, approval, and payment workflow.

Viewing Pending Reports

  1. Go to Expense Reports to see all submitted reports
  2. Click the Status column header to sort, grouping In Review reports together
  3. Review reports awaiting action

Reviewing a Report

For each report, verify:

  • [ ] Reporter information is complete
  • [ ] Each expense has a receipt
  • [ ] Receipts are readable and match amounts — the AI Receipt Verification badges can help (see Expense Reports)
  • [ ] Expenses are appropriate for the organization
  • [ ] Total is within budget/policy limits

Approving a Report

Submitters now say how they’d like to be paid when they submit their report (Check to pick up, Check mailed, Zelle, or Direct Payment to Vendor) — see Expense Reports. When you open Approve, BeeKeeper pre-selects the option matching their request, so most of the time all you need to do is confirm it. You can still change it to anything your organization offers - the submitter’s choice is a request, not the final word.

If everything looks good:

  1. Open the report
  2. Click Approve
  3. Confirm or change how you’d like to handle payment:
    • Approve only: Marks the report approved without creating a check or journal entry; you’ll record payment separately
    • Write a check: BeeKeeper creates a journal entry recording the payment from a selected account, and you can enter your own check number
    • Print a check: BeeKeeper creates the journal entry and queues a check for printing from the selected account - the check number is assigned automatically when you print it (only available for accounts with check printing enabled)
    • Pay with Zelle: BeeKeeper creates the same balanced journal entry as writing a check, and records the Zelle confirmation number you enter as the entry’s reference (shown as “Zelle 123456” in your register, so it’s never confused with a check number). This option only appears once an admin has turned on Zelle under Settings > Update Settings > Expense Report Payment Methods - it’s off by default for every organization.
  4. The submitter is notified via email

If a report requested Direct Payment to Vendor, the check and journal entry are made out to the vendor’s name and mailing address instead of the submitter’s - it isn’t a reimbursement, it’s the organization paying the merchant directly. This option only appears if an admin has turned on Direct Payment to Vendor under Settings > Update Settings > Expense Report Payment Methods, and a report using it can only include a single receipt.

Rejecting a Report

If there are issues:

  1. Open the report
  2. Click Reject
  3. Provide clear explanation:
    • What’s missing?
    • What needs correction?
    • Can they resubmit?
  4. The submitter is notified

Processing Payment

After approval:

  1. If you used the write-check, print-check, or Zelle option during approval, the journal entry is already created - and, for a printed check, it’s waiting in the account’s check print queue
  2. Otherwise, write a check or initiate payment manually
  3. Record the journal entry in BeeKeeper if not auto-created

Internal Notes

Need to leave a note for your board, or flag something about a submission without emailing the person who submitted it? Every expense report has a notes section just for your team:

  1. Open the expense report
  2. Scroll to Notes and type your note
  3. Click Add Note

Internal notes:

  • Are never emailed or shown to the submitter - they’re for your team’s eyes only
  • Show who wrote each note and when
  • Can be deleted by the person who wrote them (look for the delete option on your own notes)
  • Update instantly for anyone else viewing the report at the same time

Use them to record things like “Called the vendor to confirm this receipt” or “Board approved this at the March meeting” without cluttering the submitter-facing status and emails.

Email Notifications

BeeKeeper sends automatic email notifications:

  • On submission: Confirmation to the submitter with report details
  • On approval: Notification to the submitter that their report was approved
  • On rejection: Notification with the reason for rejection

Internal notes are never included in these emails.

Tips for Reviewers

  • Process timely: Volunteers shouldn’t wait weeks for reimbursement
  • Be consistent: Apply the same standards to everyone
  • Communicate: If rejecting, explain clearly how to fix
  • Track patterns: Notice if certain areas overspend budget
  • Use internal notes: Keep a running record of anything worth remembering about a report, without emailing the submitter

Tips for Organizations

Set Clear Policies

Document and share:

  • What expenses are reimbursable
  • Maximum amounts or limits
  • Required documentation
  • Submission deadlines
  • Approval process

Train Volunteers

At the start of the year:

  • Show how to submit reports
  • Explain receipt requirements
  • Share the submission URL
  • Designate who to contact with questions

Budget for Accuracy

When creating budgets:

  • Anticipate reimbursable expenses
  • Don’t assume volunteers will donate costs
  • Include realistic estimates

Limitations

  • No batch approval (each report reviewed individually)
  • Internal notes can only be deleted by the person who wrote them
  • Direct Payment to Vendor reports are limited to one receipt

Common Questions

Will the submitter see the internal notes on their report? No. Internal notes are only visible to your team inside BeeKeeper - they’re never emailed and never shown on the submitter-facing status page.

Can I delete someone else’s internal note? No, only the person who wrote a note can delete it.

Can members get reimbursed electronically? Yes. Submitters can request Zelle as their payment method when they submit their report, and you’ll see it pre-selected when you approve - just confirm and enter the confirmation number from your bank. Turn Zelle on for your organization under Settings > Update Settings > Expense Report Payment Methods; it’s off by default.

What is Direct Payment to Vendor, and why does the check say the vendor’s name instead of the submitter’s? It’s for expenses where your organization is paying a merchant directly rather than reimbursing a volunteer - for example, an order a volunteer placed on the organization’s behalf. Because it isn’t a reimbursement, the journal entry and check are made out to the vendor, not the person who submitted the report. Turn it on under Settings > Update Settings > Expense Report Payment Methods; a report using it is capped at one receipt.

A report from before this shipped doesn’t show a payment method - is anything wrong? No. Reports submitted before payment method requests existed simply show “not specified.” Nothing was lost, and you can review, approve, and pay them exactly as before.

Are there spending limits? BeeKeeper doesn’t enforce spending limits - that’s set by your organization’s own policy. Reviewers should check submissions against that policy before approving.

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