Submit an expense request

Before you begin

Have these details ready:

The expense type and budget code.
The bank account or PayMongo Wallet that should receive the repayment.
A short explanation of why the expense was needed.
The merchant name, purchase date, tax, and item amounts.
A clear receipt photo, if one is available.
Any invoice, statement of account, approval email, or other supporting file.

Check the destination account carefully. PayMongo uses these details to send the approved amount.

Start a request

Sign in to the PayMongo Dashboard.
Open Expense Management.
Select New Request.

The request has five steps. You can go back and edit the details before submitting.

1. Enter the expense and bank details

Under Department & Bank details, complete the following fields:

Field	What to enter
Nature of expense	Choose the expense type that best describes the purchase.
Bank name	Choose the bank or PayMongo Wallet that should receive the repayment.
Bank account number	Enter digits only. Check every digit before continuing.
Bank account name	Enter the full name registered to the receiving account.
Justification / Business Purpose	Explain why the expense was needed and how it supported the business.
Budget code	Choose the team, project, or cost code that should pay for the expense.

A useful business reason is short and specific. For example:

Taxi from the client office to the airport after the final project meeting.

Avoid descriptions such as “work expense” or “transport.” They do not give the approver enough information.

2. Add the receipt

Choose one of these methods:

Scan with camera

Use your phone or computer camera to take a receipt photo. PayMongo reads the image and fills the expense details for you.

Allow camera access when your browser asks for it. Place the full receipt inside the frame and make sure the text is easy to read.

Upload from your device

Choose an existing receipt image. The image can be up to 10 MB.

For the best result:

Use a clear JPG or PNG image.
Keep the receipt flat.
Avoid shadows and glare.
Include the merchant name, date, items, and total in the image.
Do not crop out the edges of the receipt.

Enter manually

Choose this option when there is no receipt image or when scanning cannot read the receipt. You will enter the merchant, date, tax, and items yourself.

Note

Receipt scanning saves time, but it can make mistakes. Always check the filled details against the receipt.

3. Check the receipt details

After scanning, PayMongo opens an editable draft. Check each field before continuing:

Merchant: The business shown on the receipt.
Date and time: When the purchase happened.
VAT amount: The tax shown on the receipt. Enter 0 if there is no VAT.
Line items: The name, quantity, and amount for each item.
Total amount: The line-item total plus VAT.

Add or remove line items when needed. Make sure the quantity is a whole number greater than zero.

The amount shown in the final review should match the receipt. If it does not match, check the line-item amounts, quantities, and VAT.

4. Add supporting documents

Supporting documents help the approver understand the request. This step is optional, but your business may still require certain files.

Useful files include:

Original receipts or invoices.
Statements of account.
Proof of payment.
Approval emails.
Other messages that explain the purchase.

You can upload JPG, JPEG, PNG, DOC, DOCX, XLS, XLSX, or PDF files. Each file can be up to 10 MB.

You can add more than one file. Remove any wrong or repeated file before continuing.

5. Review and submit

The review page shows:

The receiving bank and the last four digits of the account number.
The account name.
The budget code and business reason.
The merchant and receipt date.
The receipt and supporting files.
Each line item.
The total amount to repay.

Select Edit beside any section that needs a change.

When everything is correct, select Submit Request. By submitting, you confirm that the information is correct and that you can provide the original receipts if they are needed for an audit.

After submission, PayMongo shows the request reference. Keep it when you need to ask your finance team about the request.

What happens next

If approvals are on, the request becomes Pending and goes to the first approval stage.
If approvals are off, the request becomes Approved and PayMongo creates the transfer immediately.
If an approver declines the request, its status becomes Rejected and no transfer is created.

You can return to Expense Management to see the latest status.

If something goes wrong

Problem	What to do
The receipt cannot be read	Try a clearer photo, upload another image, or enter the details manually.
The total is wrong	Check every line-item amount, quantity, and the VAT amount.
The account name or number is wrong	Go back to Bank details and correct it before submitting.
A file is rejected	Check that its type is supported and its size is 10 MB or less.
An expense type or budget code is missing	Ask your Expense Management administrator to add it in Product Settings.
Submission fails	Keep the form open, check your connection, and try again. If it still fails, contact PayMongo support.

Submission checklist

The expense type and budget code are correct.
The business reason explains the purchase.
The receiving account name and number are correct.
The receipt details match the original receipt.
The line items, quantity, VAT, and total are correct.
The required supporting documents are attached.
The final repayment amount is correct.