> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://ombamanual.ombaerp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Expense management: submit, approve, and disburse claims
> Manage the full expense lifecycle — submit requests with attachments, approve or deny pending requests, disburse approved funds, and confirm receipt.
The Expense Management module handles internal employee and departmental expense requests from initial submission through to final receipt confirmation. Each request moves through a defined sequence of stages: submission, approval, disbursement, and receipt. Separate screens serve each role in the process, ensuring that the right people see and act on each stage.
## How the expense lifecycle works
The requester opens **Expense Management > Expense Request**, clicks **Add New**, and fills in the request form. Once submitted, the request enters the **Pending** state and becomes visible to approvers.
An authorised approver opens **Expense Management > Expense Approval** to see the queue of pending requests. Each card shows the requester, date, narrative, requested amount, and the budget balance for that expense account. The approver clicks **Accept** to approve or **Deny** to reject the request.
Once approved, the request appears in **Expense Management > Expense Disbursement**. A finance user selects the **bank account** to pay from, adds any **remarks**, and clicks **Confirm** to record the payment. This marks the request as disbursed.
After funds are disbursed, the request appears in **Expense Management > Expense Receipt**. The requester confirms they have received the money by clicking **Confirm** on their pending receipt item.
## Role-based responsibilities
As a requester, your responsibilities are to submit expense requests and to confirm receipt of funds after disbursement.
### Submitting a request
Navigate to **Expense Management > Expense Request** and click **Add New**. Fill in the following fields:
| Field | Description |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------- |
| Date | The date of the expense |
| Expense account | The G.L. expense category this request falls under |
| Department | The department the cost should be allocated to |
| Description | A clear explanation of what the expense is for |
| Amount | The amount you are requesting |
You can attach a supporting document (PDF only) before submitting. Click **Process Data** to send the request for approval.
To check the status of a previous request, enter its request ID in the search bar on the Expense Request screen and click **Search**.
### Confirming receipt
Once finance has disbursed your approved request, it will appear in **Expense Management > Expense Receipt** under **Pending Receipts**. Review the details and click **Confirm** to acknowledge that you have received the funds. This closes the expense cycle for that request.
As an approver, you review pending expense requests and decide whether to approve or deny each one.
Navigate to **Expense Management > Expense Approval**. The screen displays all requests in the **Pending** state as individual cards. Each card shows:
* The **date** the request was submitted
* The **requester's name**
* The **narrative** (description of the expense)
* The **requested amount** in a highlighted badge
* Budget context: the **budget** allocated to that expense account, the amount already **approved** (spent to date), and the remaining **balance**
* A **View Attachments** button if the requester uploaded a supporting document
Click **Accept** to approve the request. It will move to the disbursement queue for finance to process. Click **Deny** to reject the request. Denied requests are removed from the pending queue.
Approving a request commits budget against the associated expense account. Check the balance figures before approving to avoid over-committing against a budget line.
As a finance user, you are responsible for disbursing approved expense requests and recording the payment details.
Navigate to **Expense Management > Expense Disbursement**. The screen lists all requests that have been approved and are awaiting payment under **Pending Disbursements**. Each item shows the requester, the date, the narrative, and the approved amount.
To disburse a request:
1. Click **Confirm** on the request you want to pay.
2. A disbursement dialog opens. Select the **bank account** from which the payment will be made.
3. Enter any **remarks** relevant to the payment (e.g. reference number, payment method).
4. Click **Save changes** to record the disbursement.
Once saved, the request moves to the receipt confirmation stage and will appear in the requester's pending receipts queue.
Keep the remarks field consistent (for example, always include the bank transaction reference) to make reconciliation easier when matching disbursements against bank statements.
## Status tracking
Every expense request has a status that reflects its current stage in the lifecycle:
| Status | Meaning |
| --------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Pending | Submitted by the requester, awaiting approver action |
| Approved | Accepted by an approver, awaiting disbursement |
| Denied | Rejected by an approver |
| Disbursed | Payment recorded by finance, awaiting receipt confirmation |
| Received | Requester has confirmed receipt of funds |
You can search for any request by its ID from the **Expense Request** screen to check its current status at any time.