Netchex works alongside ExpensePath to make expense reimbursement simple and efficient. This session covers how expense management works, how expenses move through the approval process, and how to navigate the system.

How the integration works

Employee information is automatically synced from Netchex to ExpensePath, so Netchex remains your single source for employee data. When changes are made in Netchex — such as an employee's email address or employment status — those changes automatically flow to ExpensePath. In ExpensePath, employees submit expenses such as meals, mileage, and hotel stays; those expenses flow through your configured approval process, typically to a manager. Once approved, you can export them directly into Netchex with one click, and the reimbursement is included in the employee's next payroll. A single sign-on experience lets admins, employees, and managers reach ExpensePath from their Netchex experience without managing a separate login.

The employee & manager view

Logged into Netchex as an employee, scroll down and click Expenses — you're brought into your ExpensePath account via single sign-on. To submit a request, click New Expense, enter the details (for example, a hotel room charge), the amount to be reimbursed, notes, and upload a picture of the receipt. Once submitted, it follows your configured approval process — typically a manager approves it. Managers see reports waiting for their approval, click into the information, and click Approve.

The admin view & navigation

Logged in as an admin, click View or Manage Expenses on the left to enter the admin version of ExpensePath through single sign-on. The main menu is on the left:

• Employees — manage users, activate employees, and configure permissions and approvers.
• Settings — review and manage your company's ExpensePath configuration, including workflows.
• Reimbursement — send approved expenses to Netchex payroll.

Sending expenses to payroll

After a request is approved, it waits for you to create your payroll. When you're ready, click Reimbursement, then Netchex Online. Enter the date range for the expenses to send — expenses not yet exported are selected automatically, and you can unselect anything you're not ready to send. Review, then click Export. The approved expenses are sent directly to Netchex; when you create payroll, you'll get a notification that these expenses are moving in. Reimbursements appear as negative deductions on the employee's check. As always, review your payroll for accuracy — check the Payroll Detail Register Preview Report to confirm the expenses came in — then continue processing as usual.

This session walks through creating and managing expense categories and policies. Categories determine how you classify expenses, while policies help you identify expenses that fall outside your company's guidelines. Start by clicking View or Manage Expenses to reach ExpensePath via single sign-on.

Expense categories

Every expense submitted requires a category. Categories are customized for your company and appear in the category dropdown when users enter expenses. To see them, click Finance on the left, then Categories. For example, Auto Mileage lets users enter mileage or start/end locations and calculates the reimbursement; the mileage rate defaults to the current US rate but can be updated in company settings. Click a category to review or edit it.

To create one, click Add Category at the top right and enter the details:

• Name — what employees see when selecting a category.
• Description — for admins only; not visible to employees.
• Accounting code — maps the category to accounting and payroll exports.
• Type — designate a special type such as mileage, attendees, or per diem.

Click Save, and the category is immediately available for users. You can also edit existing categories in the list, or deactivate one to remove it from the dropdown — deactivated categories are no longer available for new expenses.

Expense policies

Policies automatically flag expenses outside your guidelines. Find them under Settings. Importantly, by default a policy violation does not prevent a user from submitting — instead the violation is highlighted for the user and approvers. There are two types: universal and by category.

Universal policies apply broadly:

• Expense Report Maximum — flags reports exceeding a total dollar amount (a value of zero means no limit).
• Expense Age Limit — how many days a user has to submit an expense after it was incurred.
• Receipt Threshold — the dollar amount above which a receipt is required (auto mileage is automatically exempt).

Category-specific policies: click Policies by Category, select a category, and click Add Policy. Choose who it applies to (everyone or a specific user group), enter the dollar amount and currency, and select per pay period or per person for attendee-based expenses. Note that time-period limits are measured within an individual expense report — a monthly policy won't catch expenses that collectively exceed the limit across multiple reports. If a user belongs to multiple groups, they're subject to the most lenient policy that applies. By default violations are just flags, but certain violations can be configured to block submission until corrected, and an override violations process requires additional review.

This session covers how expense reports move through submission and approval — who reviews a report, the order of approvals, and the workflow settings available to you.

The approval chain

Once a user completes an expense report, they submit it for review, and it's automatically routed through the approval chain based on the user's setup and the report's contents. Reviews happen sequentially — with multiple reviewers, the report moves to the next reviewer only after the previous one approves. After all required managers review or approve, it moves to the administrator for final approval. The administrator can also skip directly to the report when needed (for example, when a manager is unavailable). Once the administrator approves, no additional reviews are required.

Workflow settings

Manage these under Settings → Workflow:

• Auto Approval — reports below a user's designated dollar authority skip certain approvers and move directly to the administrator.
• Review Edit — lets reviewers (such as managers) make changes while reviewing; administrators already have this ability.
• Override for Violations — adds a review step when a report contains policy violations; it lands in a special queue for extra scrutiny before moving to the normal administrator approval queue.
• Additional settings — require supporting documents or approver comments, and send email notifications when reports enter an administrator's queue.
• Allow Email Approval — gives non-administrator reviewers approve/deny options directly from their email notification.
• Email Approved Reports — automatically notifies on final approval, including a CSV of the report data and a link to the PDF.

Setting up approvers

To set approvers for specific employees or groups, click Employees → Users, click an employee's name, and open the Expense tab. Add approvers by clicking the three dots next to the expense admin final approver and choosing Insert Before to add an approver ahead of it. You can do the same by user group, selecting approvers for a group rather than individual users.