What is the point of approving a Business Card purchase that has already happened?
At the point that a Business Card transaction is entered into ExpensePlus, a transaction has already happened.
Card holder policy
By giving a team member a business card, your organisation has authorised them to spend money on behalf of the organisation and appropriate purchase limits should have been set. You may also have a written agreement in place stating that all expenditure needs to be agreed upon in the budget and appropriate to their responsibilities. This statement may detail what happens if they are deemed to have spent organisational money incorrectly.
Read more here about Purchasing & Card Holder Policies.
Approving the purchase
However, it is still important that the purchase goes through the ExpensePlus approvals process. This is because:
- It increases the visibility of the transaction (for accountability purposes);
- It communicates to the Budget holder that funds have been spent;
- It provides an audit trail that approval was granted (although retrospectively);
- It provides the opportunity for the Budget holder or a member of the finance team to ask about the expenditure.
To help you better understand the Approvals module as a whole, please visit the module overview page here.