Step by step
Approve and pay an expense
An expense above someone's limit waits for an approver. Open it under Awaiting approval, approve or reject it, then pay it from the right account.
When someone records an expense above their limit, or your business has every expense approved, it waits for an approver before anyone pays it. You decide it, then pay it, from the same screen.
Open Expenses and tap Awaiting approval
Go to Money › Expenses and tap the Awaiting approval tab. The same requests are in Approvals.
Open the expense
Tap it. You see the branch, the category, who was paid, the VAT and the note, and its history ends with Waiting for approval.
Tap Approve and add a note
A note is optional: “The person who submitted it sees this.”
Tap Approve
Kila says EXP-… approved: “It is ready to pay.” It moves to To pay.
Tap Pay and choose where the money comes from
Kila shows Pay this expense: “Money leaves the account you choose and the journal posts at once.” Choose the account in Paid from.
Add the reference
Type the M-Pesa confirmation code, or the bank or cheque reference, so the payment can be matched on the statement. For cash it is optional.
Tap Pay
The button shows the amount, such as Pay KES 12,760.00. Kila says EXP-… paid: “The payment and the journal are posted.”
Check the history
The expense now shows who approved it and how it was paid: Approved by Grace Jepchirchir and Paid by Bank transfer.
You need to turn it down
Link to this section: You need to turn it downTap Reject instead of Approve, type the Reason and tap Reject expense. Kila says EXP-… rejected: “The person who submitted it has been told.”
Waiting for an approver
Link to this section: Waiting for an approverYou see this on an expense you submitted yourself, or on one above your own expense limit: there is no Approve button. Someone else whose limit covers it decides.
Pay stays grey
Link to this section: Pay stays greyAdd the reference first. Kila needs the M-Pesa code or the bank reference to match the payment against the statement.
Needs a manager
Approving and paying expenses needs the right to approve expenses, which the owner, the general manager and the accountant have. The owner sets each person’s expense limit under Users and roles: see Set approval limits for a role.
- Record an expense: what the person who spent the money does.
- Approve or reject a request: every approval in one inbox, from a phone too.
- Pay suppliers with a payment run: paying approved expenses and supplier invoices together from your own M-Pesa or bank.
Next: the payment shows on the bank statement. Match it in Reconcile M-Pesa and bank statements.