Managing expenses is one of those things that can quickly become more complicated than it sounds. From employees not keeping their receipts and sending their forms late, to checking claims, securing approvals and preparing reports, PAs and EAs often find themselves spending hours on tasks that seem straight-forward at a first glance. But what if we told you there are expense management tools that can make your responsibilities much easier?
There are tools available that help reduce manual data entry, improve visibility over company spending and make it simpler for employees and finance teams to stay on top of expenses. But with so many platforms available, what features should you look for before choosing one?
Here are the key things to consider.
1. Receipt capture and automatic data extraction
This might be quite an obvious one, but one of the most useful features of modern expense management tools is the ability to capture receipts digitally. Instead of keeping track of paper receipts or asking colleagues to send photographs after a business trip, employees can simply upload an image through an app.
If you’ve never worked with a similar tool, look for those that use optical character recognition (OCR) to extract information automatically, including the merchant, date, total amount and VAT. This reduces manual data entry and makes it easier to match receipts with individual transactions.
Some platforms can also flag missing receipts or duplicate submissions, helping PAs and EAs catch potential issues before expenses reach the approval stage.
Don’t forget to check for mobile access, as majority of people keep receipts on their phones. This can also come in handy when supporting executives who travel frequently or need to submit expenses while on the move.
2. Clear approval workflows
Expense claims often involve several people, from the employee submitting a claim to the manager approving it and the finance team processing payment.
A good platform should allow you to set up approval workflows that reflect your organisation’s structure. For example, expenses above a certain amount might require additional authorisation, while routine claims could be approved by a line manager.
Look for features such as:
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Custom approval routes based on department, employee or spending amount.
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Automatic notifications when a claim needs reviewing.
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The ability to reject claims and request additional information.
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A clear record of who approved each expense and when.
These features can reduce the amount of time PAs and EAs spend chasing approvals and provide a more consistent process across the organisation.
Just like with uploading receipts, it’s also worth checking whether you can manage approvals on mobile.
3. Reporting and spending visibility
Expense management isn’t just about processing claims, and you might often be asked to provide reports on spending to help your organisation understand where their money is going.
Reporting tools should make it easy to see spending across departments, projects, employees and expense categories. Rather than manually combining information from multiple spreadsheets, you should be able to generate reports using up-to-date data already stored in the tool.
Useful features include:
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Customisable reports by date, department or spending category.
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Real-time spending dashboards.
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VAT breakdowns and downloadable records.
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The ability to identify unusual spending patterns or repeated expenses.
For PAs and EAs supporting senior leadership, having access to clear spending information can be particularly valuable when preparing budgets, organising events or coordinating business travel.
4. Company cards and spending controls
A useful function that is becoming more and more popular, virtual and physical company cards allow employees to pay for approved business expenses without using personal funds.
This can be especially useful when organising travel, accommodation, team events or client meetings. Instead of collecting individual receipts and processing reimbursements afterwards, transactions can appear directly in the expense management system linked to the credit cards.
Check whether the platform allows administrators to:
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Set individual spending limits.
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Restrict purchases to certain categories or merchants.
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Issue virtual cards for one-off purchases.
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Freeze or cancel cards when necessary.
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Monitor transactions as they happen.
These controls can give businesses greater oversight of spending while reducing the administrative burden on employees.
5. Accounting and software integrations
An expense management platform should work alongside the systems your organisation already uses, rather than creating another disconnected place to manage information.
Check whether the tool integrates with your company’s accounting software, such as Xero, QuickBooks or Sage. Some platforms also connect with payroll systems, HR software and business travel booking tools.
Integrations can automatically transfer approved expenses into accounting systems, reducing the need for duplicate data entry and helping finance teams reconcile transactions more efficiently.
Before committing, find out exactly what each integration supports. Some may only transfer basic transaction details, while others offer more comprehensive syncing of receipts, VAT information and expense categories.
6. Security, permissions and expense policies
Expense records contain sensitive financial and employee information, so security should always be a top priority. Look for features such as role-based access, multi-factor authentication, encryption and clear audit trails.
It’s also important to check whether the platform allows you to apply your organisation’s expense policy directly within the system. For example, you may be able to set spending limits, define eligible expense categories and flag claims that fall outside company rules.
However, technology alone cannot replace a clear and up-to-date policy. As highlighted in PA Life’s article on why employee expense policies need more attention, businesses need to make sure employees understand what they can claim and how the process works. If you don’t already use a handbook, consider putting one together and sharing it with the company before you integrate it into the tool.
Choosing the right expense management tools
The best expense management tools aren’t necessarily those with the longest feature lists. They’re the ones that solve the problems your organisation actually faces.
If you regularly chase receipts, prioritise mobile capture and automatic data extraction. If you’re responsible for coordinating senior-level spending, look for detailed reporting, approval workflows and company card controls. And if your finance team spends hours transferring information between systems, accounting integrations should be high on your list.
It’s also worth considering how easy the platform is to use. A complicated system can create more work rather than less, particularly if employees find it difficult to submit claims or managers struggle to approve them. Consider booking a session with your top three tool providers to access which one is the easiest to use.
Ultimately, effective expense management should make life easier for everyone involved. With the right tools and processes in place, PAs and EAs can spend less time chasing paperwork and more time focusing on the responsibilities that need their attention.
For more advice, read PA Life’s guide to effective expense management and explore how expense claim apps can simplify the process.
