What belongs in an expense claim packet before AP opens it

Incomplete packets slow every expense audit. Before a claim reaches the reviewer, the employee and their approver should already have assembled the pieces AP will need.

Core documents

Keep the original merchant receipt or a clear photo showing date, amount, currency, and merchant name. Credit-card summaries alone rarely prove what was purchased. For entertainment, add a short guest list and business purpose in the same packet — not in a later chat thread.

Approvals that travel with the claim

Attach the named approver’s decision with a timestamp. If a limit exception was granted, include the written exception, not a verbal recollection. Auditors treat missing exception notes as open findings even when the amount looks reasonable.

Timing notes

Late claims need a reason. Two sentences on why the expense was submitted after the policy window saves hours of back-and-forth during a sampling sprint.

What we still reject frequently

Split taxi rides without matching times, hotel minibar charges marked as “meals,” and mileage without a route summary. Fixing these upstream keeps your internal finance team focused on judgment calls instead of scavenger hunts.