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Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://developers.novala.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

The Expense Tracking module gives your team a single place to log every out-of-pocket cost — from fuel and supplies to subcontractor meals — and connects those costs back to the jobs and projects they belong to. Managers review submitted expenses on a dedicated approvals queue, with support for batch approving or rejecting multiple expenses at once. Expense policies let you set auto-approve thresholds, require receipts above a certain amount, and define your mileage reimbursement rate. Once approved, expenses feed into profitability reporting so you can see the true cost of every job.

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Expense lifecycle

Draft

Saved but not yet submitted for review. The submitter can still edit.

Submitted

Sent to the approvals queue. The submitter can no longer edit the record.

Approved

Accepted by a manager. The expense is included in cost reporting.

Rejected

Returned with a reason. The submitter can view the rejection note.

Reimbursed

Payment confirmed. The expense is closed.

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Submit an expense

1

Open the new expense form

From the Expenses list, click New Expense.
2

Fill in the details

Enter the expense date, amount, and select a category (e.g., Fuel, Materials, Meals). Add a description to help approvers understand the context.
3

Attach a receipt

Upload a photo or file of the receipt. If your expense policy requires a receipt, the submission will be blocked without one.
4

Assign to a project or job

Link the expense to a specific job or project so it shows up in that job’s cost reporting.
5

Mark as billable (optional)

Toggle Billable if this cost should be passed through to the customer. Billable expenses are flagged in the approvals view.
6

Submit for approval

Click Submit. The expense moves to Submitted status and appears in the approvals queue for your manager.
If an expense is below your policy’s auto-approve threshold, it moves directly to Approved without requiring manual review.

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Approve or reject expenses

Users with the Approve Expenses permission can review submissions from Expenses → Approvals.
1

Open the Approvals queue

Navigate to Expenses → Approvals. All expenses in Submitted status appear here.
2

Review the expense

Click the expense number to open the detail view. Check the amount, category, description, and any attached receipt.
3

Approve or reject

Click Approve to accept, or Reject to return it. A rejection requires you to enter a reason, which is visible to the submitter.

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Expense policies

Policies define the rules that govern expense submission across your team. Go to Expenses → Policies to manage them. Each policy controls:
Any expense at or below this amount is automatically approved without manual review. Set to zero to require manual approval for all expenses.
When enabled, submitters must attach a receipt file before they can submit the expense.
The per-mile reimbursement rate used when submitting mileage expenses (e.g., $0.67/mi). Novala calculates the reimbursable amount automatically when a distance is entered.
The policy marked as default applies to all employees unless a different policy is assigned. You can create multiple named policies (e.g., Standard, Executive) and assign them per team.
Create a stricter policy for high-spend roles and a more permissive one for field technicians with routine small purchases — then assign each policy to the appropriate team members.

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Expense categories

Categories help organize expenses for reporting. Navigate to Expenses → Categories to add, rename, or remove categories. Common examples include Fuel, Materials, Meals & Entertainment, Accommodation, and Subcontractor Costs.

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Export and reporting

From the Expenses list, click Export CSV to download a filtered export. Apply status and date range filters before exporting to scope the data to a specific period, employee, or project. The dashboard summary cards show you four key metrics at a glance:

This Month

Total expense spend submitted in the current calendar month.

Pending Approval

Dollar value of expenses waiting for manager review.

Approved

Total of approved expenses ready for reimbursement.

Rejected

Total of expenses returned to submitters.

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Permissions

Read-only access to all expense records.
Create and submit expense records for approval.
Approve or reject submitted expenses and access the Approvals queue.