Step 1: Create a Custom Table to Store Expense Data
First, you will need to create a custom table in the employee profile to store reimbursement information.
To create the table:
Click the three dots in the top-right corner.
Go to Account Settings.
Select Employee Fields.
Navigate to the Work tab (or another relevant tab).
Click Add Section and choose Table.
Configure your table:
Name the table, for example: Expense Reimbursement.
Add the following columns (recommended setup):
Date (Date field)
Type of Reimbursement (Single Select field)
Receipt (File upload field)
Finance Approval (Checkbox field)
Once created, this table will appear in employee profiles and allow multiple reimbursement entries per employee.
Step 2: Adjust Permissions
Next, you will need to configure permissions so:
Employees can submit expenses.
Finance can approve them.
Employees cannot approve their own reimbursements.
Update Employee Permissions
Go to Permissions from the left-hand menu.
Select the Employee permission level.
Navigate to the Work section under the Personal tab.
Scroll down to your newly created table.
Custom fields are hidden by default, so update the permissions as follows:
Date → Edit
Type of Reimbursement → Edit
Receipt → Edit
Finance Approval → View
Click Save Changes.
This allows employees to submit expense details but not approve them.
Update Finance or Admin Permissions
In Permissions, select your Finance or Admin permission level.
Navigate to the Work section.
Scroll to the bottom where your table is located.
You can either:
Set all fields to Edit, or
Allow Edit access only to Finance Approval, and View access for the others.
Click Save Changes.
This ensures the Finance team can approve submitted expenses.
Step 3: Set Up a Finance Notification
To ensure Finance is notified when a new expense is submitted, create an automation.
To create the automation:
Go to People Directory.
Select Automations.
Click New Automation.
Under When, choose the relevant field (for example, Type of Reimbursement).
Set the trigger to When this changes.
Configure the notification:
Choose to send an Email.
Select the recipient:
A dynamic people field
A specific employee
A whole team, such as the Finance Team
Click Create Automation.
Now, whenever an employee submits an expense entry, Finance will be notified automatically.
Step 4: Create a Report for Expense Reimbursements
Super Admins can create a dashboard report to track submitted and approved expenses.
To create the report:
Go to Dashboards.
Click Add Widget.
Select Report.
Choose Custom Report.
Add the following fields:
First Name
Last Name
Under the Work section:
Date
Type of Reimbursement
Finance Approval
The report will display:
All submitted expenses
Approval status
Multiple rows per employee if they have submitted multiple reimbursements
You can use filters to segment by Team, Office, or other attributes and export the report as CSV or Excel for further editing. You can also save the report to your dashboard for ongoing access.
By completing these steps, you will have:
A structured table to store expense reimbursement data
Proper permission controls for employees and Finance
Automated notifications for new submissions
A live dashboard report for tracking and exporting expense data
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to support@shapes.co