What's New in Zoho Expense: July 2023

What's New in Zoho Expense: July 2023

Hello users,
We're delighted to present our monthly roundup of updates to help you stay informed and experience hassle-free expense management with Zoho Expense. From real-time budget insights to effective date configuration for policy rules and per diem rates, we've tailored our features to meet your unique business needs. Let's dive right in and read everything about them.

Effective date for policy rules

Now, you can add the date from which the rules you configure in policies can be made effective. Once you set up an effective date for a rule, the rule will be applied only to the expenses that are dated on or after the effective date. If you don't set up an effective date, the rules will be applied to all the expenses.

To add an effective date for a rule: Go to Admin View > Settings > Policies. Select a policy and navigate to the Rules tab. Click a rule, enter the effective date, and click Save.


View actual amounts spent while editing budgets - Early access

While editing a budget, if you enter a budget lesser than the actual amount that was spent by the users in that category or expense type, Zoho Expense will display the actual amount spent by the users and will restrict you from saving the budget. This real-time visibility lets you make data-driven decisions and allocate funds strategically. This feature is still in early access. Contact support@zohoexpense.com to enable it for your organization.

To do this: Go to Admin View > Budgets. Click a budget and click the Edit icon in the top-right corner. You can view the actual amount spent if you enter a budget greater than the actual amount spent.


New preference for purchase request and expense association

We've introduced a new preference for Purchase Requests, wherein you can restrict users from creating an expense with a category different from that of the associated purchase request item. For instance, if the category of the expense is "Meals and Entertainment," then the purchase request item you're associating with the expense should also have "Meals and Entertainment" as the category. In this way, you can ensure your users associate appropriate purchase request items with their expenses.

To enable this preference: Go to Admin View > Settings > Modules > Purchase Requests. Enable the option and click Save.


Effective date for per diem default rates

In addition to configuring effective dates for per diem rates you've configured for each location, you can now configure effective dates for default per diem rates, as well. If you have multiple default rates, this feature will come in handy by applying the default rate based on its effective date.

To add an effective date for a default rate: Go to Admin View > Settings > Policies. Select a policy and navigate to the Per Diem tab. Click the More icon in the right corner of a default rate and select Edit. Enter the date and click Save.


View expired travel documents inside trips

Currently, admins can view an employee's travel documents directly within the employee's trip requests in the admin view. They can also filter documents based on their type and view them inside the trip. In addition to displaying all travel documents, to ensure full compliance, we've now introduced a dedicated section to display expired travel documents. This will keep admins informed about the validity of each employee's travel documentation.

To view the expired travel documents: Go to Admin View > Trips. Click the trip for which you want to view the documents and click Travel Documents on the right side of the screen. Click Expired to view the expired documents.


Android app updates

  1. Users can now autoscan receipts from the report details screen to create new expenses that will be added to the report.
  2. Users can now switch to the free plan using the Android app.

iOS app updates

  1. You can now request free-of-cost items in your purchase requests using the iOS app.
We hope you're excited to try these new features. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Be sure to keep an eye out for more updates and enhancements in the coming months. If you have any questions, please contact support@zohoexpense.com.

Regards,
Zoho Expense

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