2025 Highlights: A Year of Steady Progress and Significant Developments

As we come to the end of 2025, let's take a moment to reflect on the significant progress and developments we've made to improve your travel and expense management.

In the Spotlight

Introducing Online Booking
(US edition only - Early access)
Enable online booking for employees and let them self-book their flight and hotel itineraries. Create a travel policy and ensure that users associated with the policy book their tickets online while staying compliant with the defined rules and spending limits.

Pine Labs Prepaid Cards

(India and Global edition with country set to India)
Using Pine Labs prepaid cards, you can easily track and manage your corporate card spending with minimal manual effort in Zoho Expense. It comes with a dashboard which provides insights into the spend summary, transaction history, and top-ups.

Introducing Batch Payments (Offline and Online)
Add multiple reports to a batch and reimburse them together using batch payments. Create a batch, export, and upload it in your bank portal for reimbursement. Once the reimbursements are settled, you can mark the batch as processed in Zoho Expense. If you've integrated with HSBC, you can add approved reports to a batch and reimburse them online via HSBC. After reimbursement, the batch will be marked as processed automatically. The HSBC integration is available only for Indian edition users of Zoho Expense created under the zoho.in domain.

Pay Advances Online
Users using the India edition of Zoho Expense, created under the zoho.in domain, can pay advances online via ICICI, YES, and HSBC. Users using the US edition of Zoho Expense can pay advances online via ACH Forte. This feature is only available in organizations where advances can be marked as "Paid."

Forecast Analytics (Early access)
Using historical data, Zoho Expense will forecast trip expenses in your organization to help you plan effectively and make informed decisions in the Trip Expense Summary report in Analytics.

Notify Employees via WhatsApp
Integrate with your WhatsApp Business account and use your purchased WhatsApp Credits from Meta to send instant notifications. Notify submitters and approvers when a report or trip is submitted, approved, rejected, or when expenses are reimbursed. You can also customize the notification messages you send out in Zoho Expense.

New Edition: Singapore
In addition to the existing editions, Zoho Expense now has a Singapore edition, helping you manage business expenses while staying GST compliant.

Card, Expense, and Budget Management

Real-time Feeds in New Regions (Early access)
Users using Zoho Expense in the UK, Germany, and Italy can fetch card feeds in real time with support for both Visa and Mastercard.

Report Automation for Trip Expenses
Once you enable report automation for trip expenses, a report will be automatically generated for your employees with all their expenses incurred during the trip.

To enable: Go to Admin View > Settings > Report Automation > Configure Now, next to Trip Expenses

Enhancements in Per Diem
Instead of creating a custom rule for a per diem rate every time, create per diem rule templates that can be applied to any per diem rate in any policy to reduce time and manual effort. Additionally, per diem has been enabled for users using the UK edition of Zoho Expense (Early access).

Import User Budgets (Early access)
Instead of manually creating a budget for your employees, you can import them into Zoho Expense. Create budgets in bulk by assigning a fixed amount across all categories or expense types, or by setting custom amounts for each one individually.

Analytics

Analytics Upgrade

The analytics module has been upgraded to provide better visibility into actions in the Admin View. Here's what the new enhancements include:

1. Date customizations and criteria filters are displayed on the report details page.
   
2. Group by option and column customizations are located above the table.
   
3. Search for other reports using the Hamburger menu icon on the Report Details page.
   
4. The print option is now available under the Export dropdown.
   

Custom Reports (Early access)
Customize a report in Analytics and save it as a separate report. You can add filters, customize columns, define a layout, and set your report preferences. The reports will be displayed under Custom Reports in the Analytics module.

Liability Summary Report
To see how much each employee owes the company and how much the company owes each employee, use the Liability Summary report found under Reimbursements in Analytics. You can view the report in the Admin View under Reimbursements in Analytics.

Trip Expense Summary Report in Analytics
We've introduced a new report, Trip Expense Summary, in Analytics. The report gives admins a holistic view of booking expenses, the per diem allowance associated with the trip, and trip expenses including personal expenses incurred on the trip.

iOS and Android Mobile App Updates

1. Zoho Expense's iOS app adopted the Liquid Glass design to give users a richer visual definition of the interface. Additionally, with Apple Intelligence, the Date and Amount fields are now auto-filled when an employee manually adds an expense after selecting a receipt.
   

2. Introducing the Singapore edition for Zoho Expense that helps you manage business expenses while staying GST compliant.

3. Employees can view and manage the petty cash accounts assigned to them to cover minor, everyday expenses, typically for branch operations in My View (Early access). 

4. While creating a mileage expense using the UK edition of Zoho Expense, select whether the charging location of your vehicle is home or public to ensure mileage reimbursement for electric vehicles is calculated in line with HMRC rates.

Customer Testimonials

"Doing my expenses now takes me seven minutes when they used to take me four hours a month."

Tim Williams,

Executive Director, Go Geothermal

"The transition to Zoho Expense was smoother than we expected. Given the scale of our operations, we anticipated challenges, but the implementation process was well-structured, and our employees adapted quickly. In just three to four months, we moved from a completely manual process to a fully automated system that everyone was comfortable using."

Jothi Prakash,

Deputy General Manager IT, Coromandel International Limited

"The Zoho team's support throughout our journey, from onboarding to project go-live, has been outstanding, making the transition smooth and hassle-free."

Pankaj Pandit,

Chief Information Officer, Oberoi Realty Limited

Thank you for traveling along with us on this journey marked by notable milestones and growth. We look forward to a more rewarding and enriching 2026. Wishing you an incredible 2026!

• Topic Participants

• Geethanjali R K

  

• Sticky Posts

• Zoho Finance Workshop 2023 is coming to the USA. Meet the experts, get exclusive training on Zoho Finance apps and more.

  Hello all, We'd like to invite you to our biggest Zoho Finance workshop in the United States. After a brief break, we are excited to be back. This year, we're bringing together our customers and community members for two days of curated hands-on sessions,

• Recent Topics

• Custom Related List Inside Zoho Books

  Hello, We can create the Related list inside the zoho books by the deluge code, I am sharing the reference code Please have a look may be it will help you. //..........Get Org Details organizationID = organization.get("organization_id"); Recordid = cm_g_a_data.get("module_record_id");

• Zoho Meeting - Feature Request - Introduce an option to use local date and time formating

  Hi Zoho Meeting Team, My feature request is to add an option for dates to be displayed in the users local format. This is common practice across Zoho applications and particularly relevant to an application like Zoho Meeting which revolves around date

• Cannot give public access to Html Snippet in Zoho Creator Page

  Hi, I created a form in Zoho Creator and published it. The permalink works but I want to override the css of the form. (style based URL parameters is not good enough) So I created a page and added an Html snippet. I can now override the css, which is

• How can Outlook 365 link back into Zoho Projects so meetings and events in Outlook calendar show in Zoho?

  We use Outlook 365 for our emails and diaries and have integrated Zoho Projects with Office 365. One challenge we face is getting Zoho Projects to recognise when we have meetings and events in Outlook and not allow project managers to assign tasks over that period. Is there a way to resolve this? Thanks

• On Edit Validation Blueprint

  Hello, I have a notes field and a signature field. When the Approve button is clicked, the Signature field will appear and must be filled in. When the Reject button is clicked, the Notes field will appear and must be filled in. Question: Blueprint will

• Zoho Invoice en Navarra (Spain)

  Hola, ¿Alguien usa Zoho Invoice en la Comunidad Foral de Navarra? En Navarra tenemos un sistema tributario diferente y no aplica Verifactu (la Hacienda Foral de Navarra ha anunciado su alternativa, NaTicket, pero no ha informado cuándo entrará en vigor).

• Emails from Zoho are getting blocked due to Zoho IP address being blacklisted

  This is the info I got from my hosting provider – please address this issue immediately. I don’t expect this from such a big household name. Every single invoice I have sernt it not being received by my clients, all being blocked. All of a sudden. As

• agentid : Where to find?

  I've been looking around for this agenId to check for the total ticket assigned on a specific agent url :"https://desk.zoho.com/api/v1/ticketsCountByFieldValues?departmentId=351081000000155331&agentId=35108xxxxxx132009&field=statusType,status" type :GET

• Zoho DataPrep integration with OpenAI (beta)

  We are thrilled to announce Zoho DataPrep's integration with OpenAI. The public beta roll-out opens up three features. Users who configure their OpenAI Organizational ID and ChatGPT API key (Find out how) will be able access the features. The features

• AI Bot and Advanced Automation for WhatsApp

  Most small businesses "live" on WhatsApp, and while Bigin’s current integration is helpful, users need more automation to keep up with volume. We are requesting features based on our customer Feedbacks AI Bot: For auto-replying to FAQs. Keyword Triggers:

• Setting total budget hours for a specific project

  Hi there, I work on a lot of projects that have fixed budget hours. Is there a way to enter the total budgeted hours so i can track progress and identify when hours have been exceeded. I see in the projects dashboard there is a greyed out text saying

• Clone entire dashboards

  If users want to customize a dashboard that is used by other team members, they can't clone it in order to customize the copy. Instead they have to create the same dashboard again manually from scratch. Suggestion: Let users copy the entire dashboard

• Introducing Formula Fields for performing dynamic calculations

  Greetings, With the Formula Field, you can generate numerical calculations using provided functions and available fields, enabling you to derive dynamic data. You can utilize mathematical formulas to populate results based on the provided inputs. This

• Getting started with Zoho PDF Editor

  Hello users, If you are new to Zoho PDF Editor or aren't sure of its full potential, then this article is for you. Zoho PDF Editor is a free online PDF editing tool, that allows you to upload and edit PDFs, insert text and images, add fillable and e-signature

• Zoho Projects - Cloning a task does not trigger task workflow when created

  Hello! I have a Project where my team uses a set of tasks from a tasklist as templates, so we could simply clone it and drag it to another list in kanban view to avoid creating a new one from scratch. The process works well, but after cloning it the new

• Purchase Orders not in sequence

  I am unable to sort by Purchase Order Numbers. I can only sort by date; however, the PO numbers aren't in the order they were entered. This was not the case prior to today.

• Internal Fillable Contract with Zoho Writer (Before Sending to Client)

  Hi everyone, I’m trying to automate the following process in Zoho CRM and would appreciate some guidance. Process: When a Deal moves to a specific stage, CRM triggers an automation. CRM sends a contract template to an internal team member so they can

• Date/time displayed in ZohoCRM does not match date/time of entries in ZohoForm

  Hello there, we use a ZohoForm as a worksheet, i.e. users use it to track start time, break and stop time for every working day. The ZohoCRM org time zone is set on GM -4, so is the Time Zone in the Date&Time section in ZohoForm (see attachment). Despite

• Update Existing Records greyed out in Free Version

  Trying to update records from an Excel sheet, and not getting the option to update. Only option is to add as new accounts. All documentation I can see says update should be an option! Accounts, Leads, Contacts, all the same.

• Dynamically Populate Picklist Values from Another Module Using Client Script

  I am working in Zoho CRM and trying to dynamically populate a picklist field in the Partners module using values stored in another custom module. I have two modules: 1. Partners Module Field: Partner_Type_Pick Field Type: Picklist 2. Partners_Type Module

• Add zoho calendar to google calendar

  Hi I keep seeing instructions on how to sync Zoho CRM calendar with google calendar but no instructions on how to view Zoho calendar in my google calendar.

• Zoho Community Digest : Jan 2026 | Part 1

  Hello Everyone! Staying in the loop with Zoho's latest product updates and features across the vast Zoho Community Forums can be a real challenge. We get it. With over 50+ applications, each with its dedicated forum, it's easy to miss out on important

• World date & time format

  Hello, Is there a timeline to get the worldwide used date and time format ? I mean not the american one... I mean day month year, and 24 hours clock. Regards

• Nimble enhancements to WhatsApp for Business integration in Zoho CRM: Enjoy context and clarity in business messaging

  Dear Customers, We hope you're well! WhatsApp for business is a renowned business messaging platform that takes your business closer to your customers; it gives your business the power of personalized outreach. Using the WhatsApp for Business integration

• Conditional layouts - support for multi-select picklists

  Hi, The documentation for conditional layouts says the following: "Layout Rules cannot be used on the following field types: Auto Number Lookup Multi Select Lookup User Lookup Formula File Upload Multi Line" I have a custom module with a multi-pick list

• Dont want to list inactive items.

  If an item is made inactive, there is no point in showing it in the item list. Please provide an option to hide all inactive items in 'Preferences'. 

• Actual vs Minimum

  Hi all, I am sure I am not the only one having this need. We are implementing billing on a 30-minute increment, with a minimum of 30 minutes per ticket. My question is, is there a way to create a formula or function to track both the minimum bill vs the

• Client Script Not Working When Field is Set by Workflow

  Problem Context: I have implemented a client script in the Cases module that automatically assigns commands based on the value of the Priority field. The script functions correctly when the Priority field is manually set by a user through the form. Observed

• Integration of CRM and Recruit

  hi team, Is it possible to sync deals <> job openings from only 1 pipeline? My configuration of CRM has pipeline for each business unit, so I will have all data in the CRM system. body leasing and recruitment is one BU (hence 1 pipeline) - can I sync

• {Action Required} Re-authenticate your Google Accounts to Continue Data Sync

  Hello Users! To align with Google’s latest updates on how apps access files in Google Drive, we’ve enhanced our integration to comply with the updated security and privacy standards, ensuring safer and more reliable access to your data. With this update,

• integrating Zoho CRM vendors with Zoho projects

  In most of our projects we collaborate with our Vendors. Being able to integrate only Accounts and not Vendors from CRM, is a huge limitation for our perspective and needs. We would really love to see this feature in the CRM-Projects integration.

• Zoho Creator Workshops 2026—Europe & UK | Coming to a city near you!

  Hello everyone! We're excited to announce the Zoho Creator Workshop Series 2026, coming to cities across Europe and the United Kingdom this year! Whether you're looking to explore the intermediate-to-advanced capabilities of Creator or you're a seasoned

• Validation rule for Date field

  The condition settings for a Date field are are absolutlly usless. Conditions can only be set for a specific date, which is logically ineffective in most cases. When setting a condition for a Date field, users usually need to compare the value relative

• Number 9 envelopes for invoice printing

  I email and print invoices. Being new to Zoho and coming from QB, we did both as we have a more traditional So in Zoho i want to do the same using Number 9 envelopes. These have both a return window and mail to windoow see attached image. Im just looking for best suggestions on how to get a ZOHO invoice to work, so I can mail my invoices...

• Zoho Books/Square integration, using 2 Square 'locations' with new Books 'locations'?

  Hello! I saw some old threads about this but wasn't sure if there were any updates. Is there a way to integrate the Square locations feature with the Books locations feature? As in, transactions from separate Books locations go to separate Square locations

• Open Sans Font in Zoho Books is not Open Sans.

  Font choice in customising PDF Templates is very limited, we cannot upload custom fonts, and to make things worse, the font names are not accurate. I selected Open Sans, and thought the system was bugging, but no, Open Sans is not Open Sans. The real

• Super Admin Logging in as another User

  How can a Super Admin login as another user. For example, I have a sales rep that is having issues with their Accounts and I want to view their Zoho Account with out having to do a GTM and sharing screens. Moderation Update (8th Aug 2025): We are working

• Add Reporting feature to display variance/change columns when comparing periods

  When running reports to compare periods (for example, Profit and Loss comparing current year to previous), I would like to be able to display variance columns in both (a) amount or (b) percentage.

• Payroll and BAS ( Australian tax report format )

  Hello , I am evaluating Zoho Books and I find the interface very intuitive and straight forward. My company is currently using Quickbooks Premier the Australian version. Before we can consider moving the service we would need to have the following addressed : 1.Payroll 2.BAS ( business activity statement ) for tax purposes 3.Some form of local backup and possible export of data to a widely accepted format. Regards Codrin Mitin

• Invalid scope choice: Workdrive integration in CRM

  Bug: There is an invalid option in the permission choices for Workdrive integration in CRM. If the entry "WorkDrive.teamfolder.CREATE" is selected, it will return a message indicating invalid OAuth scope scope does not exist.

• Next Page