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‎docs/articles/new-expensify/reports-and-expenses/Expense-and-Report-Actions.md‎

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---
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title: Expense and Report Actions
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description: Learn how actions such as Approve, Pay, Export, and Hold behave in Expensify based on member roles and report status.
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keywords: [New Expensify, report actions, approver actions, submitter actions, invite member to report, add member to expense report]
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internalScope: Audience is all members. Includes high level details of what actions are allowed based on role and report status. Does not include step by step instructions for taking such actions.
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description: Learn what actions (Submit, Approve, Pay, Export, Hold) are available on reports based on role and report status.
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keywords: [New Expensify, report actions Expensify, who can approve report, when can I pay report, report status actions, approver permissions]
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internalScope: Audience is all members. High level overiew of what report actions are available based on role and report status. Does not cover step-by-step instructions for performing each action.
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---
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# Expense and Report Actions
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Expense and report actions vary depending on the member role and the expense or report's status.
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Expense and report actions vary depending on the member role (submitter, approver, payer, admin) and the report's status (draft, outstanding, approved, done, paid). This guide outlines what to expect when reviewing, approving, paying, exporting, or managing expenses and reports based on varying workspace settings and report status.
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Use this guide to understand:
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- What each action does
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- When actions appear
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- Who can perform them
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---
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# Expense and Report Actions
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## What actions can I take on a report?
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- You can **submit** a report when it is in **Draft** status and you are the **submitter**
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- You can **approve** a report when it is in **Outstanding** (submitted) status and you are the **assigned approver**
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- You can **pay** a report after it is **Approved** status and you are a **payer**
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- You can **export** a report when it is **Approved or Paid** status and you are an **admin or exporter**
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- You can **Hold** expenses when they should not move forward yet
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[Learn more about report statuses](articles/new-expensify/reports-and-expenses/Understanding-Report-Statuses-and-Actions#report-statuses).
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---
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## What each report action means
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- **Submit**: Available when a report is in Draft. Sends the report into the approval workflow.
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- **Approve**: Available when a report is Oustanding and awaiting approval. Confirms the report is ready to move forward.
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- **Pay**: Available after approval. Initiates payment or records a manual payment.
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- **Export**: Available when a report is Approved or Paid.
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- **Review**: Appears when there are issues (such as missing receipts or duplicates). Prompts fixes before continuing.
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- **Hold**: Prevents specific expenses from moving forward in approval or payment.
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Report actions guide the submitter, approver, and payer regarding the report's status and what actions need to be taken next.
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---
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## What actions are available for each report status
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**Draft reports**
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- Submit
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- Delete
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- Hold
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- Duplicate expense
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- Duplicate report
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## Understanding Primary vs. Secondary Actions
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**Outstanding (submitted) reports**
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- Approve
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- Reject
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- Hold
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- Change approver
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| **Action Type** | **What It Means** | **Examples** |
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|------------------|------------------|-------------|
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| **Primary actions** | Actions that require your attention and drive the report forward. These are always visible at the top of a report or in the reports list. | Submit, Approve, Pay, Export |
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| **Secondary actions (More menu)** | Optional tools and adjustments that help manage or troubleshoot an expense or report. Appear in the More menu depending on the state, role, or integration settings. | Hold, Delete, Change workspace, Mark as exported |
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**Approved reports**
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- Pay
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- Export
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- Unapprove
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- Mark as exported
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**Paid or Done reports**
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- Download
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- Print
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- Mark as exported
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---
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## Primary Actions
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## What actions each role can take
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**Submitter**
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- Submit reports
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- Delete Draft reports
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- Duplicate expenses and reports
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- Hold expenses
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- Invite members to their report
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**Approver**
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- Approve reports
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- Reject reports
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- Hold expenses
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- Unapprove reports (before payment)
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**Payer**
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- Pay reports
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- Cancel payment (before processing)
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**Workspace Admin**
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- Export reports
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- Mark reports as exported
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- Change approver
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- Bypass approvers
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- Change workspace (before export)
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---
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## How to understand report actions using the full action table
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**Primary report actions**
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| **Action** | **When It Appears** | **Who Can See It** | **What It Does** |
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|------------|---------------------|---------------------|------------------|
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| **Submit** | For draft/unsubmitted reports | Submitter | Sends the report into the approval workflow |
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| **Approve** | When the report is submitted and pending approval | Approver | Confirms the report is accurate and ready to move to payment or to the next approver |
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| **Pay** | After the report is approved | Payer | Initiates payment via Expensify or logs a manual payment |
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| **Export** | When the report is approved and not yet exported | Admin, Exporter | Sends report data to an integrated accounting system |
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| **Review** | When a report has violations (duplicate expenses, a missing receipt, etc.) | All roles | Prompts to resolve issues before submitting, approving, or paying |
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| **Submit** | Draft reports | Submitter | Sends the report into the approval workflow |
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| **Approve** | Oustanding awaiting approval | Approver | Confirms the report is accurate and moves it forward |
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| **Pay** | Approved reports with reimbursable expenses | Payer | Initiates or records payment |
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| **Export** | Approved or Paid reports not yet exported | Workspace Admin | Sends report data to an accounting system |
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| **Review** | When issues are detected | All roles | Prompts required fixes before continuing |
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**Note:** If you selected "Track and budget expenses" during onboarding and your workspace does not use an approval workflow, **Submit** and **Approve** will both display as **Mark as done**.
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**Note:** If your workspace does not use approvals, **Submit** and **Approve** may appear as **Mark as done**.
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## Secondary (“More” menu) Actions
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**Additional report actions available from the More menu**
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| **Action** | **When It Appears** | **Who Can See It** | **What It Does** |
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| **Action** | **When It Appears** | **Who Can Use It** | **What It Does** |
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|------------|---------------------|---------------------|------------------|
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| **Hold** | On draft, submitted, or approved reports | Submitter, Approver, Admin | Marks individual expenses that aren’t yet ready for approval or payment |
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| **Change workspace** | Before report is exported | Submitter, Approver, Admin | Moves the report to a different workspace |
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| **Change approver** | On submitted reports, before the report is final-approved | Admin | "Add Approver" allows an extra approver to be inserted into the approval workflow at the current point. "Bypass Approver" allows an admin to take control of the report approval and final approve |
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| **Delete** | Only on draft/unsubmitted reports | Submitter | Permanently removes the report |
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| **Undelete** | On deleted expenses (accessible via Spend > Expenses with Status = Deleted filter) | Submitter | Restores the deleted expense back to your account |
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| **Unapprove** | After approval, before payment | Approver | Reverts the approval if the report hasn’t been re-approved or paid |
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| **Mark as exported** | On approved/paid reports when integrated to an accounting system| Admin, Exporter | Marks the report as manually exported for tracking purposes |
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| **Export to [accounting system]** | When an accounting system is connected | Admin, Exporter | Sends the report to an external system such as Xero or QuickBooks Online |
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| **Duplicate expense** | On non-card expenses in any state | Submitter | Creates a copy of the expense on your primary workspace with the same details. Date is set to today and receipts are not copied |
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| **Duplicate report** | On reports the submitter owns, in any state | Submitter | Creates a copy of the report and its non-card expenses. Date is set to today and receipts are not copied |
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| **Download** | Any report state | All roles | Downloads a copy of the report as a PDF |
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| **Print** | Any report state | All roles | Opens the report in a printable format and triggers the browser's print dialog |
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| **Submit** | For draft reports | Submitter, Admin (on behalf of submitter) | Kicks off report approval workflow |
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| **Reject** | On Outstanding reports | Assigned approver | Returns the entire report to the submitter or a previous approver with a required reason. The report moves to Draft (if rejected to submitter) or stays Outstanding (if rejected to a previous approver) |
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| **Approve** | For outstanding reports | Admin | Skips current approver |
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| **Invite member** | On expense reports, via report header > **Members** | All roles | Adds a new member to the expense report so they can view and follow updates |
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| **View details** | Any report | All roles | Opens details view with options to share, pin, view members |
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| **Cancel payment** | After payment is initiated, but before the payment has been processed, or always for a manual payment | Payer | Cancels pending payment |
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| **Hold** | Draft, Outstanding, or Approved reports | Submitter, approver, Workspace Admin | Prevents expenses from moving forward |
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| **Change workspace** | Before export | Submitter, approver, Workspace Admin | Moves the report to another workspace |
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| **Change approver** | Submitted reports | Workspace Admin | Adds or bypasses approvers |
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| **Delete** | Draft reports only | Submitter | Permanently removes the report |
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| **Undelete** | Deleted expenses | Submitter | Restores a deleted expense |
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| **Unapprove** | After approval, before payment | Approver | Reverts approval |
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| **Mark as exported** | Approved or Paid reports | Workspace Admin | Marks report as exported manually |
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| **Export to accounting system** | When accounting integration is enabled | Workspace Admin | Sends data externally |
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| **Duplicate expense** | Non-card expenses | Submitter | Creates a copy of an expense |
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| **Duplicate report** | Any report owned by submitter | Submitter | Creates a copy of the report |
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| **Download** | Any report | All roles | Downloads a PDF copy |
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| **Print** | Any report | All roles | Opens print view |
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| **Reject** | Submitted reports | Approver | Sends report back for changes |
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| **Invite member** | Draft and Outstanding reports | All roles | Adds a member to the report |
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| **View details** | Any report | All roles | Opens report details |
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| **Cancel payment** | Before payment processing | Payer | Cancels a pending payment |
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# FAQ
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## How to find available actions on a report
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## Who can change a report's workspace?
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Open a report to see available actions.
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- **Submitters**: Until the report is approved
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- **Approvers**: Until they approve the report
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- **Admins**: Until the report is exported
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- Primary actions (like **Submit**, **Approve**, or **Pay**) appear at the top of the report
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- Additional actions are available when you open the report and choose **More**
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- Available actions change based on:
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- Your role
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- Report status
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- Workspace settings
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- Integrations
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## What happens if an export fails?
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---
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If a report doesn’t export automatically or manually, you’ll see an error message with instructions on what to do next. You can try exporting it again using the same button.
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## What happens after you take a report action
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The process works just like manual exports for automatic export issues, so you can fix the problem and retry the export on your own.
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- **Submit** → moves report to approval
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- **Approve** → moves report to next approver or payment
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- **Pay** → marks report as Paid or starts processing payment
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- **Export** → sends report data externally
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- **Reject** → sends report back for updates
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- **Unapprove** → reopens the report before payment
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## Why can’t I cancel a payment?
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---
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The **Cancel payment** option is only available for in-app payments and only before Expensify starts processing the withdrawal. This is usually between 12 PM and 3 PM Pacific Time each day.
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# FAQ
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## What happens if an export fails?
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This option won't be available if the payment was made manually outside of Expensify. In that case, use **Unapprove** instead.
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An error message appears with next steps. You can fix the issue and retry the export.
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## Why can’t I see “Bypass approvers”?
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## Why can’t I cancel a payment?
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Only workspace admins can bypass the prescribed approval workflow. If “Prevent Self-Approval” is enabled, an admin cannot bypass approvals to approve their own report.
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Payments can only be canceled before processing begins. Manual payments cannot be canceled.
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## How do I invite a member to an expense report?
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## Why can’t I see “Bypass approvers”?
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Open the expense report, tap the report header, select **Members**, and then tap **Invite**. Search for the person by name, email, or phone number and select them to add them to the report.
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Only workspace admins can bypass approvers. Some settings may prevent self-approval.
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## How do I invite a member to an expense report?
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Open the report, select the header, then select **Members** and choose **Invite**.

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