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Merge pull request Expensify#65890 from Expensify/docs/update-terminology-clarity-7-improvements
[NO QA] docs: Update terminology and improve documentation clarity
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docs/articles/expensify-classic/connections/xero/Connect-To-Xero.md

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Follow these steps to set up the Xero integration:
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1. Click **Settings** in the bottom left menu.
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1. Click **Settings** in the left-side navigation menu.
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2. Navigate to **Workspaces > [Workspace Name] > Accounting**.
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3. Click **Connect to Xero**.
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4. Click **Create a New Xero Connection**.

docs/articles/expensify-classic/getting-started/Create-a-Company-Workspace.md

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4. Set custom report names for consistency.
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5. Set the workspace **default currency** under **Settings > Workspace > [Workspace Name] > Overview > Default currency**.
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6. Go to **Settings > Workspace > [Workspace Name] > Workflows** to configure:
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- **Delayed submission** – Auto-submit based on a set schedule.
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- **Delay submission** – Auto-submit based on a set schedule.
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7. Go to **Settings > Workspace > [Workspace Name] > Report fields** to customize reports or invoices.
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8. Click the **Travel** tab to define flight class or hotel preferences.
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9. Use the **Per diem** tab to import location-specific expense rules.

docs/articles/expensify-classic/getting-started/playbooks/Expensify-Playbook-For-Small-To-Medium-Sized-Businesses.md

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---
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# Step 7: Enable Delayed Submission
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# Step 7: Enable Delay Submission
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Automate expense submissions with **Delayed Submission**:
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1. Go to **Settings > Workspace > [Workspace Name] > Workflows > Delayed submission**.
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2. Enable **Delayed submission*** and set the frequency to **Daily**.
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Automate expense submissions with **Delay Submission**:
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1. Go to **Settings > Workspace > [Workspace Name] > Workflows > Delay submission**.
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2. Enable **Delay submission*** and set the frequency to **Daily**.
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docs/articles/expensify-classic/getting-started/playbooks/Expensify-Playbook-For-US-Based-Bootstrapped-Startups.md

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description: Learn best practices for using Expensify as a bootstrapped startup with fewer than five employees.
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keywords: [Expensify, startup, bootstrapped, expense tracking, reimbursement, workspace]
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---
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<div id="expensify-classic" markdown="1">
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This playbook outlines best practices for bootstrapped startups with fewer than five employees to use Expensify efficiently. The goal is to focus on product development while seamlessly capturing business-related receipts for future reimbursement.
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# Who You Are
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As a bootstrapped startup, you work with a small, trusted team and are focused on developing your concept. You may be self-funding or have limited support from friends and family. While the company isn’t profitable yet, you’re tracking expenses now to reimburse yourself later when you secure investment or generate revenue.
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---
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# Setting Up Expensify Step-by-Step
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This guide is based on best practices from processing expenses for thousands of companies. Use it as a starting point, knowing you can customize Expensify to fit your business needs.
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## Step 1: Create an Expensify Account
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If you don’t have an account yet, sign up at [new.expensify.com](https://new.expensify.com) using your business email.
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---
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## Step 2: Create a Workspace
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Expensify offers three plans (Individual, Collect and Control). We outline the features of both plans in our [pricing article](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/billing-and-subscriptions/Plan-types-and-pricing), but for your needs, we recommend the Collect workspace for the following situations:
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# Step 1: Create a Workspace
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Expensify offers three plans (Individual, Collect, and Control). We outline the features of both plans in our [pricing article](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/billing-and-subscriptions/Plan-types-and-pricing), but for your needs, we recommend the Collect workspace for the following situations:
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- You are looking to capture receipts, but you don’t need an advanced approval workflow. Instead you can have a single approver for all expenses.
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- You are a small, highly collaborative group and project-oriented Chat functionality can help you stay organized.
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- When your business produces enough cash that you can pay yourself, you might want to reimburse yourself for the expenses you’ve captured.
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- You want to capture receipts, but you don’t need an advanced approval workflow. Instead, you can have a single approver for all expenses.
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- You are a small, highly collaborative group, and project-oriented Chat functionality can help you stay organized.
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- When your business produces enough cash that you can pay yourself, you might want to reimburse yourself for the expenses you’ve incurred.
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Expensify provides you with direct access to lightning-fast 24/7 support via Concierge. Within *[new.expensify.com](https://new.expensify.com/concierge)*, you can start a direct message (DM) with Concierge to discuss which plan might be better for your business.
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## Step 3: Invite Your Team
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# Step 2: Invite Your Team
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As a bootstrapped startup, you communicate with your team all day. Similarly, if you are a co-founder, you will have multiple people who will need to capture receipts for your project.
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1. Click your profile photo or icon in the bottom left menu
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2. Click on your workspace
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3. From the workspace view, click **Members** on the left
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1. From the left-side navigation menu, click **Settings > Workspaces > [Workspace Name] > Members**
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4. Click **Invite member**
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5. Use the search field to find the individual by name, email, or phone number. Note: You can select multiple people
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6. Click **Next**
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Inviting your team grants them unlimited receipt capture via SmartScan and access to Expensify’s free chat tool for seamless collaboration.
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## Step 4: Link Your Business Bank Account (Optional)
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---
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# Step 3: Link Your Business Bank Account (Optional)
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If you are located in the US, you can unlock many great features by linking your US-based business bank account. For example, you can use the [Expensify Visa® Commercial Card](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/expensify-card/Set-up-the-Expensify-Card) to streamline expense management and receive additional discounts and company perks.
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If you are located in the US, you can unlock many great features by linking your US-based business bank account such as using the [Expensify Visa® Commercial Card](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/expensify-card/Set-up-the-Expensify-Card) to streamline expense management and receive additional discounts and company perks.
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To set up a business bank account, follow the steps in this [help article](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/expenses-&-payments/Connect-a-Business-Bank-Account).
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To setup a business bank account, follow the steps in this [help article](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/expenses-&-payments/Connect-a-Business-Bank-Account).
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## Step 5: Get the Expensify Visa® Commercial Card
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# Step 4: Get the Expensify Visa® Commercial Card
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After linking your business bank account, you’re eligible for the Expensify Card. The card offers:
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- **1% cash back** on all US purchases (2% if spending exceeds $250K/month).
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A virtual card is available for immediate use, and a physical card will arrive in 1-3 business days. The Expensify Card is accepted anywhere Visa is.
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## Step 6: View and Pay Bills
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If you have vendors or services essential to growing your project, you can pay bills directly through Expensify after linking your bank account.
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Expensify provides you with a *_yourdomain.com@expensify.com_* email address. Have vendors send bills to this address for automatic organization.
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To view and pay bills:
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1. Click your profile photo or icon in the bottom left menu
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2. Select *Workspaces*.
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3. Click your workspace.
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4. Select **Bills**.
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Click **View all bills** under the *Manage your bills* section to see an organized list of pending bills, which you can pay via ACH directly from Expensify.
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# You’re All Set!
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Congratulations! Your Expensify setup is complete. If you need assistance:
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- Message Concierge anytime at [new.expensify.com/concierge](https://new.expensify.com/concierge).
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- Message Concierge support anytime!
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- Email concierge@expensify.com.
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- Upgrade to a Collect or Control Workspace to be assigned a dedicated Setup Specialist.
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docs/articles/expensify-classic/reports/Automatically-submit-employee-reports.md

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When an employee creates an expense, it's automatically added to a report. If no report exists, a new one is created. Reports are then submitted according to the schedule you choose—daily, weekly, monthly, twice per month, by trip, or manually.
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**Note:** If you're using **Delayed Submissions** and an expense has a violation, it won't be submitted until the violation is fixed. That expense is removed from the current report and added to a new open report.
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**Note:** If you're using **Delay Submissions** and an expense has a violation, it won't be submitted until the violation is fixed. That expense is removed from the current report and added to a new open report.
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title: Approve travel expenses
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description: Determine how travel expenses are approved
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title: Set and Approve Travel Expenses
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description: Learn how travel approvals work and how to configure Soft, Hard, or Passive approval methods for Expensify Travel.
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keywords: [Expensify Classic, travel approvals, travel booking policy, soft approval, hard approval, passive approval, Expensify Travel, travel expense settings]
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---
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<div id="expensify-classic" markdown="1">
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Travel expenses follow the same approval workflow as other expenses. Admins can configure travel expenses to be approved as soft approval, hard approval or passive approval. The approval method for in-policy and out-of-policy bookings can be managed under the **Policies** section in the **Program** menu for Expensify Travel.
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Trip itineraries are maintained with complete booking information, ensuring accurate trip details are always available regardless of how individual expenses are handled.
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- **Soft Approval**: Bookings are automatically approved as long as a manager does not decline them within 24 hours. However, this also means that if a manager does not decline the expenses, the arrangements will be booked even if they are out of policy. If a booking is declined, it is refunded based on the voiding/refund terms of the service provider.
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- **Hard Approval**: Bookings are automatically canceled/voided and refunded if a manager does not approve them within 24 hours.
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- **Passive Approval**: Managers are informed of out-of-policy travel, but there is no action to be taken.
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# Set Approval Method
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---
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# Travel Approval Methods
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You can choose one of three approval types for each booking type (flights, hotels, cars, rail):
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- **Soft approval**: Bookings are auto-approved unless declined within 24 hours. If no action is taken, the booking is confirmed—even if it's out of policy.
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- **Hard approval**: Bookings are only confirmed if approved within 24 hours. If no action is taken, the booking is automatically canceled and refunded.
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- **Passive approval**: Managers are notified of out-of-policy travel but no action is required.
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1. Click the **Travel** tab.
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# How to Set Travel Approval Rules
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1. In the left-hand menu, select **Travel**.
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4. Under General, select approval methods for Flights, Hotels, Cars and Rail.
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3. Go to the **Program** tab and select **Policies**.
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4. Under **General**, choose approval settings for **Flights**, **Hotels**, **Cars**, and **Rail**.
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![Screenshot of Expensify Travel policy approval settings](https://help.expensify.com/assets/images/Travel_Policy.png){:width="100%"}
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# Approve Travel
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![Screenshot of Expensify Travel approval email](https://help.expensify.com/assets/images/travel-soft-approval.png){:width="100%"}
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# Approve Travel
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- **To approve**: No action needed.
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![Screenshot of Expensify Travel approval email](https://help.expensify.com/assets/images/travel-soft-approval.png){:width="100%"}
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- **To approve**: Click **Approve booking**, then **Approve**.
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- **To decline**: Click **Decline booking**, then **Deny**.
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# FAQ
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## Are extended approval windows given for trips booked over the weekend or during company holidays?
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## How long is the approval window for hard approvals?
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The hard approval timeline follows fixed rules:
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**Hard Approval Timing Rules:**
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- Explicit approval is required for the booking to proceed.
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No, the approval window will always be 24 hours from when the trip is booked.
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## What happens if the approver is out of office?
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Expensify does not support delegated travel approval. We recommend assigning multiple approvers to avoid delays.
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It is recommended to have multiple approvers for travel, as there is no delegated approval for out-of-office approvers.
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## Can a traveler upload documents during trip approval?
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No. Travelers can’t upload documents during the booking flow, but you can enable a **reason code** field for out-of-policy trips at checkout. Travelers can later attach documents when submitting the expense report in Expensify.
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Travelers are unable to add a document when submitting a trip for approval, but the company can add a ‘reason code’ in the Out of Policy rules that the traveler can complete at checkout. The traveler can then add the document to the expense report in Expensify when submitting the report.
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</div>

docs/articles/expensify-classic/workspaces/Enable-and-set-up-expense-violations.md

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If users violate these rules, the violations will be displayed in red on the report.
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**Note:** If Delayed Submission is enabled on a workspace, expenses with category violations will not be auto-submitted unless a comment is added to the expense.
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**Note:** If Delay Submission is enabled on a workspace, expenses with category violations will not be auto-submitted unless a comment is added to the expense.
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This setting ensures that all expenses must be coded with a category. If a category is not selected, the report will receive a violation, which may prevent submission if **Delayed Submission** is enabled.
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This setting ensures that all expenses must be coded with a category. If a category is not selected, the report will receive a violation, which may prevent submission if **Delay Submission** is enabled.
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docs/articles/new-expensify/connect-credit-cards/Direct-feeds.md

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## Is there an extra cost?
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Nope — there's no extra charge for using Plaid or direct feeds.
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- With the **Collect** plan, you can add one direct or Plaid feed at no cost.
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- To connect more than one, you'll need to upgrade to the **Control** plan.
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Yes! Debit card transactions can be imported by linking a checking/current account in any Plaid-supported country.
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This is especially helpful in the EU, where open banking rules often block access to credit card data via aggregators. Debit cards, however, are fully supported under these regulations.
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## Which banks support direct feeds?
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docs/articles/new-expensify/getting-started/Create-a-company-workspace.md

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- [Expensify Cards](https://help.expensify.com/new-expensify/hubs/expensify-card/)
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- [Workspace Settings](https://help.expensify.com/new-expensify/hubs/workspaces/)
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- [Workflows - Payments](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/expenses-and-payments/Connect-a-Business-Bank-Account)
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- [Workflows - Delayed submission](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/workspaces/Set-up-workflows#select-workflows)
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- [Workflows - Delay submission](https://help.expensify.com/articles/new-expensify/workspaces/Set-up-workflows#select-workflows)
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- [Connect Company Cards](https://help.expensify.com/new-expensify/hubs/connect-credit-cards/)
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**How to enable features:**

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