Submitting and Approving Expense Claims

The expense claims system lets any leader or volunteer submit a claim for money they have spent on behalf of the group. Treasurers and administrators review, approve, and record reimbursements -- all within Scoutworks.

Navigate to Finance > Expenses to access the expense claims page. The page has two tabs: Claims (the default view showing all claims) and Settings (admin only, for configuring the expense workflow).

Submitting an expense claim#

1. Click the Submit Claim button in the top-right corner. If this is your first claim and you have not yet provided bank details, you will be prompted to enter them first.

2. Bank details step (first time only) -- enter your Account Name, Sort Code (6 digits, e.g. 12-34-56), and Account Number (8 digits). These are stored securely and reused for future claims. Your sort code is formatted automatically as you type.

3. Expense form -- fill in the claim details:

1. Receipts -- upload up to 5 receipt images or PDFs. You can use Upload File to browse your device or Take Photo to capture a receipt with your camera. If your claim exceeds the receipt requirement threshold and you do not have a receipt, tick the I confirm I do not have a receipt declaration checkbox.

2. Confirmation -- review the submission details and accept the declaration before clicking Submit Expense Claim. You will receive a reference number (e.g. EXP-001) and confirmation of whether the claim was auto-approved or sent for review.

Claiming mileage#

Driving your own car to a camp, a meeting or the wholesaler is a claim too, and it is the one expense with no receipt to photograph. Switch the item's type to Mileage and the Amount box is replaced by the journey: how far you drove one way, a Return trip tick if you drove back, the number of passengers, and the start and destination postcodes.

Scoutworks works out the amount at your group's rate as you type, so you never enter a figure yourself. The receipt threshold does not apply to a mileage item, and you are not asked to confirm you have no receipt.

Mileage items sit on the same claim as your receipts, go to the same approver, and are paid back the same way.

See Claiming Mileage for the full walkthrough, including the rates a group admin sets.

Claim statuses#

Each claim moves through a clear lifecycle:

Claims below the group's Approval Threshold are auto-approved and skip straight to the Approved status.

The emails you receive#

You're emailed at each step of the lifecycle, so you always know where your claim stands without chasing the treasurer.

When your claim is approved:

If it needs changes, the email explains why so you can fix and resubmit:

And once the treasurer has paid you back:

Viewing your claims#

The Claims tab shows a filterable, searchable table of expense claims. Use the tab strip below the summary cards to filter by status: All, Pending, Approved, Reimbursed, or Rejected. Each claim card shows the description, reference number, amount, date, category, and current status.

Click any claim to open a detail view showing the full information including attached receipts.

Approving or rejecting claims (treasurer / admin)#

Treasurers and designated approvers see a summary bar at the top of the page with counts and totals for Pending, Approved, Reimbursed, and Rejected claims.

When you click a Pending claim, the approval dialog opens. From here you can:

• Approve -- accept the claim. You can optionally reassign its category, section, event, restricted fund, or budget before approving.
• Reject -- decline the claim with a mandatory reason. The claimant will be notified.

View attached receipts by clicking the eye icon on the claim card or within the approval dialog.

Processing reimbursements#

Once a claim is approved, the treasurer can open it to see the Process Reimbursement dialog. This displays:

• The claimant's bank details (Account Name, Sort Code, Account Number, and Payment Reference) with copy-to-clipboard buttons for easy bank transfer entry.
• A Pay From Account dropdown to select which of your group's bank accounts to pay from.
• An optional Notes field.

Click Mark as Reimbursed after you have made the bank transfer. This creates a matching transaction in your accounts and notifies the claimant that they have been paid.

Configuring expense settings (admin only)#

Administrators can switch to the Settings tab to configure the expense workflow. Settings are organised into collapsible sections:

Claim Limits#

• Approval Threshold -- claims below this amount are auto-approved. Choose a preset (All need approval, or a fixed amount like 10, 25, 50, or 100 pounds) or enter a custom amount.
• Receipt Requirement Threshold -- receipts are mandatory for claims above this amount. Preset options include Always, 5, 10, or 25 pounds.

Mileage Rates#

Turn mileage claims on or off, and set what the group pays per mile and per passenger. See Claiming Mileage.

Approver Configuration#

Set whether the default approver is the group admin or a specific nominated user.

Notifications#

Toggle email notifications for each stage of the workflow: submission, approval, rejection, and reimbursement.

What's next#

• Accounting and Bookkeeping -- manage your group's transaction ledger.
• Budgets and Financial Reports -- set budgets and track spending against them.