To manage expense claims in the Dext mobile app, go to the Expenses tab. You build a claim from items in Costs, then send it for approval and publish it to your accounting software. This article covers each step and how approvers review claims.
Before you start
Before you create an expense claim in the Dext mobile app, check that you have permission:
Admins can create expense claims by default. This includes accountants and bookkeepers working in a client account.
Standard users need the Create expense claims permission.
If you see the Expenses tab but not the + Create claim button, ask an admin on your account or your accountant/bookkeeper to update your permissions. For details, go to Roles and permissions in Dext
Expense claims are made from items in the Costs tab only. Dext Solo accounts don't have expense claims.
Create an expense claim
To create an expense claim in the Dext mobile app, start from the Expenses tab or from the Costs tab.
Create a claim from the Expenses tab
To create a claim from the Expenses tab, pick the items first, then enter the claim details:
Go to the Expenses tab.
Tap + Create claim at the bottom right.
Tap each item to add to the claim.
Tap Create.
Enter the claim details: Owned by, End date and Claim name.
Tap Create.
The claim form shows how many items you selected. Tap View items to check them before you create the claim. When ready, tap Create.
After you create the claim, tap Close on the confirmation message. The claim appears in your Expenses list.
Create a claim from the Costs tab
To create a claim from items you can already see in Costs, select the items first:
Go to the Costs tab.
Press and hold an item to enter select mode. You can also tap …, then tap Select items.
Tap each item to add to the claim.
Tap the actions button next to X, then tap Create expense claim.
Enter the claim details: Owned by, End date and Claim name.
Tap Create.
To skip the selection step, tap + on the Costs tab, then tap Expense claim under Create. This opens the Select items list straight away.
Add items to an existing expense claim
To add items to an expense claim that already exists, start from the Costs tab, from the claim itself, or from a single item.
Add items from the Costs tab
To add several Costs items to a claim at once:
Go to the Costs tab.
Tap …, then tap Select items. You can also press and hold an item.
Tap each item to add.
Tap the actions button next to X, then tap Add to expense claim.
Choose the expense claim.
Tap Confirm.
Add items from inside a claim
To add items while you're viewing a claim:
Go to the Expenses tab and tap the claim to open it.
Tap … at the top right, then tap Add items.
Tap each item to add.
Tap Confirm.
Add a single item
To add the Costs item you're viewing to a claim:
Open the item.
Tap … at the top right, then tap Add to expense claim.
Choose the expense claim.
Tap Confirm.
Review an expense claim
To review an expense claim in the Dext mobile app, open it from the Expenses tab and check its status and items:
Go to the Expenses tab.
Tap the claim to open it.
Check the status banner. Ready means the claim has no issues. To review means an item needs attention, so tap Review items.
Tap an item to open it and fix its details.
To edit the claim details or add a description, tap the Summary card.
To remove an item from a claim, swipe left on the item inside the claim and tap Remove from expense claim. Alternatively, tap the item to open its details, then tap ... in the top right corner and choose Remove from expense claim.
Each claim in the Expenses list shows To review if an item needs attention, or Ready if it doesn't. A claim that an approver sent back shows Rejected.
Claims that are waiting for approval move to the Approvals section at the top of the tab, and published claims move to the archive.
Send an expense claim for approval
To send an expense claim for approval in the Dext mobile app, request approval from the Expenses tab or from inside the claim. Before you start, make sure the claim details and items are complete.
From the Expenses tab: swipe right on the claim, then tap Request approval.
From inside the claim: open the claim, then tap Request approval at the bottom of the screen.
Where the request goes depends on whether the claim matches an approval workflow. If a workflow applies, Dext sends the request to the workflow's approvers, so you don't choose an approver.
After you request approval, the claim moves to the Approvals section at the top of the Expenses tab and shows Pending. For how workflows work and who approves, go to How to set up expense claim approval workflows in Dext
Note: You can only set up and manage approval workflows in the Dext web app.
Request approval when no workflow applies
If no approval workflow applies to the claim, you can still request approval. To choose the approver:
Swipe right on the claim in the Expenses tab and tap Request approval. You can also open the claim and tap Request approval at the bottom of the screen.
Tap the person who should approve the claim. Use Search to find them.
Tap Request approval.
The approver gets an email notification, and the claim moves to the Approvals section, as it does with a workflow.
Approve or reject an expense claim
To approve or reject an expense claim in the Dext mobile app, go to Expenses and use the Approvals section or open the claim itself.
This section is for approvers: the people in the claim's approval workflow, or the person chosen when the claim was sent for approval.
Approve or reject from the Approvals section
The Approvals section lists the claims waiting for you, so you can act on them without opening each one:
Go to the Expenses tab.
Tap the Approvals row at the top of the list. The row only shows when claims are waiting for approval.
Choose Assigned to me for your claims, or All items for every claim in approval.
Swipe a claim to act on it:
Swipe right on a pending claim to approve it.
Swipe left on a pending claim to reject it or cancel the request.
Swipe right on an approved claim to publish it.
Swipe left on an approved claim to archive it or cancel the request.
Follow the prompts to confirm your decision. You can add an optional comment before you finish.
Approve, reject or cancel from inside a claim
You can also approve or reject a claim after you open it:
Tap the claim to open it.
Check the claim details and the Pending approval banner. The banner says who needs to approve. With a workflow, it also shows approval progress, such as 0/1 approved, and expands to list the approval stages and approvers.
Tap Approve or Reject at the bottom of the screen. You can also tap … at the top right, then tap Approve, Reject or Cancel request.
(Optional) Add a comment when approving, or a reason for rejecting. Each can be up to 500 characters.
Tap Approve or Reject to confirm.
After you approve, the banner shows Approved, and the Publish button comes back.
After you reject, the claim goes back to the Expense claims inbox and shows Rejected. The person who submitted it can send it again with Request approval.
If you choose Cancel request, Dext asks "Edit item? This removes it from the approval process". Tap Yes, edit, and the claim goes back to Ready. The claim details are read-only while a claim is in approval.
Publish an expense claim
To publish an expense claim in the Dext mobile app, swipe right on the claim and tap Publish. Find the claim in the Expenses tab, or in Approvals if it needed approval.
Publish is unavailable while any item in the claim is To review. If an approval workflow applies, the claim must be approved first.
To check where the claim publishes before you send it, open the claim instead:
Go to the Expenses tab and tap the claim to open it.
Tap the Summary card, then More, to check Publish to and Publish as.
Tap Publish at the bottom of the screen. The button can show the name of your accounting software, for example Publish to Xero.
After you publish, the claim shows Publishing. It then moves to the Expense claims archive with Published and the date.
Find, archive or delete a claim
To find a published claim, tap the archive button at the top right of the Expenses tab. This opens the Expense claims archive.
To archive or delete a claim you haven't published, swipe left on it in the list and tap Archive or Delete.
You can also open the claim, tap … at the top right, and choose Archive or Delete.
When you delete a claim, its items go back to the Costs tab. The claim itself is removed for good and can't be restored.
Frequently asked questions
Why can't I create an expense claim?
The + Create claim button only shows if you have permission to create expense claims. Ask an admin on your account or your accountant/bookkeeper to give you the Create expense claims permission.
If you don't see the Expenses section at all, you're likely in a Dext Solo account. Dext Solo accounts don't have expense claims, so their tab bar shows Quotes and Bank instead.
Why is the Publish button not available for my expense claim?
There are several reasons why the Publish button might be unavailable.
If you see Publish but it's greyed out:
Items in the claim have the To review status. Open the claim, tap Review items, and complete the details that each item asks for.
If an approval workflow applies to the claim, it needs to be approved before you can publish it.
The claim has a publishing error. Open the claim, review the error message in the banner, and fix the flagged issue. If you're having trouble resolving the error, contact the Dext support team.
If you don't see the Publish button at all, you're likely a Standard user without publishing permissions. Ask an admin on your account or your accountant/bookkeeper to give you publishing permissions.
Why does my expense claim say Needs attention?
A claim can show Needs attention in the Approvals section when the person who submitted it is the only approver of a stage, and self-approval is turned off.
The message reads "The submitter is the only approver of this stage, but self-approval has been turned off". An admin needs to add another approver to that stage of the workflow, or approve the claim.
For how workflows work, go to How to set up expense claim approval workflows in Dext
Can I add a mileage claim to an expense claim?
Yes. A mileage claim is created as an item in the Costs tab, so you can add it to an expense claim like any other Costs item. For details, go to How do I add a mileage claim in the Dext mobile app?
Can I edit an expense claim after I send it for approval?
The claim details are read-only while a claim is in approval. To edit the claim, use Cancel request. The claim returns to Ready, and you can edit it and send it for approval again.
Can I send a rejected expense claim again?
Yes. A rejected claim shows Rejected in the list. Swipe right on it and tap Request approval to send it again.