# Reviewing and approving client expenses

> Work the approval queue: check each submitted client expense, then approve, return, or reject it. Approving posts the amount to the client's balance.

Canonical: https://enmantle.com/help/approve-client-expenses · Section: Client Funds & Expenses · Updated: 2026-09-22

When a DSP records a client expense, it waits for review before it posts to the account. Reviewing means confirming the money was spent correctly and the receipt is attached — then approving it, sending it back, or turning it down.

Managers can approve an entry or return it for changes, at their own location. Directors and Admins can approve, return, and reject. If a Manager taps `Reject`, Enmantle refuses it with "This action is not permitted."

## Open the approval queue

1. From `Client Expenses`, tap `Approve` in the header. A badge shows how many entries are waiting.
2. This opens `Approve Expenses`, the queue of everything submitted for review.
3. Up top, stats show Total Pending, Total Amount, and a By Category breakdown.

By default the queue shows `SUBMITTED` entries. Turn on the checkbox to also include `RETURNED` items — ones you sent back that are now being resubmitted.

## Narrow a long list with filters

When the queue is busy, filter by category, location, or amount to focus on what matters — for example, everything over a certain dollar amount, or one home at a time.

## Review each entry

Open an entry and check that:

- The amount matches the receipt.
- The category fits what was bought.
- A receipt is attached wherever one is required.

## Approve, return, or reject

You can act on one row, or select several and use the bulk buttons (`Approve Selected` and the matching `Return` and `Reject`).

- `Approve` — the entry is correct. It posts against the client's account balance right away.
- `Return` — something needs fixing. It goes back to the submitter as `RETURNED` so they can correct it and resubmit.
- `Reject` — the entry shouldn't stand at all. It becomes `REJECTED`, and that's final.

`Return` and `Reject` both require a reason. As the form notes, "This note will be visible to the person who submitted the expense" — so write something they can act on. "Missing receipt for the $40 shoes" beats "fix this."

## What the statuses mean

- `DRAFT` — started but not submitted. You won't see these; they're still with the DSP.
- `SUBMITTED` — waiting for your review.
- `APPROVED` — reviewed and posted to the account balance.
- `RETURNED` — sent back to fix and resubmit.
- `REJECTED` — denied. This one is terminal.

> Approving is not a payout. The client's own money was already spent; approving simply records it and updates the account balance. Nobody gets reimbursed. If you need to see how entries are created, read [Recording a client expense](/help/record-a-client-expense).

## Next steps

The accounts, categories, receipt rules, and budgets that shape this queue are set up by an administrator. See [Managing expense accounts, categories, and budgets](/help/expense-accounts-and-budgets).