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How to Fix an Expense That Won't Submit

  • Updated

If an expense won't submit, a validation rule is usually blocking it. This guide shows you where to check, alongside completing an expense report.

Steps

  1. Check where the app is flagging the block.
    • On the Weel mobile app, look for the "items missing" tag near the top of the expense screen. It counts down as you fill things in, and the button becomes Submit once it reaches zero.
    • On the Weel web app, open the transaction from the Transactions page. Missing fields are flagged inline, and for split line items, a "Missing items on rows" message shows which rows still need attention.
    • If you don't see either of these, the expense may already be complete but stuck for another reason. Skip to step 7.
  2. Fill in the required fields.
    • Category is always required, on every line item.
    • Description is required only if your business has turned it on for that payment type (Settings > Expense fields > Descriptions). Budget cards, subscription cards, and in-store purchases can each be set differently. See how to add the description field.
    • Custom fields (a Premium+ feature) are required only where your business has set them up, and can apply at the whole-transaction level or per line item. Some are manager-only and won't show for you at all.
    • Tax Invoice (what the app calls a receipt) and Attendees each have their own rules below.
    • Tax rate is required only if your business is on Weel's newer tax rate model. See step 6.
  3. Fix a Tax Invoice block.
    • Nothing attached yet? Tap the + under Attach Tax Invoice on mobile, or drag a file in on web, or choose No Tax Invoice if none applies.
    • Weel accepts JPEG, PNG, PDF, GIF, and TIFF on both apps, plus EML on web and HEIC on mobile. The size limit is 10MB on both. Mobile shows a "10MB limit exceeded" error if you go over.
    • If your business has set a dollar threshold for Tax Invoices (Premium and Enterprise only), expenses under that amount don't need one. If a small expense is still asking for one, check the threshold is set the way you expect. Accounts Payable bills don't use a threshold at all.
    • If AI Receipt Validation has flagged your Tax Invoice, that's only a warning. It never blocks submission, approval, or export. To find every transaction with a flagged receipt at once, filter the transaction table by invalid receipts.
  4. Fix a category or custom field block.
    • If a category or custom field option you expect isn't listed, your business has likely restricted it for that specific budget rather than removed it. Check with whoever manages the budget.
    • A required custom field that's greyed out or missing may be restricted to a different budget, or visible only to managers and approvers.
    • To find every transaction missing a category or custom field at once, see How to Find Transactions Missing a Category or Custom Field.
  5. Add attendees if the app is asking for them.
    • This only applies to in-store card purchases, and only for the categories your business has chosen (Settings > Expense fields > Attendees). It's never required for online purchases, bill payments, or payouts.
    • If your business has turned Attendees on but hasn't chosen any categories, the field won't appear for anyone. That's a setup gap on your business's side, not something you can fix from the expense itself.
  6. Set a tax rate
    • Most Weel businesses still use the older automatic tax rate extraction model, with no field to fill in. If that's you, this doesn't apply.
    • If your business is on the newer tax rate model, every line item needs a rate selected before the expense can export to your accounting software and be treated as complete. If a rate looks wrong, check your accounting software first (Xero, QuickBooks, MYOB, NetSuite, or Business Central), since that's usually where it comes from.
  7. Check for a status block.
    • If the expense is already submitted and waiting on an approver, there's no Submit button anymore. It reads Update.
    • If an approver declined it and requested changes, review their comment and resubmit. On Premium and Enterprise businesses with "Decline comments and resubmission" turned on (Settings > AI and automations), you'll see their comment and a Resubmit button. Without it, a declined item may work differently.
    • Resubmitting can re-trigger Card Blocking if your business has it enabled, even if you submitted on time originally.
  8. Try the basics if nothing above applies.
    • Refresh or restart the app, and clear your browser cache on web.
    • Try the other Weel app. Sometimes one app is out of date or has a stuck local state.
    • Still stuck? Contact us through in-app messaging or help@letsweel.com with the transaction ID or a screenshot.

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