How to Set Up Expensify for Your Team

By the end of this guide your staff will submit expenses to one Expensify workspace, with an approver chain, a few rules, and a link to your accounting software. Expensify handles receipts, reports and reimbursements, so the setup below follows the order Expensify’s own guide uses.

Before you start

Choose one workspace admin, typically the owner or the person who approves spending. List who submits expenses, who approves them and who exports to the books. Ask your accountant which accounting software and categories to use.

Expensify’s pricing article lists these US dollar prices.

Plan	What it adds for a team	Price as listed
Collect, pay-per-use	Workspace with default approvals, basic rules	$5 per unique member per month
Control, annual	Custom approval workflows, full rules, scoped admin roles	$18 per included member per month, plus $36 per active member above your subscription size
Control, pay-per-use	Same features without a 12-month commitment	$36 per active member per month

Expensify also lists lower Control prices for eligible subscriptions with qualifying Expensify Card use. An annual subscription is a 12-month commitment, and you can raise the subscription size but not lower it until renewal. See the current price on the linked page.

Create the account and workspace

Expensify’s workspace guide says your first workspace includes a free 30-day trial.

1. In the navigation tabs, select Workspaces.
2. Click New workspace.
3. Click Name and enter a workspace name.
4. Click Default Currency and choose your currency.

Track the trial under Account, then Subscription, where you can see the start and end dates.

Invite your team

1. In the left-hand menu of the workspace, click Members.
2. Click Invite member.
3. Enter names, emails or phone numbers. You can add several.
4. Click Next, add an optional message, and click Invite.

You can also use the workspace Profile page and click Share to get an invite link or QR code. To make someone an admin, click their name under Members, click Role and select Admin.

Expensify’s members article names these roles: Member, Workspace admin, Card admin, People admin, Payments admin and Auditor. It marks Card admin, People admin and Payments admin as Control-only.

Set the admin and data settings

First add approvals. Per Expensify’s approvals article, do the following.

1. Go to Workspaces and open your workspace.
2. Click Workflows and open the Approvals tab.
3. Toggle on Approvals.
4. On the workflow where Expenses from is Everyone, click Approver and choose the first approver.

Default workflows work on Collect and Control. Custom workflows for specific members need Control. You can also add an extra approver for reports above a dollar amount.

Next, turn on Rules. Under Workspaces, your workspace, More features, toggle on Rules in the Manage section. Expensify’s rules article lists basic rules such as Require receipts, Require fields for all expenses and Flag expenses above amount. On Collect, only Require fields for all expenses and Billable expenses are available.

Expensify’s security article says it encrypts web connections with HTTPS and TLS and undergoes annual SOC 1 Type 2 and SOC 2 Type 2 audits. That page gives no statement about AI model training, so ask Expensify before you upload sensitive documents.

Connect your other apps

Expensify supports QuickBooks Online, Xero, NetSuite and Sage Intacct. For QuickBooks Online, the connection guide gives these steps.

1. In QuickBooks Online, set up employees or vendors using the same email address they use in Expensify.
2. In Expensify, go to Workspaces, select your workspace, then Connections.
3. Select QuickBooks Online and log in with your Intuit credentials.

Expensify’s help center has a matching Connect to Xero guide. Connecting imports your chart of accounts as categories and can export approved reports to your accounting system.

Tasks to try first

Require receipts above an amount

This helps when staff skip receipts. Pick the amount with your accountant.

1. Workspaces > [workspace] > More features > turn on Rules
2. Rules > General tab
3. Require receipts: set the amount that needs a receipt
4. Require fields for all expenses: choose Category, Tag, or both

Set a default approver

This helps when every report should reach one person first.

1. Workspaces > [workspace] > Workflows > Approvals tab
2. Toggle on Approvals
3. Expenses from Everyone > Approver: choose the first approver
4. Optional: set a Report amount and an Additional approver
5. Save

Write one agent rule

This helps when a rule does not fit the standard forms. Agent rules work in plain language, and Expensify creates RuleBot when you save your first one. Test with a short, narrow rule.

Flag any report where a single meal expense is over [amount] and ask the submitter to add who attended.

Create it under Rules, then Add rule, then Describe agent rule, then Custom. Review the rule and select Create rule.

Common problems

Expensify’s QuickBooks guide says a red dot next to the connection means a connection error, usually from incorrectly entered login details. Select Fix on the Connections page.