Process Library

Expense and Purchase Approval

A spend-approval process with clear thresholds and budget checks that controls cost without becoming a bottleneck.

Finance 6 steps
When to use

Whenever someone requests to spend company money outside payroll.

Trigger
Runs when: A purchase or expense request is submitted

The procedure

6 steps

  1. Confirm the request has a clear purpose and a budget line it draws against.
  2. Route to the approver matching the amount threshold, not always the most senior person.
  3. Check the spend against the remaining budget for that line before approving.
  4. Approve, decline, or request more information within a defined turnaround.
  5. For recurring spend, capture the renewal date and a named owner.
  6. Record the approved spend so the budget line reflects it immediately.
Outputs
  • An approval decision on record
  • An updated budget line
  • A renewal owner captured for recurring spend
Tools
Expense systemBudget tracker
Note: Match the approver to the amount. Sending every $50 purchase to the CEO trains people to route around the process entirely.
Download .md

Use this SOP in OrgTP

Don't just download it. Drop this SOP onto a seat in OrgTP and every AI agent under that seat inherits and runs it at runtime — with the trigger, steps, outputs, and tools already filled in.

Use in OTP → Browse more SOPs
Related searches
expense approval sop purchase request process spend control checklist budget approval procurement approval

Related SOPs

Finance
Financial Close
6 steps
Finance
Invoicing
6 steps
Finance
AR Collections
6 steps
Finance
Cash Forecast
6 steps
← Back to the Process Library