Control company spending without slowing honest people down
A complete expense and approvals toolkit for finance managers, admin leads and founders of 10 to 300 person companies: the policy, the approval matrix, the workbook, the forms and the exact words, in any country and currency.
- A 10-chapter e-book teaching a nine-step monthly expense control loop, with one composite 50-person company running through every chapter
- The Expense Control Workbook: 15 sheets with Settings, category limits, an approval matrix lookup, a claims register with limit and approval checks, eight automatic red-flag checks, card reconciliation, per diem and mileage, a gifts register, monthly summaries and a dashboard
- 4 fillable PDF forms and 6 Word templates, including a full expense and travel policy with country placeholders, a signed approval matrix one-pager, 41 messages and scripts and 29 AI prompts
- A Start Here map, 3 more cheat sheets including dated country notes on per diems and tax, a 6-sheet travel cost calculator, a 42-event calendar and a 32-task CSV
The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit · Bodhih Pro Kits · 180 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do I set up an expense policy and approval process for a small company?
Write short rules first: categories with limits per unit, pre-approval, receipt and deadline rules, and what is never claimable. Then publish an approval matrix by amount and category with no self-approval, check every claim against the limits, pay in fixed runs and report spend monthly. The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit from Bodhih Training gives you a file for each step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Create an Expense Policy and Approval Process That Works.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
Claims arrive by email, chat and shoebox
Receipts turn up weeks late, in bulk, with card slips that show only a total. Every month-end starts with a hunt, and nobody can say what the company spent on hotels last quarter.
Reasonable means something different to everyone
Without written limits, each person sets their own. A client dinner at 85 a head becomes normal, then it becomes precedent, and nobody ever decided it.
Managers approving their own dinners
The head of sales signs off the team meal he attended. The founder approves her own travel. There is no matrix, no deputy when the approver is away, and no rule about who approves the boss.
Cards nobody reconciles
Cards were issued on a handshake, limits are whatever the bank set, and the last statement reconciliation was months ago. A Saturday supermarket line sits there with no explanation.
Duplicates and splits that sail through
The same lunch claimed twice a month apart, one dinner on two receipts to stay under the limit. Each line looks fine on its own, and nobody has time to compare them.
Saying no without starting a fight
Declining a claim, chasing a receipt or raising a card line with a colleague is awkward. Without the right words, finance either lets it go or sounds like it is accusing someone.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Picture the Friday you set it up. You open the Start Here map, then type your currency, mileage rate, per diems, receipt threshold and deadlines into Settings. As you fill in the Categories sheet, the same limits drop into Annex A of the policy template, and by the afternoon the approval matrix one-pager is on the MD's desk waiting for a signature.
Now it is the first week of the new policy. When a claim arrives, you log the lines with their units and the register does the checking: the policy limit for the line, the approval level, the receipt rule, the days since the expense. Notice how the Red-Flag Checks sheet marks the one line that matches an earlier claim, and how the message library already has the three kind lines you need to ask about it.
Imagine the reimbursement run. The Reimbursement Run sheet lists every approved line, bank details have been verified by a call, and staff are paid on the date the policy promised. People start submitting on time because they can see that you pay on time.
And then month-end. You open the Dashboard: spend by category against budget, lines to review, open exceptions, cards overdue, days to pay. You write three facts, two trends and one decision for the MD in under a page. Whether you start with the workbook tonight or the policy template tomorrow morning, next month-end can be the calm one.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: expense control map
The whole job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour, a 30/60/90 day use plan and links to measure your starting point. Covers the 15-sheet workbook, the calculator, forms, templates and the dated country notes.
Expense Control Workbook
15-sheet workbook: settings, category limits, approval matrix, claims register with policy and approval checks, automatic red-flag checks, exception log, card register and monthly reconciliation, per diem and mileage calculator, gifts and hospitality register, monthly summary by category and by employee against budget, reimbursement run sheet and a dashboard with a spend chart.
Travel Cost Estimator and Pre-Approval Calculator
Six-sheet calculator: full trip cost by line, hotel-against-cap check, per diem versus actual meals, options comparison including the cost of people's time, and a summary with the approval level and booking deadline.
Expense claim form
Three-page fillable claim: claimant details and declaration, itemised lines with receipt and attendee details, mileage and per diem lines, approver and finance blocks, plus a lost receipt declaration.
Travel pre-approval form
Two-page fillable form for approving a trip before booking: purpose and options, the estimate from the Travel Cost Estimator, policy checks on class and hotel, the approval level and the decision.
Corporate card holder pack: agreement and monthly sign-off
Three-page fillable pack: the card holder agreement signed before a card is issued (limits, allowed use, receipts, personal spend, loss, return) and the monthly statement reconciliation sign-off used every month.
Policy exception request and appeal form
Two-page fillable form for asking to go outside policy before the spend, or for appealing a declined claim after it: the rule, the amount, the reason, alternatives, the decision with conditions and the appeal route.
Expense and travel policy template
A complete expense and travel policy in plain language with country placeholders: principles, who it covers, categories and limits, travel and entertainment rules, gifts and hospitality with anti-bribery wording, cards, claims and deadlines, approvals, exceptions, tax notes and review, plus a category limits annex and a gifts and hospitality register annex.
Approval matrix one-pager
A one-page approval matrix to adopt and publish: who approves what by amount and category, the self-approval and delegation rules, what an approver checks, and the exception route.
Expense message and script library
41 ready-to-edit messages and spoken scripts in 8 groups: policy launch, queries and declines, receipt requests, card issue and misuse conversations, approver nudges, exceptions and appeals, suspected fraud handled fairly, and the monthly rhythm.
Expense audit checklist
A quarterly expense audit in one document: scope and sampling, 27 test steps across claims, cards, approvals, exceptions, gifts and payments, a findings table with a sample, and the report outline for the MD.
Worked example pack: one month of claims at a 50-person firm
October at Larkspur Analytics: 32 claim lines, two exceptions handled end to end (an over-cap conference hotel and an over-limit client dinner), a duplicate, a split, a late claim, a personal card line and a declined gift, each shown with the form entries, the register rows, the words used and the decision.
AI prompt pack for expense management
29 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step of the job, from policy design to receipt extraction, duplicate detection, fair fraud handling, reporting and training, each with what to paste in and what to check before you use the output.
Approver decision card
If-this-then-that card for twenty moments an approver meets, plus the three checks before any approval.
Claimant quick guide and mistakes to avoid
A one-page claimant guide to print and pin (replace the bracketed limits with yours) and a card of twelve expense mistakes with the file that prevents each.
Country notes: per diems and tax treatment (October 2026)
Dated quick reference to per diem, mileage, receipt, entertainment, gift and anti-bribery practice in the UK, US, India, UAE, Singapore, Australia, Philippines, Nigeria and other markets, marked confirm locally.
6-week policy rollout and monthly close calendar
42 calendar events: a six-week rollout from workbook set-up to the first audit, then monthly close reminders, a quarterly audit and the policy review for the following months, each naming the file to open. Import into a new calendar and move to your dates.
Expense rollout task board import
32 rollout and monthly close tasks as a CSV ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira, with stage, week, owner, file to open and due date.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 60 pages
- Workbooks
- 15-sheet Expense Control Workbook and 6-sheet travel calculator, with sample data, formulas and dashboards
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, GoodNotes, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner, Jira
- Best for
- Companies of roughly 10 to 300 people, in any country and currency
Control Without the Brakes
Why good expense control is faster for honest people, and the nine-step monthly loop on one page.
What Goes Wrong Without a Policy
Drift, delay, blind spots and the open door, with what fraud research says about the cheap controls that work.
Designing a Policy People Can Follow
Six principles and seven design decisions: categories, limits from data, pre-approval, receipts, timelines, never-claimable items and approvals.
Travel, Entertainment, Gifts and Hospitality
Estimating before booking, the safety rule, per diem versus actuals, mileage, entertainment limits and a plain anti-bribery line on gifts.
The Approval Matrix and the Three Ways to Spend
Segregation of duties, amount bands, category rules, no self-approval, and when to use a purchase request, a card or a claim.
Corporate and Prepaid Cards
Four card controls, the personal spend conversation, leavers and loss, and a card register that shows what is overdue.
The Claims Process Step by Step
Submit, check, approve, pay and record, each with an owner, a tool and a service level.
Checking Claims and Fraud Red Flags
Eight automatic checks, a fair ladder from a single flag to escalation, a safe route to speak up and the quarterly audit.
Tax Notes in General Terms
Four tax questions that apply in every country, how to design the policy around them, and what to give your accountant.
Reporting, Software and the Annual Review
The monthly pack, what to watch over time, choosing expense software on your own questions, and the yearly review.
People, Communication and AI
A six-week rollout, training claimants and approvers, saying no well, exceptions and appeals, and where AI helps and where people decide.
The Calm Month-End
What you now own, and the first hour.
Glossary of Expense Control Terms
Plain definitions of the terms used in the kit, from accountable plan to three-way match.
Country Practice at a Glance
How expense practice differs across eight countries and what to ask your accountant in each.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
E-book
- The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit: 10 chapters, 2 appendices and 6 hand-drawn figures (PDF)
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Expense-Control-Map: the job as nine steps with the file to open at each, your first hour and a 30/60/90 day use plan
Spreadsheets
- Expense Control Workbook (15 sheets): Start here, Settings, Categories, Approval Matrix, Claims Register, Red-Flag Checks, Exception Log, Card Register, Card Reconciliation, Per Diem and Mileage, Gifts and Hospitality, Monthly Summary, Spend by Employee, Reimbursement Run and a Dashboard with 24 live measures and a spend-by-category chart
- Travel Cost Estimator and Pre-Approval Calculator (6 sheets): trip cost by line, hotel against cap, per diem versus actuals, options compared including people's time, and a summary with the approval level and book-by date
Fillable PDF forms
- Expense claim form: itemised lines, mileage and per diem, approver and finance blocks, and a lost receipt declaration
- Travel pre-approval form: purpose, options, estimate, policy checks and the decision
- Corporate card holder pack: the card holder agreement and the monthly statement reconciliation sign-off
- Policy exception request and appeal form: the rule, the reason, alternatives, the decision with conditions and the appeal route
Word templates
- Expense and travel policy template: 13 sections in plain language with category limits, a gifts and hospitality register annex and country placeholders
- Approval matrix one-pager to adopt, publish and sign
- Expense message and script library: 41 messages and scripts in 8 groups, from policy launch to card misuse and suspected fraud handled fairly
- Expense audit checklist: scope and sampling, 27 test steps, a findings table and the report to the MD
- Worked example pack: one month of claims at a 50-person firm, with two exceptions, a duplicate, a split, a late claim, a personal card line and a declined gift
- AI prompt pack for expense management: 29 prompts, each with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Approver decision card: twenty if-this-then-that moments and the three checks before any approval
- Claimant quick guide and twelve mistakes to avoid
- Country notes on per diems and tax treatment, dated October 2026
Calendar and import
- 6-week policy rollout and monthly close calendar (ICS): 42 events for Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar
- Expense rollout task board import (CSV): 32 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- Write a short expense and travel policy with categories, limits per unit, pre-approval, receipt and deadline rules
- Publish an approval matrix by amount and category, with deputies and a written rule on who approves the approver
- Check every claim line against its policy limit, approval level and eight red-flag patterns in one register
- Issue and reconcile corporate cards under a signed agreement, with overdue cards visible on a dashboard
- Handle duplicates, splits, late claims and personal spend with fair questions and the right words
- Pay reimbursements in fixed runs, with bank detail changes verified by a call
- Report spend by category, person and exception against budget, and run a quarterly audit
- Use AI for receipt extraction, duplicate spotting and policy questions with a person checking every value and deciding every outcome
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Attention to Detail & Error Checking
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentEthical Leadership & Judgment
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentFour Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance
Take the assessment →JobularyHow a Jobulary development plan works
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 3
A per diem is a flat daily allowance for meals and incidentals away from home. Actuals means receipts for each meal up to a daily cap. Per diems are simpler to run (no meal receipts, no arguments about the wine), and many tax authorities publish rates they accept as tax free. Actuals are fairer when costs vary a lot. The Per Diem and Mileage sheet in the workbook applies your rates, pays half for travel days, and deducts a set amount for each meal provided. One method per trip: per diem and meal receipts for the same day is paying twice. The Per Diem vs Actuals sheet in the estimator compares the two for any trip; for Daniel's two expo days with lunches provided, per diem was cheaper and simpler.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| The policy | A downloaded policy with blanks and no method | A plain-language policy with seven design decisions explained, limits set from your own data and country placeholders |
| Approvals | Whoever is the manager signs | An approval matrix by amount and category, named deputies, no self-approval, and a signed one-pager |
| Checking claims | Eyeball the receipts | A register that looks up the limit and approval level for every line, plus eight automatic red-flag checks |
| Cards | Issued on a handshake | A card holder agreement, limits per card, monthly reconciliation and an overdue view on the dashboard |
| Hard conversations | A rejection email or two | 41 messages and scripts, including card misuse and suspected fraud handled fairly |
| Tax and countries | Assumes one country or ignores tax | Four tax questions for any country and dated notes for the UK, US, India, UAE, Singapore, Australia and more |
| Reporting | A total at year-end | Monthly spend by category and person against budget, exceptions, days to pay and a one-page note for the MD |
Made for you if…
- Finance managers and accountants in industry who own expenses alongside everything else
- Office and admin managers who process claims and look after company cards
- Founders and owners of companies with 10 to 300 people who want control without bureaucracy
- Bookkeepers and fractional CFOs setting up expense control for clients
- Companies with staff or travel in several countries, including India, the UK, the US, the Gulf, Singapore, Australia, the Philippines and Nigeria
- Teams moving from email and shoebox claims to a written policy and a monthly report
Probably not for you if…
- Anyone looking for tax, legal or accounting advice: the kit teaches method and keeps country specifics in one sheet dated October 2026, and says check your accountant, auditor and local law
- Readers who need bookkeeping basics or a chart of accounts: Small Business Books in a Box covers that ground; this kit goes deep on expenses and approvals
- Large enterprises with a full travel management company and an integrated spend platform already configured
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Next month's claims are already on their way. Have the rules ready before they land.
Open the Start Here map, type your limits into Settings and log this week's claims on the register. Whether you begin with the policy template this evening or the workbook with your first claims tomorrow, the first hour is already planned.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
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The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkWhat should a company expense policy include?
Principles, who it covers, categories with limits per unit, pre-approval rules, receipt rules, claim and payment deadlines, what is never claimable, travel and entertainment rules, gifts and hospitality, cards, approvals, exceptions and appeals, and an annual review. The kit's policy template covers all of these in plain language, with annexes for limits, a gifts register and country notes.
Who should approve expense claims?
Someone other than the claimant who knows the business purpose, usually the line manager for small amounts and more senior people as amounts rise. Nobody approves their own spend or their manager's, and the most senior person's claims go to a board member, a co-founder or the accountant. The approval matrix one-pager and workbook sheet let you set bands, category rules and deputies.
Is a per diem better than paying actual meal costs?
Per diems are simpler to run and avoid arguments about individual meals; actuals are fairer when costs vary a lot. Pick one method per trip and never pay both for the same day. The travel calculator compares the two for any trip, and the dated country sheet notes where tax authorities publish rates.
How do I spot duplicate or split expense claims?
Compare every line against the others for the same merchant and amount, and for the same merchant, date and person on several lines. The Red-Flag Checks sheet does this automatically, along with just-under-limit, round amount, weekend, missing receipt, over-limit and late checks. A flag is a question for the claimant, not a conclusion.
Can AI check our expense claims?
AI can extract receipt data, suggest categories, spot near-duplicates and answer policy questions, but a person should check every extracted value and decide every approval, exception and conversation. Remove names, card numbers and bank details before using any tool your organisation has not approved. The prompt pack includes what to check before you use each output.
How do I measure my own starting point as a finance manager or approver?
AssessAll offers assessments that match this kit: Attention to Detail & Error Checking, Ethical Leadership & Judgment, and Four Quarters: Financial Judgement for Managers Who Are Not in Finance. Take one before you launch the policy and again a few months later. Links are on the Start Here map; the assessments are separate products and not included.
How do I turn this into a development plan for our approvers?
Use the approver decision card and the worked example pack to pick the two or three judgement calls each approver will practise, then build them into a plan. Jobulary explains how its development plans work, and the link is on the Start Here map.
Is this tax or legal advice?
No. The kit is educational: it teaches method and keeps rates, thresholds and law names in one cheat sheet dated October 2026. Tax treatment of allowances, VAT and GST recovery, taxable benefits and anti-bribery rules differ by country and change, so check your accountant, auditor and local law before you adopt a rule.
Which software do I need?
The workbooks open in Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice and use no macros. The forms are fillable in Acrobat Reader and most PDF apps, the templates open in Word or Google Docs, the calendar imports into Google Calendar, Outlook or Apple Calendar, and the CSV imports into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira. If you later choose expense software, Chapter 9 gives the questions to ask.
What is the refund policy?
Digital kits are non-refundable once downloaded. The exceptions are corrupted files that are not fixed within 3 working days, duplicate charges, or failed delivery.
How much does The Expense Policy and Approvals Kit cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
