It’s 3 PM on Friday, and your Finance team just received 47 expense claims, all due “urgently.” Meanwhile, your inbox is pinging with messages like “Why was my taxi claim rejected?” and “I can’t find the receipt, but I definitely bought it.” Sound familiar? 

If you’re nodding your head, you’re not alone. Poor expense management is like that one colleague who never refills the coffee machine: everyone suffers, but nobody talks about it until it’s too late. 

The good news? Most expense claim headaches are now completely preventable. Here are the five biggest culprits causing chaos in your office and simple fixes that actually work. 

1. Missing or Incomplete Receipts 

The mistake: Forgetting receipts, losing them, or submitting incomplete details. Employees treat receipts like lottery tickets, they lose them the moment they matter most. 

Why it’s a problem: Without proof of purchase, your Finance team becomes detective, auditor, and mind reader all at once. Claims get stuck, reimbursements stall, and everyone gets frustrated.  

How to avoid it: 

• Snap a photo of your receipt immediately after purchase. 

• Encourage employees to snap photos immediately after purchase using an expense app. 

• Avoid waiting until the end of the month to gather everything. 

2. Submitting Claims Late 

The mistake: Waiting weeks or even months, to submit claims. Employees submit three months’ worth of expenses at once, usually five minutes before the deadline.  

Why it’s a problem: Employees risk missing deadlines, creating accounting headaches, and delaying your their reimbursement. Your Finance team gets hit with a paperwork tsunami while employees wonder why their urgent claim is taking “forever” to process.  

How to avoid it: 

• Create a culture of real-time submissions or set up deadlines. 

• Encourage employees to set up gentle reminders. 

• Use automated tools that prompt you to upload receipts in real time. 

3. Incorrect or Inconsistent Expense Categorisation 

The mistake: Using the wrong expense category or mixing personal and business expenses. Coffee gets filed under “Office Supplies,” flights become “Meals,” and somehow a team lunch costs S$500 in “Transportation.” 

Why it’s a problem: Employees financial reports look like abstract art, this often leads to rejected claims and your Finance team spends more time fixing categories than actually processing claims.  

How to avoid it: 

• Set the company’s expense policy for claim. 

• Encourage the employees to double-check categories before submitting. 

• Use an expense app’s preset categorisation to avoid all the mistakes.  

4. Claiming Non-Reimbursable Items 

The mistake: Submitting personal expenses or items outside your company’s policy. That fancy lunch with family somehow ends up on the company tab. 

Why it’s a problem: These claims will be denied and repeated violations could lead to disciplinary action. Apart from compliance issues, it creates awkward conversations and potential trust problems with management. 

How to avoid it: 

• Make your company expense policy crystal clear and easily accessible. 

• If in doubt, encourage the employees to check with Finance before making the purchase or payment.  

5. Lack of Supporting Documentation 

The mistake: Not including approvals, purpose notes, or travel details. Claims arrive with zero explanation and just a receipt for S$150 at a restaurant with no other details. 

Why it’s a problem: Without context, Finance may need to follow up or ,trying to figure out if this was a client meeting, team lunch, or birthday celebration. 

How to avoid it: 

• Attach all relevant approvals and notes. 

• Explain the purpose of the expense when needed. 

• Include travel itineraries or meeting agendas for business trips. 

How JustLogin’s Expense Feature Eliminates These Mistakes 

These mistakes aren’t just inconvenient, they’re expensive. Poor expense management costs companies time, money, and employee satisfaction. But here’s the thing: most issues disappear with the right tools and processes. With JustLogin Expense, you can: 

• Snap receipts instantly and store them securely in the cloud, no more missing or incomplete receipts.  

• Submit claims anytime, anywhere via the mobile app, avoiding late submissions and missing deadlines. 

• Auto-categorise expenses according to match company policies, eliminating guesswork and reducing errors. 

• Customisable expense categories allow administrators to define approved types, so employees select the right category every time. 

• Attach approvals, notes and travel details in one place, giving Finance all the context they need without chasing for more info.  

Your Finance team will thank you, your employees will love the simplicity, and you’ll wonder why you didn’t make the switch sooner. Start making expense claims the easy way with JustLogin Expense.