Approved vendors
An approved vendor list restricts an expense type to suppliers you have chosen. It is how negotiated rates, preferred suppliers and tax-compliant invoicing get enforced at the point of claiming rather than argued about afterwards.
Where: Expenses › Vendors You need: the expense settings right
When to use one
| You want | Do |
|---|---|
| Spend to go through negotiated suppliers | Approved vendors on that expense type |
| A ceiling on what can be spent | A limit on the expense type |
| Tax details captured on every claim | Receipt requirements on the type |
Approved vendors answer who may be paid, not how much. The two are usually used together — a preferred hotel chain and a nightly rate cap.
What a vendor record holds
| Field | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Vendor | The supplier name |
| Code | Your internal reference for them |
| TIN number | Their tax identification number |
| Address | Their registered address |
| Limit | A limit associated with the vendor |
Recording the TIN and address is what makes this more than a convenience list: it is the supplier information your finance team needs for input tax and for the accounting record, captured once rather than re-keyed from every receipt.
How to set it up
- Open Expenses › Vendors and add each supplier with their code, TIN and address.
- Open the relevant expense type and enable approved vendors.
- Select the vendors permitted for that type.
- Submit one test claim to confirm the restriction behaves as you expect.
What Happens Next
- Claims against that type are restricted to the listed vendors.
- Vendor details are available on the claim rather than being transcribed from a receipt.
- Removing a vendor affects future claims; it does not revisit claims already approved.
Tips
- Only restrict types where the supplier genuinely matters — hotels, travel agents, medical providers. Applying a vendor list to a general type produces rejected claims for legitimate spending.
- Keep TINs current. A wrong TIN is discovered at tax filing, months later, across many claims at once.
- Review the list when contracts change. A supplier you no longer have terms with should come off, and a new one needs adding before people are asked to use them.
- Tell employees which suppliers are approved before they book, not when their claim is rejected.
- Retire rather than delete vendors that have been claimed against, so history still makes sense.
Troubleshooting / FAQ
Q: An employee cannot submit a claim for a legitimate supplier. That expense type is restricted to approved vendors and the supplier is not on the list. Add them, or use a type that is not restricted.
Q: Do vendor limits replace the expense type's limits? No. Both apply — the type's limits govern the claim, the vendor record carries its own.
Q: We changed a vendor's TIN. Do past claims update? No. Claims hold the details as they were.
Q: Can one vendor be approved for several expense types? Yes — the vendor list is company-wide and each type selects from it.