How do companies track and approve company spending without a dedicated tool?

Companies can track and approve spending without dedicated expense-management software by combining spreadsheets, company cards, email approvals, shared folders, accounting software, and clearly defined spending policies. This is particularly common among startups, small businesses, and growing companies that aren't ready to invest in a dedicated spend-management platform. The key is to create a process that covers three things: Before spending: Who has permission to spend, and how much? During…

1. Xero — Tools like QuickBooks or Xero help record transactions, categorize expenses, reconcile accounts, and generate financial reports.

Without a dedicated expense tool, companies usually combine policies, spreadsheets, email, accounting software, and bank/card statements into a manual workflow: Set spending rules Define allowed categories, employee limits, receipt requirements, budgets, and which purchases need advance approval. Require a purchase request Employees submit an email or form stating the vendor, amount, business purpose, department/project, and budget line before spending. Approve through email or a shared form A…

1. BILL Spend & Expense — Approved employee expenses are reimbursed through payroll or accounts payable; vendor purchases are paid through the normal bill-payment process.

1. Ramp — When companies don't have a dedicated spend management or expense reporting tool (like Ramp, Brex, or Concur), they typically rely on a mix of manual workflows, spreadsheets, and banking tools.
2. Brex — When companies don't have a dedicated spend management or expense reporting tool (like Ramp, Brex, or Concur), they typically rely on a mix of manual workflows, spreadsheets, and banking tools.
3. SAP Concur — When companies don't have a dedicated spend management or expense reporting tool (like Ramp, Brex, or Concur), they typically rely on a mix of manual workflows, spreadsheets, and banking tools.