Sanka

Expense Request -> Approval -> Reimbursement

Use Claude or Codex to draft expense requests, route approvals, create reimbursements, and review the audit trail in Sanka.

Last updated: May 29, 2026

This guide shows how to use Claude or Codex connected to Sanka to move an employee expense through draft -> approval -> reimbursement -> accounting review. Start by asking AI to prepare the expense draft, then confirm the receipt, amount, category, approver, and payment details before anything is reimbursed.
Claude/Codex
client-dinner-receipt.pdftaxi-receipt.jpg
Can you submit these two receipts as expenses? Please create expense drafts first, categorize each receipt, and do not submit them yet.
Preparing expense drafts in SankaI prepared two expense drafts from the attached receipts. Please review the amount, tax, category, requester, department, approver, and any missing information before submission.
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Before you start

Check that you have the following ready.
  • Claude or Codex is connected to Sanka
  • The employee, department, project, and approver rules are available in Sanka
  • Receipts or invoice files are ready to attach
  • Your team has expense categories, tax treatment, and reimbursement rules defined
  • You have permission to create expenses, approve requests, and record payments
If you have not connected an AI agent yet, start with Claude setup or Codex setup.

Draft expenses with AI

Open a new chat in Claude or Codex and ask it to prepare an expense request from the receipt details. Keep the first request as a draft so you can review it before submission.
Sample prompt
/sanka I attached two receipt files. Can you submit these as expenses? Please create expense drafts first, categorize each receipt, and do not submit them yet. Show me the amount, tax, requester, department, approver, duplicate candidates, and missing information before creating the final requests.
Ask the AI to flag anything that should be reviewed before the expense is submitted:
  • Missing or unreadable receipts
  • Amount, currency, tax, or date mismatches
  • Duplicate expenses with the same employee, vendor, date, or amount
  • Categories that require a different approver
  • Expenses that should be paid by company card instead of reimbursement

Review the request

After the draft is prepared, review the expense in Sanka before submitting it.Check these details:
  • Requester, department, project, and cost center
  • Receipt attachment and receipt date
  • Category, tax treatment, currency, and amount
  • Business purpose and vendor name
  • Duplicate candidates or policy warnings
  • Approver and approval route
If the receipt or category is unclear, ask the AI to explain what it read and which fields need manual confirmation.
Sample prompt
/sanka Review this expense draft before submission. Check whether the receipt matches the entered amount and date, whether a similar expense already exists, and whether the selected approver is correct. Do not submit it yet.

Route approval

Once the request is correct, submit it for approval. Approval routing can use the amount, category, department, project, or company policy.Common routing examples:
  • Small expenses go to the direct manager
  • Larger expenses go to the department head and finance
  • Missing receipts stay pending until the requester adds the file
  • Client entertainment or travel expenses require extra review
Use a prompt like this when you want AI to summarize the approval path before submission:
Sample prompt
/sanka Show the approval route for this expense before I submit it. Explain who will approve it, why that route applies, and whether any receipt or policy issue blocks submission.

Create reimbursement

After approval, create the reimbursement or payment record according to your team's payment rule. Review the bank transfer, payroll, or company card handling before marking the expense as paid.
Sample prompt
/sanka This approved expense is ready for reimbursement. Prepare a reimbursement draft and show the employee, amount, payment method, scheduled payment date, and linked expense. Do not mark it as paid yet.
Before confirming reimbursement, check:
  • The approved amount and reimbursed amount match
  • The payment method is correct
  • The payment date follows your finance schedule
  • The expense is linked to the reimbursement record
  • The status changes from approved to reimbursed only after payment is complete

Checkpoints

Use Sanka logs and tables to review AI-prepared drafts, submissions, approvals, reimbursements, and accounting exports. Logs help finance teams see who changed what and when.
Search Sanka...
Review expense activity in logs

Logs

Search logsAll actionsAll dates
ID / ActionDateTarget / ItemChangeActor
4Reimbursement draft created2026/05/12 15:20Client dinner / ExpensePrepared payment details after approvalClaude / Codex
3Expense approved2026/05/12 14:42Client dinner / ExpenseManager approved the requestSales manager
2Expense submitted2026/05/12 13:18Client dinner / ExpenseSubmitted with receipt attachedRequester
1Expense draft reviewed2026/05/12 13:05Client dinner / ExpenseChecked amount, category, and duplicate candidatesClaude / Codex

You can also confirm requester, status, amount, receipt, approver, and reimbursement details from the expense table.

Should AI submit or reimburse expenses automatically?

Start with drafts and review steps. Submission, approval, and reimbursement affect employee payments and accounting, so a person should confirm the request before the status changes.

What if the receipt cannot be read?

Ask the AI to list the fields it could not verify, then update the draft manually or request a clearer receipt from the employee before submission.

How do I monitor pending reimbursements?

Use the expense table and dashboard widgets to track pending approvals, unreimbursed approved expenses, company card usage, and reimbursement aging by department.

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