Automate expense claims: from receipt to booking
Erwin Berkouwer
A fuel receipt, a train ticket, a lunch with a client. For whoever claims it, it is a photo and an email. For whoever processes it, it is a pile: missing receipts, amounts that do not add up, approvals that stay waiting and bookings that still need doing at the end of the month.
Where is the work in expense claims?
Every claim goes through the same steps:
- Coming in. A photo by email, a receipt in an app or a slip of paper on the desk.
- Checking. Is the amount right, is the VAT on it, does it fit your company's rules?
- Approving. A manager or the director says yes or no.
- Booking and paying out. Accounting books it on the right cost account and pays it out.
Steps 1, 2 and 4 are repetitive work. Step 3 is a decision.
What an AI agent takes over
- Reading. The agent reads the receipt: date, supplier, amount and VAT. Even a crooked photo or a PDF.
- Checking against your own rules. A lunch above the agreed amount, a receipt without VAT or a duplicate claim? The agent flags it, with the reason.
- Preparing for approval. The manager gets an overview of what is fine and what raises a question, instead of a pile of loose emails.
- Preparing the booking. After approval the agent prepares the booking in your accounting package, on the right cost account.
What stays with a person: the approval, and asking a colleague when something is missing.
How much time does it save?
That depends on the number of claims and how clean they come in. The chasing and retyping mostly disappear; the approving remains. Want to know what it saves for you? The UnifyAI Agent asks how many claims you have and how much time they take now, and calculates it with you.
Which packages does it work with?
The agent works through the official connection of your accounting package, such as Exact Online, AFAS, SnelStart or e-Boekhouden. Receipts can come from a shared mailbox. Also read how to stop typing data from PDFs.
What does it cost?
Your first AI agent costs €750 fixed, with at most two connections, for example your mailbox and your accounting package. It is live within two weeks of the intake. Hosting and maintenance is from €50 per month per agent.
Sources
- Exact Online developer documentation, Exact
- AFAS Help Center, AFAS Software
Frequently asked questions
Short, clear answers so you can decide faster.
How do I automate expense reporting and approval?
Let an AI agent read receipts, check them against your own rules and prepare them for approval. After approval it prepares the booking in your accounting package.
Does the AI approve claims by itself?
No. Approval stays with a manager or the director. The agent prepares what is fine and flags what raises a question.
Does it work with photos of receipts?
Yes. The agent also reads a photo or PDF: date, supplier, amount and VAT.
What does automating expense claims cost?
Your first AI agent with at most two connections costs €750 fixed and is live within two weeks of the intake. Hosting and maintenance is from €50 per month per agent.
