Organize expenses into categories
Not all expenses are the same. Claim types let your company categorize different kinds of business expenses, making it easier to track spending, set budgets, and ensure claims go through the right approval process.
How They Work
When you submit a claim in Officaid, you select a claim type that matches your expense. This categorization helps your company understand where money is being spent and applies the correct policies to each type of expense.
Your HR or admin team sets up the available claim types. You'll only see the categories that apply to you when submitting a claim.
Common Categories
While every company configures their own claim types, here are some typical examples:
- Health Expenses for medical costs, gym memberships, or wellness purchases
- Meals & Entertainment Expenses for client lunches, team dinners, or business meals
- Transport/Travel Expenses for taxis, parking, public transport, or mileage
- Office Expenses for stationery, supplies, or small equipment
Limits and Balances
Companies can set limits on certain claim types to manage budgets. For example, transport claims might be capped monthly while meals and entertainment might be unlimited.
When a limit exists, you'll see three values:
- Allowed is your total budget for that category
- Used is how much you've already claimed
- Balance is how much you have left
Why Categories Matter
Organizing expenses by type helps your company:
- Track budgets by monitoring spending in each category
- Apply policies by setting different rules for different expense types
- Generate reports by analyzing expense patterns over time
- Stay compliant by properly classifying deductible expenses
Frequently Asked Questions
Choose the category that best matches the purpose of your expense. If you purchased lunch for a client meeting, select Meals & Entertainment Expenses. If you took a taxi to a business event, select Transport/Travel Expenses. When unsure, check with your manager.
Claim types are configured by your company's HR or admin team. If you believe a new category is needed, speak with your HR representative. They can add new claim types in Team → Claims settings.
If your claim is still pending, you can edit it by clicking the edit icon in the Pending section of My Claims. Change the claim type and click Save. Once approved, the claim type cannot be changed.
What's Next?
Continue learning about claims in Officaid:
- Understanding Claim Balances to see how limits are tracked
- The Claim Approval Process to understand the workflow
- Submitting a Claim to start claiming your expenses