Setting boundaries for employee claims
Not every purchase should be reimbursed without limits. A company might cover transport costs but cap them at a reasonable amount, or allow meal claims only up to a certain value per month. Claim policies define these rules, giving businesses control over what employees can claim and how much.
Without clear policies, claim management becomes unpredictable. Employees may not know what qualifies for reimbursement, leading to confusion and inconsistent decisions. Well-defined policies set expectations upfront and make the approval process straightforward for everyone.
What Claim Policies Control
In Officaid, each claim policy defines several parameters:
- Claim type such as transport, meals, health, or office supplies.
- Maximum per claim limiting how much can be claimed in a single submission.
- Maximum per month capping total claims within a period.
- Receipt requirements specifying whether documentation is mandatory.
- Eligibility determining which employees can submit claims for each type.
Why Limits Matter
Claim limits serve several purposes for a business:
- Budget control prevents runaway spending that could impact cash flow.
- Fairness ensures all employees operate under the same rules.
- Fraud prevention makes it harder to submit excessive or fabricated claims.
- Predictability helps finance teams forecast and plan for reimbursement costs.
Limits can be set per individual claim, per month, or both. For example, a transport policy might allow up to $50 per claim with a monthly cap of $400. This gives employees flexibility while keeping overall spending in check.
Category-Based Policies
Different claim types often have different rules. Health-related claims might have higher limits than office supplies. Entertainment claims might require receipts while small transport claims might not. By creating separate policies for each category, businesses can tailor controls to match the nature of each claim type.
Officaid includes these system claim types by default:
- Health Expenses for medical costs, health screenings, or wellness purchases.
- Meals & Entertainment Expenses for client meals, team lunches, or business hospitality.
- Transport/Travel Expenses for taxis, public transport, mileage, or parking.
- Office Expenses for supplies, equipment, or materials purchased for work.
You can also create custom claim types to match your specific business needs.
Applying Policies to Employees
Some policies apply to all employees, while others are restricted to specific roles or teams. A sales team might have access to entertainment claims that other departments do not. Senior staff might have higher limits than junior employees. The Applies to All toggle in Officaid controls this visibility.
How Officaid Helps
Officaid lets you configure claim policies in Team → Claims → Claim Policy. Set the claim type, define limits per claim and per month, choose whether receipts are required, and decide who the policy applies to. The system enforces these rules when employees submit claims, reducing manual oversight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Go to Team → Claims → Claim Policy. You will see all existing claim types listed with their limits and settings. Click + Add Claim Policy to create a new one, or click the edit icon on any existing policy to modify it.
Yes. Create multiple claim types for the same category with different limits, then control access using the Applies to All toggle. For example, create "Entertainment - Sales" with higher limits and "Entertainment - General" with lower limits.
For custom claim types, click the delete icon in the Actions column. For system claim types which cannot be deleted, toggle off Applies to All so employees cannot submit claims for that category.
What's Next?
Explore how claim policies work in Officaid:
- Understanding Claim Types explains system and custom categories.
- Adding a Claim Policy walks through creating new policies.
- Understanding the Claims Module provides an overview of claims management.