Help Center / Expenses Reimbursements

Submitting Expenses via Slack

What is this page about: How to submit expense receipts and reimbursement requests in Light, directly from Slack, without opening the Light web app.

On this page

  • What you can do
  • Getting started in Slack
  • Submitting your expense report
  • After you submit
  • What Light can see
  • Troubleshooting
  • Also searched as

What you can do

Send a receipt to the Light bot in Slack and Light turns it into an expense, either matched to a card transaction or filed as a reimbursement, without you opening the Light app.

Getting started in Slack

  1. In Slack, search for the Light bot. Your admin sets this up, so if you don't see it, ask them to install the Light Slack app.
  2. Start a direct message with the bot.
  3. Attach your receipt (photo, image, or PDF) and send it.
  4. Light reacts with an hourglass while it processes the file, then swaps it for a checkmark when done, or an X if something went wrong.

What happens next depends on your role in Light:

  • If you have both a company card and reimbursement access, Light first checks whether the receipt matches one of your card transactions. If it matches, Light attaches the receipt to that transaction and you're done. If there's no match, Light asks: "We couldn't match the receipt to a card transaction. Do you want to create a reimbursement from this item?" with Reimbursement and Discard buttons.
  • If you only have reimbursement access, Light skips card matching and creates a reimbursement draft straight away.
  • If you only have a company card, Light only ever checks for a card match. There's no reimbursement option.

When a reimbursement is created (either automatically or after you click Reimbursement), Light reads the receipt and replies "Here's what I got from the receipt:" with:

  • Description
  • Original amount
  • Reimbursement amount

The expense saves as a draft in your Light account. Repeat for each receipt.

If any detail is missing or wrong, fix it on the Expenses page in the Light app before you submit. This is easiest on a computer.

Submitting your expense report

Once your receipts are in as drafts, tell the bot to submit, for example "submit my expenses." Light bundles your draft expenses into a single reimbursement request.

Before it lets you submit, Light checks that you have a valid address and an active reimbursement setup (bank details and currency) on file. It runs this check both when you upload a receipt and again at submission.

Submitted reports go through an approval workflow: Light runs an automatic review, then the request goes to your approver. It isn't approved instantly.

You can also submit from the Expenses page in the Light app instead of using Slack.

After you submit

Track your report anytime on your Expenses page in the Light app. Light also updates you in Slack:

  • Rejected: the bot sends you the rejection reason and a link to reset the report so you can fix and resubmit it.
  • Paid: the bot sends a confirmation.

You can also ask the Light bot questions directly. DM it or mention @Light in a channel.

What Light can see

Light reads the file you send it (the receipt image or PDF) and checks it against your existing card transactions and your user record in Light, matched through your Slack account. It doesn't read other messages or files in your Slack workspace.

Troubleshooting

  • I don't see @Light in Slack - Your admin needs to install the Light Slack app for your workspace. Ask them to enable it.
  • The bot says it can't find my user - Light couldn't find an active user in Light matching your Slack credentials. Contact your admin to confirm you have an active Light user linked to your Slack account.
  • The AI got my receipt wrong - Open the Expenses page in the Light app and correct the fields on the draft expense before you submit your report.
  • I submitted the same expense twice - Check your Expenses page in the Light app. Delete the duplicate before it's approved. If it's already approved, contact your manager or admin.

Also searched as: Light Slack bot, submit expenses via Slack, DM receipt to Light, Slack expense reimbursement, Light bot can't find my user.

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