Why is my approved expense request still unpaid?
Approval and payment are separate stages. A Cash Request, Payment Request, or Reimbursement Request can be approved but still require a finance administrator to release the money.
What happens after approval
1. The request completes the approval workflow.
2. Spendive checks the organisation's payment policy.
3. If the request qualifies for automatic payment, payment may be initiated without a finance user starting it manually.
4. If it is not auto-paid, the approved request moves to Accounting > Expense Payments.
5. A finance administrator reviews the recipient, amount, documents, and available wallet balance.
6. Finance pays the full amount, makes an approved partial payment, or records a payment made outside Spendive.
7. The payment status updates separately from the request approval status.
For requesters
If your request says Approved but you have not received money:
- Confirm whether the payment status is Pending, Partially Paid, or Paid.
- Check that the bank or recipient details on the request are correct.
- Check for a return, comment, or action assigned to you.
- Do not submit the same request again.
- Contact the finance team with the original request reference.
For finance administrators
1. Open Accounting > Expense Payments.
2. Search by the requester or the original Cash Request, Payment Request, or Reimbursement Request reference.
3. Check Pending Payment and Partially Paid.
4. Confirm the request is fully approved and was not already auto-paid.
5. Review the outstanding amount and recipient details.
6. Use Make Payment to pay from the company wallet or record a Manual Payment.
Common reasons for delay
- The request is approved but awaiting manual finance payment.
- The company wallet does not have enough spendable funds.
- A previous payment is still Pending.
- Recipient or bank details require correction.
- Only part of the approved amount has been paid.
- Finance needs an additional document or payment reference.
- The payment was scheduled for a later date.
- The payment was made manually but has not yet been recorded.
Status guide
- Approved: the spend request passed approval; this does not always mean funds were released.
- Pending Payment: finance still needs to initiate or complete payment.
- Partially Paid: some money was paid and an outstanding balance remains.
- Paid: the full amount has been recorded as paid.
- Pending wallet transaction: the transfer is still processing.
Escalation checklist
Provide finance with the request reference, approval date, expected amount, recipient, and any visible payment reference. Never send passwords, one-time codes, or unnecessary bank information through a support message.
Related guides
- How to process an expense payment
- Understanding request statuses
- How to request reimbursement
- Submitting cash and payment requests