SAP Concur: How to Optimize Business Expense Categories
SAP Concur published an article on business expense categories and how to optimize them. It says expense categories are predefined classifications used to track, manage and report employee spending, supporting transparency, policy compliance and budget control. It recommends refining and streamlining existing expense types, addressing the 'Other' or 'Miscellaneous' category, and aligning expense policies with categories. Citing SAP Concur customer data, it says the 'Other' and 'Miscellaneous' categories jumped by 57% and 47% respectively, and notes Penn State University worked with Huron Consulting to reduce over 1,000 expense types to 200.
Impact and considerations
Expense-category structure directly affects visibility and compliance in travel and expense data, so companies can use this to assess whether their own categories and policies need adjustment.
Key points
- Expense categories are predefined classifications used to track, manage and report employee spending; a well-structured list supports transparency, policy compliance and budget control.
- The article recommends refining and streamlining existing expense types, grouping related expenses into more intuitive categories and analyzing actual spending trends.
- Citing SAP Concur customer data, it says the 'Other' and 'Miscellaneous' categories jumped by 57% and 47% respectively.
- It recommends addressing the 'Other' category by identifying what is being lumped in and considering new categories or mandatory receipts and descriptions.
- It recommends aligning expense policies with expense categories and periodically reviewing whether policies remain appropriate.
- It notes Penn State University worked with Huron Consulting to reduce over 1,000 expense types to 200 while maintaining visibility into employee spending.
Sources and time
- Primary source
- SAP Concur
- Other sources
- 0
- First source publication
- 5 May 2025, 17:31
- Page published
- 13 Aug 2026, 08:34
- Last updated
- 5 May 2025, 17:31
- Original links
- SAP Concur Blog：What Are Business Expense Categories and How Can You Optimize Them? (opens in a new tab)Primary source · en · Published 5 May 2025, 17:31