Reimburse an expense claim using .csv
Download a .csv file to prepare bank transfers for multiple expense claims at once, directly from your company's bank account.
For: Account Owners and Admins/Controllers handling reimbursements.
Before you start
Role required: Account Owner, Admin, or Controller with reimbursement permissions.
Bank details needed: each employee's IBAN and BIC must already be saved in Spendesk.
File use: the .csv file is for internal preparation only — it is not designed for direct upload to your bank's website.
Alternative formats: if your bank supports SEPA XML, use the .XML file instead to upload directly to your bank without manual input.
Step-by-step instructions
Navigate to Expense Claims > Schedule Reimbursements.
Select the employees and expenses you want to reimburse.
Click Reimburse by .CSV.
Adjust the reimbursement date if needed.
Download the .csv file.
Create one bank transfer per employee from your company's usual bank account, using the total amount shown in the file.
Send each transfer to the employee's saved bank details (IBAN/BIC).
💡 If your bank supports SEPA XML, select .XML instead of .CSV in step 3 to skip manual input and upload the file directly to your bank.
Expected results
The .csv file contains one line per employee, showing the total amount to reimburse across all selected expense claims.
Once you mark an expense as paid in Spendesk, it automatically moves to the Payments tab.
The transfer appears on the employee's bank statement labeled with your Spendesk account ID plus the employee's first and last name.
You can review all reimbursed expenses, including any that failed, under Expense Claims > History.
Troubleshooting
Symptom: The recipient's bank account is closed, and the transfer cannot be completed.
Cause: The employee's saved bank account is no longer active.
Resolution:
Check whether the receiving bank has already returned the funds automatically.
If not, contact the receiving bank and ask them to transfer the funds manually.
If the funds are not manually redirected, they return to your Spendesk account within 12 days.
Update the employee's bank details in Spendesk before scheduling the reimbursement again.
Symptom: You can only select multiple expense claims for one employee, not a single specific claim.
Cause: The .csv reimbursement flow aggregates all selected expense claims for an employee into one total per line; it does not support excluding a single claim from that total once selected.
Resolution: Deselect all claims for that employee, then reimburse the correct claims separately by adjusting your selection in Schedule Reimbursements before generating the file.
👥 Only Account Owners, Admins, and Controllers with reimbursement permissions can generate and process this file.
FAQ
Can I upload the .csv file directly to my bank's website?
No. The .csv file is for internal use to prepare reimbursements. If your bank supports SEPA XML, use the .XML option instead.
What should I do if a reimbursement fails?
Check Expense Claims > History for failed reimbursements. Review the details and take corrective action, such as updating the employee's bank information or reinitiating the transfer.
Is it mandatory to use the .csv or .XML file for reimbursements?
No. You can also reimburse employees directly through Spendesk without downloading a file.
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