Notes from the AP desk
Field-tested writing on expense audit, T&E policy and the conversations finance would rather not have, by people who have run the close.
Latest, AP operationsOct 6, 2026 · 4 min
The real cost of an expense error: modeling AP time with GBTA figures
Use the GBTA $58 processing and $52 plus 18 minute correction figures to model what expense report errors cost a 900-person company each month and year.
All articles
AP operationsSep 15, 2026 · 4 min
Writing expense pushback messages that do not anger your sales team
Three before and after pushback messages for alcohol, missing receipts and duplicates, plus the structure, timing and tone that get reports fixed first time.
Kavya Iyer
Government contractingAug 25, 2026 · 4 min
DCAA unallowable costs: segregating FAR 31.205-46, -51 and -14
How government contractors segregate unallowable travel, alcohol and entertainment costs on expense reports before they reach an incurred cost submission.
Arjun Nair
Fraud & detectionAug 4, 2026 · 4 min
Catching duplicate expenses across corporate cards and personal claims
How the same Uber ride, hotel stay or team dinner ends up claimed twice across corporate card feeds and out-of-pocket reports, and the signals that catch it.
Rohan Mehta
Policy designJul 14, 2026 · 4 min
Building a T&E policy for remote and distributed teams
Home office stipends, co-working passes, regional per diems and offsite travel: how to write T&E policy clauses for a team that has no single office.
Ananya Raghavan
Tax & complianceJun 23, 2026 · 4 min
TCJA meals vs entertainment: coding the 50% and 0% correctly
How to code client dinners, game tickets and food bought at events after the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, with a worked example splitting one evening into 50% and 0%.
Priya Venkataraman
Fraud & detectionJun 2, 2026 · 4 min
Split transactions: how approval thresholds get sliced and how to spot it
How purchases get split to stay under $500 and $2,500 approval limits, what MCC codes and timestamps reveal, and detection rules that avoid false positives.
Rohan Mehta
Policy designMay 12, 2026 · 4 min
Per diem vs actual expense: choosing a reimbursement method
A practical comparison of per diem and actual expense reimbursement: IRS substantiation, first and last day math, a worked field sales example and a hybrid.
Ananya Raghavan
Tax & complianceApr 7, 2026 · 4 min
IRS accountable plan 60/120-day rules explained for controllers
The fixed-date safe harbor, the periodic statement method and what happens when an advance is not substantiated or returned in time, with a worked example.
Priya Venkataraman
Policy designMar 2, 2026 · 4 min
Hotel folio leakage: the line items hiding inside a lodging total
A line-by-line walk through a three-night hotel folio showing where spa, minibar, valet and in-room dining hide inside lodging, and how to code each charge.
Vikram Sethi
Modern corporate travel and expense policy
- 1.0Purpose, scope and who approves what
- 3.2Lodging: nightly caps and folio incidentals
- 4.1Meals, attendees and the alcohol rule
- 6.0Receipts at $75, substantiation in 60 days
- 6.4Return of excess advances within 120 days
- 8.0Audit, clarification requests and exceptions
Download our 2026 Modern Corporate Expense Policy Template (Word + Notion ready)
34 editable clauses with recommended limits, IRS Accountable Plan language and the exact wording our customers use for clarification requests.
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