Can users see why a transaction was marked as non-compliant?
Short answer
Yes. Users receive specific explanations for non-compliant transactions, including which rule was triggered, what information is missing, and what action is required to resolve the issue.
On Ramp, cardholders and reviewers see detailed reasons directly on the transaction, including the specific policy rule or requirement triggered, required documentation, and what needs to be completed for review or approval.
How flagged transactions appear
When a transaction requires attention due to company policy or missing information, Ramp flags it immediately and communicates the specific issue:
- Policy rule or flag type: The specific policy or requirement that was triggered (e.g., "Meals over $50 require itemized receipt," "Weekend spend," "Blocked category")
- Flag details: What triggered the flag (amount limits, missing receipt, restricted merchant, duplicate receipt)
- Required action: What the user must do to resolve it (upload receipt, add memo, provide accounting fields)
- Review requirements: Whether the transaction requires manager review or approval
Flags appear as visual indicators on the transaction card, with full explanations available when you click into the transaction details.
Common flags
Ramp identifies several types of issues that require attention:
- Spending limits: Transaction exceeds category or merchant limits
- Missing required fields: Receipt, memo, category, or accounting fields required but not provided
- Restricted merchants: Purchase from a blocked vendor category
- Approval requirements: Transaction requires pre-approval or manager review
- Receipt issues: Missing, non-itemized, or duplicate receipts
Each flag includes specific guidance on how to address the issue.
How flagged transactions are resolved
The resolution process depends on the type of flag and your company's workflow configuration:
- Review-required transactions: Transaction can move forward but requires manager review. The flag remains visible to approvers with full context about the policy concern or missing information.
- Required fields: Transaction needs certain information completed (receipt upload, memo, accounting fields) before it can be fully processed. The user must provide the required information for the expense to move forward.
- Employee context: Employees can provide context through memos and comments that reviewers can see when evaluating flagged transactions. This helps managers understand the business justification when reviewing exceptions.
Audit trail and visibility
Ramp maintains a complete record of transaction flags and actions:
- Flag history: When the flag was triggered and what rule or requirement caused it
- User actions: What the cardholder did to address the issue
- Approval decisions: Whether managers approved the transaction and any notes provided
- Policy changes: If the transaction was retroactively affected by policy updates
Finance teams can review patterns in flagged transactions to identify whether policies need adjustment or whether additional training is needed.
Related questions
Yes, policy violations are tracked over time through review queues and flagged transaction logs that capture non-compliant transactions, maintain audit trails, and provide visibility to identify repeat issues, spending patterns, and policy gaps across the organization.
Read moreYes, spending policies can be configured with different limits, approval workflows, merchant restrictions, and visibility rules based on a user's department or team within the organization.
Read moreYes. Modern spend management systems can block transactions in real time by evaluating each purchase against predefined controls at the moment it occurs, declining the card before the charge processes if a rule is violated.
Read moreIt depends on the type of control: hard controls (e.g., blocked merchant categories) decline transactions at purchase and cannot be overridden after the fact. Policy flags or out-of-policy indicators can be reviewed and approved as exceptions by authorized users with documented justification and higher-level approval, with an audit trail.
Read moreControls and approval policies define what types of spending are allowed and under what conditions, while spend limits cap how much can be spent. Together, they create layered controls: category and merchant restrictions determine if a transaction is permitted, then spend limits enforce the dollar boundaries.
Read moreThe system flags the transaction, blocks it or routes it for review depending on the violation’s severity, notifies relevant parties, and requires correction or approval before processing. All actions are logged for audit purposes.
Read more