In the Custodia platform you will see some overlap between the terms "Transactions" and "Expenses".
- Expenses: these are transactions that we were able to match to relevant data assets (activities, categories, cost centers, etc.). In this way declines are never expenses.
- Transactions: these are all of the events we see from a credit card network (refunds, charges, declines, verifications)
Custodia captures every card charge in real time as a transaction. This reflects the actual event that occurred at the merchant.
Once that transaction is recorded in the system, it is categorized and managed according to your organization’s structure as an expense. In other words, the transaction is the raw payment event, and the expense is how your company defines, classifies, and governs that transaction within Custodia.
Expenses Grid (Activity > Expenses)
The Expenses Grid is designed for expense reporting and budget management. It focuses on how spend is categorized, approved, and aligned with your company’s accounting processes.
Key Features:
Activity-Centric: Displays expenses tied to a specific activity or budget.
Expense Reporting: This is the grid to use when preparing data for external accounting systems (e.g., QBO, NetSuite).
Categorization: Shows expense types, GL categories, and any activity-related details.
Approval Flow: Indicates whether an expense has been submitted, is pending approval, or has been approved/denied.
Editable Details: Finance teams and activity owners can adjust expense details such as expense type, notes, or budget allocation.
Filtering by Activity: Quickly drill into spend by campaign, project, or budget line.
Primary Users:
Finance team
Expense Reviewers and Approver
Transactions Grid (User or Team Dashboard)
The Transactions Grid provides a raw view of card and payment data. It helps employees and admins understand the details behind transactions and serves as the starting point for transaction troubleshooting.
Key Features:
Transaction-Centric: Displays all transactions made with Custodia-issued cards, regardless of whether they have approved or declined
Bank-Level Data: Includes merchant name, date, amount, status (posted vs. pending), and payment method (card/account).
Troubleshooting & Compliance: Provides details such as decline reasons, force capture status, and other network-level data.
Settlement Details: Shows information regarding settlement date/amounts, currency conversions, and partial authorizations, which are not reflected in the Expenses Grid.
Primary Users:
All employees (viewing personal card activity)
Admins/Finance (investigating declines or settlement details)