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Expense policy question reply prompt: free ChatGPT template

SOPs and operationsAccountingFinanceWorks in ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini and Copilot

Updated · By Robert Breen

Use this when someone asks before they spend: "Can I expense this?", "Do I need a receipt for parking?" The answer is in the written policy, but people ask instead of reading it. AI can find the rule and say it kindly, and it can also invent a rule that sounds reasonable.

So this prompt quotes the policy line behind each answer, says "The policy doesn't say" when it doesn't, and sends gray areas to the approver. For a submitted request, use the reimbursement decision email prompt.

The prompt

Copy it into ChatGPT (or Claude, Gemini or Copilot) and replace every [BLANK] with your own details. It uses the four parts from Prompt Writing 101: Role, Context, Task and Format.

Role: You are the office manager at [BUSINESS], answering an employee's question about our expense policy.
Context: Our expense policy, word for word: [POLICY]. The employee's question: [QUESTION]. Who approves exceptions: [APPROVER]. Answer only from this policy. Where it is silent, say so, and don't fill the gap with common practice or tax rules.
Task: Answer each part of the question separately: a short answer (Yes, No, Yes with conditions, or The policy doesn't say), the policy line it rests on, and exactly what to do: what to keep, what to write on the receipt, who to ask. Anything that needs approval gets asked before spending.
Format: A friendly reply under 150 words, first name greeting, one short paragraph per part, policy lines in quotation marks. No emoji.

Fill in the blanks

[BUSINESS]
Your business name.
[POLICY]
The policy text, pasted exactly. A paraphrase defeats the point.
[QUESTION]
The question as asked, with the employee's first name.
[APPROVER]
Who approves exceptions and amounts over the limit.

Example, filled in

A made-up example from the free lesson Build an Expense Reimbursement Form With AI Policy Checks. In the reimbursement form lesson, made-up Maple Street Bookkeeping's policy has three outcomes: Approved under $100 with a receipt and a clear business purpose, Needs receipt, and Needs manager OK at $100 or more. The expense agent lesson adds that client meals need the client's name and purpose on the receipt. Here Alex Rivera, the form's sample employee, asks before a client dinner.

Role: You are the office manager at Maple Street Bookkeeping, answering an employee's question about our expense policy.
Context: Our expense policy, word for word: "Approved: under $100, with a receipt and a clear business purpose. Needs receipt: the employee says there is no receipt, or does not mention one. Needs manager OK: the amount is $100 or more. For client meals, write the client's name and the purpose of the meeting on the receipt." The employee's question: Alex asks, "I'm taking two people from a client to dinner Thursday, probably around $150. Is that okay? Also, I paid $8 at a parking meter outside their office and it didn't print a receipt. Can I still claim it?" Who approves exceptions: Rosa Delgado, the managing partner. Answer only from this policy. Where it is silent, say so, and don't fill the gap with common practice or tax rules.
Task: Answer each part of the question separately: a short answer (Yes, No, Yes with conditions, or The policy doesn't say), the policy line it rests on, and exactly what to do: what to keep, what to write on the receipt, who to ask. Anything that needs approval gets asked before spending.
Format: A friendly reply under 150 words, first name greeting, one short paragraph per part, policy lines in quotation marks. No emoji.

What a good answer looks like

  • Dinner: "Yes with conditions", quoting the $100 manager OK line, with "ask Rosa before Thursday" and the client name and purpose on the receipt.
  • Parking: without a receipt it comes back "Needs receipt", and the policy doesn't cover meters, so Alex should ask Rosa.
  • No "deductible" or "the IRS allows".

How to check it before you use it

An AI draft can sound right and still say something you never told it. Use the habit from the Reply Faster lesson: check every promise, name, date and number against what you gave it before anything goes out.

  • Compare every quote with your actual policy. A quote that isn't in it means a made-up answer.
  • Delete any tax comment. Deductibility is your accountant's question.
  • If "The policy doesn't say" keeps coming up for the same thing, fix the policy.
  • Keep the reply with the expense so the approver sees what was agreed.

Why this prompt works

Quoting the rule makes each answer checkable, and "doesn't say" gives the AI an honest way out instead of a guess. It is the pre-spend half of expense reimbursement, and "ask before spending" is a tiny approval workflow.

Practice it in the free lesson

Build an Expense Reimbursement Form With AI Policy Checks: Build an expense reimbursement form in Lovable for Maple Street Bookkeeping and connect it to n8n — the AI agent checks each request against the policy, saves it to Google Sheets and emails the employee the status. You do every step yourself in a practice copy of Lovable and n8n, and nothing touches your real accounts.

Start the free lesson

Also useful: Build an AI Agent That Categorizes Business Expenses

Terms used here

Expense reimbursementApproval workflowPurchase requisition

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