The Expense to Bills feature allows you to export card transactions from Alaan to your accounting software as Bills + Bill Payments instead of standard Expenses.
Supported Accounting Integrations
The Expense to Bills feature is supported for:
Xero
QuickBooks Online
Zoho Books
Oracle Netsuite
Odoo
Note: Vendor Sync must be enabled for this feature to work.
How to Enable Expense to Bills
Step 1: Complete Your Accounting Integration
Go to the Accounting tab in Alaan.
Connect your accounting software.
Import:
Chart of Accounts
Tax Codes
Bank Accounts
Complete the integration setup.
Step 2: Enable Vendor Sync
Vendor mapping is mandatory when exporting as Bills.
Go to Settings → Integrations
Select your connected accounting platform.
Enable Vendor Sync
Ensure vendors are mapped correctly.
Step 3: Set Your Default Export Type
Once Vendor Sync is enabled, you can choose how Alaan exports card transactions by default.
Under Default Export Type, select one of the following:
Export as Expense – Card transactions are exported as Journal Entries (default)
Export as Bill – Card transactions are exported as a Vendor Bill + Bill Payment
This setting applies to all card transactions going forward. You can still override it for specific transactions or merchants — see below.
Change the Export Type for a Single Transaction
To override the export type for one transaction without affecting others:
Go to Accounting → Prepare & Export.
In the Export Type column, click the dropdown next to the transaction and select:
Expense – exported as a Journal Entry
Bill – exported as a Vendor Bill + Bill Payment
This change applies only to that transaction. All other transactions from the same merchant will continue to follow your default setting or any existing merchant rule.
Manage Merchant Rules
You can view, edit, or remove Export Type rules for any merchant at any time.
Go to Settings → Automation Rules → Merchant Rules (or click Set Automation Rules from the Accounting page)
Find the merchant you want to update.
Change the Export Type to Expense or Bill as needed.
Changes take effect immediately for all future transactions from that merchant.
The first time you change a merchant's Export Type from Expense to Bill, Alaan automatically creates a Merchant Rule for that merchant. From that point on, all future transactions from that merchant will be exported as Bills — no manual selection needed.
What Changes When This Is Enabled
When this feature is turned on, card transactions are no longer exported as simple Expenses.
Previously (Default Behavior) : Card Transaction → Expense
With Expense to Bills Enabled: Card Transaction → Bill → Bill Payment → Marked as Paid
What Alaan Automatically Does
For every eligible card transaction, Alaan will:
Create a Bill in your accounting software
Set the Bill Date to the transaction date
Set the Due Date to the transaction date
Map the correct Vendor, GL account, and Tax code
Create a corresponding Bill Payment
Set the Payment Date to the transaction date.
Mark the Bill as Paid
Use the full transaction amount as the payment amount
This ensures the transaction follows a proper Accounts Payable workflow while remaining fully reconciled in your accounting system.
How the Export Works
A cardholder makes a card transaction.
The transaction is reviewed.
Vendor is mapped for each expense.
The transaction is moved to Ready to Export.
Accountant or Admin exports it to your accounting software.
In your ERP:
A Bill is created (in Awaiting Payment/Open status).
A Bill Payment is created.
The Bill is automatically marked as Paid.
Note: Split expenses are supported and exported as line items.
FAQ
Q. Why should I use Expense to Bills?
You should use this feature if:
Your finance team uses an Accounts Payable workflow.
Vendor reporting and aging are important.
You want all vendor spend recorded as Bills.
You want to avoid duplicate Bill and Expense entries.
Q. Do I need to pre-create bills in my ERP?
No. Alaan will automatically create the Bill and mark it as Paid during export.
Q. What happens if a vendor is not mapped?
The export will fail. Vendor selection and mapping are mandatory when exporting as Bills.
Q. Can I still export some transactions as Expenses?
Yes. The Accountant or the Admin can toggle the option on and off to export the expenses as Expense or as a Bill.
Q. What date is used for the Bill?
Bill Date → Transaction Date
Due Date → Transaction Date
Payment Date → Transaction Date
Q. How are split expenses handled?
Each split appears as a separate line item in the Bill with:
GL Account mapping
Tax mapping
Quantity
Q. Will this affect VAT or tax mapping?
No. Tax codes will follow your existing integration mapping and setup.
Q. Will the Bill be marked as Paid automatically?
Yes. Alaan creates the Bill and immediately records a Bill Payment, marking it as Paid.
Q. Does this change existing exported transactions?
No. This setting only affects transactions exported after the feature is enabled.
Need further assistance? Feel free to drop an email at [email protected]