NetSuite Admin Tip | Why Expense Reports Stay Open in Accounts Payable After Payroll Reimbursement?

Overview

A common issue in NetSuite occurs when employee expense reports remain open in the Accounts Payable (A/P) Register even after:

• The expense has been billed to a customer
• The customer invoice has been paid
• The employee has already been reimbursed through payroll

This behavior is expected when expense reports are reimbursed outside of NetSuite’s standard expense payment workflow.

This admin tip explains why it happens and how administrators can properly clear the open balances.

Common Scenario

Employees submit expense reports for items such as:

• Mileage reimbursement
• Per diem
• Airfare
• Hotels
• Printing expenses

These expenses are:

1. Charged back to customers through project invoicing