Record the refund as a negative expense in Concur, not as a separate transaction type

When you receive a refund for something you expensed in Concur, you do not create a new expense entry or mark the original as "refunded." Instead, you add a second expense with a negative dollar amount in the same category as the original purchase. Concur will net the two amounts together on your report.

This approach keeps your expense history clean and lets your manager see both the original charge and the refund without confusion. The negative entry shows up as a line item on your expense report, making the adjustment transparent.

Key Takeaways

  • Enter the refund as a new expense with a minus sign in front of the dollar amount, using the same category as the original purchase.
  • Do not delete or edit the original expense — both entries should appear on your report so your manager can see the full transaction history.
  • Attach the refund confirmation email or receipt to the new negative expense entry so the approver knows why the amount is negative.
  • The refund must be entered before you submit the report; you cannot add it after approval without resubmitting the entire report.
  • If the refund came as a credit card adjustment rather than a separate payment, check with your accounting team about whether to enter it at all.

Step-by-step entry in Concur

Open Concur and go to the expense report where the original purchase appears. Click Add Expense and select the same category as the original item — if the original was "Meals and Entertainment," the refund goes there too, not in a separate "Refunds" category.

In the amount field, type a minus sign followed by the refund amount. For example, if you received a $45 refund, enter -45. Leave the date as the date you received the refund, not the date of the original purchase. Concur will automatically calculate the net when you submit.

In the description field, write something like "Refund for [original item description]" so your manager knows what the negative amount refers to. Attach the refund confirmation — an email from the vendor, a credit card statement showing the reversal, or a receipt from the refund process. This documentation is what keeps the report from being flagged during approval.

When the refund appears on your credit card statement instead

If the refund came as a credit card adjustment and your company uses Concur's credit card integration, the refund may already be in the system as a separate transaction. Check your Concur home page under Credit Card Transactions to see if it is there. If it is, you can match it to the original expense or create a negative entry — your company's policy determines which.

Ask your accounting or finance team which method they prefer. Some companies want you to match the credit card refund to the original expense so they appear as one line item. Others want the negative entry so the original charge and refund both show on the report. Doing it the wrong way can cause the report to be rejected during approval.

If the refund is not showing up in your credit card transactions within three to five business days of the credit appearing on your statement, contact your card issuer to confirm the adjustment went through. Sometimes refunds take longer to post to the Concur feed than they do to your actual card.

Partial refunds and what to do if you got less back than expected

If you received a partial refund — say you spent $100 but only got $75 back — enter the negative amount as -75. The original $100 and the -$75 will net to $25 on your report, which is the amount you actually paid out of pocket.

If the refund amount does not match what you expected, do not guess. Contact the vendor to confirm the exact amount before you enter it in Concur. A mismatch between what you enter and what your credit card statement shows can trigger an audit flag during approval.

Submitting the report with the refund included

Once you have added the negative expense, review the report total to make sure it reflects the net amount you actually spent. Your original expense minus the refund should equal what you are claiming. If the math does not add up, go back and check the amounts and categories.

When you submit the report, include a note to your manager if the refund is large or if there is any chance they will not understand why a negative number appears. A one-sentence explanation — "I received a $45 refund for the hotel cancellation on 3/15" — prevents questions during approval.

After you submit, the report goes to your manager for approval just like any other report. The negative entry does not require special handling or a separate approval step.

What happens if you already submitted the report without the refund

If you submitted a report and then received a refund, you have two options. The first is to create a new expense report for just the refund as a negative amount and submit it as a separate report. This keeps things simple and lets your manager see the refund clearly.

The second option is to ask your manager if you can recall the original report, add the negative expense, and resubmit. This only works if the report has not been fully approved and closed. Once it is closed, you cannot edit it — you must create a new report.

Check your company's policy on this. Some finance teams prefer one new report per refund so they can track them separately. Others prefer you to recall and resubmit if the original report is still in approval. Asking first saves you from having to redo the work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I delete the original expense and just enter the refund amount as a new expense?

No. Deleting the original removes the transaction history, which can cause problems during an audit. Your manager and accounting need to see both the original charge and the refund so they know what happened. Always keep both entries on the report.

What if the refund went to a different payment method than the original charge?

Enter it the same way — as a negative expense in the same category. The payment method does not matter for Concur purposes. What matters is that the original purchase and the refund are both documented on your report.

Do I need my manager's permission before adding a refund to my report?

No, but it is good practice to send them a quick message letting them know a refund is coming. If they are already reviewing the report, a heads-up prevents confusion when they see the negative amount.

What if my company uses a different expense software and I am not sure how to enter a refund?

The principle is the same across most systems — negative amount, same category, attached documentation — but the steps vary. Check your software's help section or ask your finance team for the exact process. Do not guess, because the wrong method can cause approval delays.

Can I combine multiple refunds into one negative expense entry?

Only if they are all from the same category and the same vendor. If you received refunds for different items or from different vendors, enter each one separately so your manager can see what each refund was for. Combining them makes the report harder to audit.