Spend Compliance Policy Violation FAQ

This article answers common questions about what qualifies as a Spend Compliance Policy Violation in Float, how compliance is measured, and how violations affect cardholders.

Directory of Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Spend Compliance Policy Violation?

A violation occurs when a cardholder doesn’t submit all the required information for a transaction. The required fields are defined in the Submission Policy assigned to the card.

Examples of missing information that could lead to a violation:

• No receipt uploaded

• No vendor selected

• Missing GL code or custom field

• No transaction description

How are required fields set?

Required fields are configured by your Administrator in the Submission Policy. Each field can be marked as:

• Required – must be filled in for the transaction to be compliant

• Not Required – optional for the spender

• Hidden – not visible to the spender at all

Only fields marked as "Required" will trigger a compliance violation if left incomplete.

When does a transaction become a violation?

When a transaction appears in your account and is missing any required fields, it's marked as non-compliant and counted as a violation.

How do I know if a transaction is compliant?

Compliance is shown directly in the All Transactions page:

• A blue icon means the transaction is compliant

• A grey icon means the transaction is missing required fields

Click on a grey-icon transaction to see what’s missing and submit the required information.

The required fields are filled out, so why is the transaction still non-compliant?

Even if all required fields are filled in, the transaction can still be non-compliant if one of those fields contains a restricted value.

Admins can restrict available values as part of a submission policy, for example, only enabling certain values in the "GL Code" field. These restricted values don’t prevent Admins from selecting them, though. Admins can still see and choose all options in a field, even restricted ones.

So it’s possible for an Admin to select a restricted value during submission or editing. The field is technically complete, but the policy still flags the transaction as non-compliant.

There are two ways to fix it:

• Update the transaction to remove or replace the restricted value

• Or, if the transaction is otherwise acceptable, an Admin can manually mark it as compliant:

1.  
   1. Navigate to Accounting > Transaction Export 
   2. Locate and select the transaction
   3. Select the 3 dots on the bottom right hand corner beside 'Ready to Export'

   4. Select "Mark as Compliant"
      

       

Can a transaction that was manually marked as non-compliant be changed back to compliant?

Yes! A transaction that was previously marked as non-compliant can be changed back to compliant. To do so:

1. Go to Transaction Exports > Needs Review
2. Search and select the transaction from the Needs Review section > Select the ellipses at the bottom of the page
3. Select Mark as Compliant

Note, this can only be done from the Needs Review section. If the transaction is in Ready to Export, you'll need to select the ellipses beside the Export button and mark it as Not Ready. The transaction will move to Needs Review, where you can complete the steps above.

Do violations apply to spend requests?

No. Violations only apply to completed transactions made on a Float card. Spend requests are handled separately and are not included in compliance calculations.

Can a violation be removed?

Yes. Once a cardholder submits the missing information, the transaction becomes compliant. This will reduce their total violation count.

If a transaction has already been exported to the accounting system and cannot be edited by the cardholder, an Administrator may mark it as compliant manually from Transaction Export > locate and click the transaction > "Mark as Compliant".

What happens when there are too many violations?

If the number of violations exceeds the limit defined in the Submission Policy, the card may be paused automatically. The cardholder will see a message in Float and will not be able to use the card until the issue is resolved.

To learn more, see Auto-Pausing Cards and Why Is My Card Paused and How Do I Unpause It.

Do policy changes affect existing transactions?

No. If an Administrator updates the Submission Policy—such as changing which fields are required—it does not retroactively apply to past transactions. Only new transactions are evaluated against the updated policy.

Can Spenders see what the policy requires?

Yes. On the Cards page, Spenders can view the Submission Policy assigned to their card. Clicking the policy name opens a view of all required fields.

Do Exported Transactions Affect Spend Compliance?

Exported transactions do not impact spend compliance. While these transactions may still appear as non-compliant in Float, they do not count toward your total compliance violations once reviewed and exported.