Understanding Personal vs. Corporate Card Spend

When coding expenses in Zudello, correctly identifying the payment method – Personal Spend vs. Corporate Card Spend – is essential for proper processing, reimbursement, and reconciliation.

Personal Spend:

• Definition: You paid using your own money (personal cash, personal credit/debit card, personal bank account).
• Goal: To get reimbursed by the company.
• Process:
  1. Code the expense, marking it as "Personal Spend" (or similar).
  2. Add the expense to a Reimbursement Claim.
  3. Submit the claim for approval.
  4. Approved claims trigger payment to you from the company.
• Examples: Paying cash for a taxi, buying lunch with your personal card, mileage claims.

Corporate Card Spend:

• Definition: You paid using a credit or debit card issued by the company.
• Goal: To justify the business expense and allow the finance team to reconcile the charge against the company card statement. You are not seeking reimbursement.
• Process:
  1. Code the expense, marking it as "Corporate Card Spend" (or similar).
  2. Add the expense to a Reconciliation Claim (or submit individually if allowed by policy).
  3. Submit the expense/claim for approval (validating business purpose).
  4. Finance team matches the approved expense to the corresponding transaction on the imported card feed using the Card Reconciliation screen.
• Examples: Paying for flights with a company travel card, hotel stays on a corporate AMEX, software subscriptions charged to a company card.

Key Differences & Importance:

Feature	Personal Spend	Corporate Card Spend
Payment By	Employee (Own Funds)	Company (Via Corporate Card)
Goal	Reimbursement to Employee	Justification & Reconciliation
Claim Type	Reimbursement Claim	Reconciliation Claim (or individual)
Outcome	Payment from Company to Employee	Match against Card Statement

Selecting the wrong type can lead to:

• Employees not being reimbursed for personal expenses.
• Attempts to reimburse employees for company card charges.
• Difficulties reconciling corporate card statements.

Always verify how an expense was paid and select the corresponding spend type accurately in Zudello.