This article explains how to set up your Perk profile to get paid for approved out-of-pocket expenses (e.g. meals, taxis, incidentals) when your company uses reimbursements, and how to check status and fix common payment issues. Use it when you want to receive reimbursement into your bank account and understand what you see in Perk.
Note: This article is for employees outside the US. If you're a US-based employee, see Link your bank account for reimbursement payouts (US) instead.
If your company uses reimbursements in Perk, Perk can pay you for approved out-of-pocket expenses straight into your bank account, instead of running it through payroll or another manual process. Your company turns on the feature and approves your expense; Perk handles the payout.
Before you start
To receive reimbursement, you need a bank account in your own name, in a currency your company's reimbursement setup supports (for example, GBP for a UK company or EUR for a company in the eurozone). The account must be in your name and match the name on your Perk profile.
You'll also need your date of birth in your Perk profile — Perk uses this for compliance and to match the account holder.
Currently, travel expenses booked via Perk (hotels, flights, train tickets, car rentals) don't qualify for reimbursement — only out-of-pocket expenses (meals, taxis, incidentals, etc.) do. If you have a large travel-related out-of-pocket expense over your company's limit, your company reimburses you through another channel — ask your finance team.
Adding your bank details
Follow these steps to add your bank details:
- Go to Profile > Personal > Bank information. If your company has turned on reimbursements, this section is available for you to fill in.
- Enter the details Perk asks for. The fields depend on your company's setup and country — for example, a sort code and account number for a UK account, or an IBAN for a eurozone account.
- Save your details.
The account must be in your name and match the name on your Perk profile. Perk checks this so that only you can receive reimbursement into your own account.
Note: If you don't see the Bank information section, your company may not have reimbursements turned on yet, or your profile may not be in a supported country or currency. Ask your admin or finance team.
Updating your date of birth
If your date of birth is missing or wrong in your Perk profile:
- Open your profile in Perk.
- Find the date of birth field and enter or correct it.
- Save your profile.
Without an accurate date of birth, reimbursement may be blocked or delayed.
Tracking your reimbursement status
Your reimbursement status shows where your payment is, separately from your expense's approval status. An expense moves through its own stages on its way to accounting — submitted, approved, reviewed, and exported — but reaching those stages doesn't mean you've been paid yet.
Once an expense is approved for payout, your reimbursement moves through 3 stages:
- Scheduled: your payment is queued for the next payment run.
- Processing: Perk has sent your payment, and it's on its way to your bank.
- Reimbursed: the money has arrived in your bank account.
If Perk needs you to do something before it can pay you — usually because your bank details are missing, invalid, or in an unsupported currency — your reimbursement status shows Needs action. Fix your bank details to let the reimbursement go ahead.
You (or a financial reviewer) can cancel a reimbursement while it's Scheduled or in Needs action. Once it moves to Processing, the payment is already underway and can't be canceled.
You can see your reimbursement status on the expense itself, and in your task list of expenses.
Note: Always check your reimbursement status, not your expense status, to know whether you've actually been paid. An expense can show as exported for accounting before the reimbursement has reached your bank account.
Updating or removing your bank details
You can update or remove your bank details at any time from Profile > Personal > Bank information. For example, if Alex Macdonald switches banks, he updates his bank details to the new account.
- To use a different account, update your bank details with the new account information.
- Removing your bank details means Perk can't pay out new reimbursements until you add and save a new account.
Caution: Updating your bank details only affects future reimbursements. If a reimbursement is already Scheduled or Processing when you make the change, Perk still pays it into the account that was on file when it was scheduled — it won't redirect a payment that's already on its way.
Troubleshooting payment issues
Bank details are missing or incorrect
What you see: You're asked to add bank details, or your reimbursement can't be processed because no valid bank account is on file.
What to do: Add or correct your bank details in your profile (see "Add your bank details" above). The account must be in your name. After you save, the next payment run can include your reimbursement (or your finance team may need to reschedule it).
Bank account currency not supported by your company's reimbursement
What you see: A message that your bank account currency isn't supported, or that you need to use an account in a specific currency (e.g. GBP for UK).
What to do: Your company's reimbursement is set up for specific currencies (e.g. GBP or EUR). Add or switch to a bank account in that currency. If you only have an account in another currency, ask your finance team whether they support it; if not, you may need to use a different reimbursement process (e.g. payroll) for that expense.
Expense is over your company's reimbursement limit
What you see: A message that the expense is above the limit for reimbursement (e.g. over 10,000 in your company’s currency)
What to do: Expenses above the limit can't be paid through Perk's reimbursement. Your company will reimburse you another way (e.g. manual bank transfer or payroll). Check with your finance team.
Bookings that were paid to Perk can't be reimbursed in Perk
What you see: A message that the expense that has been paid to Perk can’t be reimbursed.
What to do: Your company will reimburse you another way (e.g. manual bank transfer or payroll). Check with your finance team.
Company's credit limit exceeded — can't process more payouts
What you see: A message that payouts can't be processed right now because the company's credit limit (or similar) has been reached.
What to do: This is a company-level limit, not something you can fix in your profile. Your finance or admin team needs to resolve it with Perk (e.g. adjust the limit or settle the balance). Your reimbursement will be processed once the company's account is in good standing. Ask your finance team for an update.
To learn more about how reimbursement works for your company, see Reimbursements in Perk.