Budget not updating

Budgets track spend based on tags (for example, project, team, or department). If a budget looks incorrect or hasn’t updated, it’s usually due to expense status (pending or settled), approval state, or incorrect tag or date.

1. Confirm the expense has the right tag

Budgets only include expenses that have the tag(s) linked to the budget.

1. Open the expense you expect to be included
2. Confirm the correct tag is applied (must match the budget’s tag)
3. If it’s missing/wrong, update the tag on the expense
4. Re-check the budget total and the budget’s expense list

Good to know: If you recently changed tags, double-check you updated the tag on the actual expense you’re looking at (not a different/draft entry).

2. Confirm the expense date is inside the budget period

Budgets only count spending inside the budget’s start/end dates.

1. Open the budget and note the start and end date
2. Open the expense and confirm the expense date falls within that range
3. If it’s outside the range, it won’t be counted

Good to know: One way to remove an expense from a budget is to change the expense date so it falls outside the budget’s time period. The expense date determines whether it is included in the budget.

3. Understand pending vs settled (and approvals)

In Pleo budgets, we show both settled and pending expenses in the budget overview, so you can track spending in real time — but the exact type of pending/settled and whether review is complete matters.

What does “pending” mean?

A pending card expense means the payment has been authorised but isn’t final yet. The amount can still change before it becomes settled (final). Out-of-pocket expenses can also be pending while they’re awaiting review

• Settled expenses = confirmed spend (settled card expenses + approved out-of-pocket expenses, or those that don’t require review)
• Pending expenses = spend in progress (pending card expenses + out-of-pocket expenses awaiting review)

Because pending expenses are included, your budget can look more “used” even before everything is fully settled/approved. This helps you spot potential overspend earlier.

What to do if the total looks stuck? 

Check whether the expense is still pending, awaiting review, or not yet approved (for out-of-pocket expenses that require review).

1. Open the expense
2. Check its current state (pending/settled + review/approval status)
3. If you’re a reviewer/admin, complete the review/approval step (if applicable), then re-check the budget

4. Make sure the budget is still active

Budgets can be active, upcoming, or closed.

• If the budget is closed, it won’t track new spend
• If the tag linked to an active budget is archived, the budget is automatically closed

What to do:

1. Open the budget and confirm it’s active
2. Confirm the linked tag hasn’t been archived
3. If the budget is closed, create a new budget for a new time period (closed budgets can’t be reopened)

5. Multi-Entity — confirm you’re in the right entity

If your organisation uses Multi-Entity, budgets can’t consolidate spend across entities.

• Confirm you’re viewing the budget created for the correct entity
• If you need the same setup in another entity, create a separate budget there

Common scenarios

Still not updating?

If you’ve confirmed tag + date range + expense/review status + budget is active, contact Support from your Pleo account and include:

• Budget name
• Tag used by the budget
• Link/ID for 1–2 example expenses that should be included
• Screenshot of the budget overview + budget expense list