Corporate Spend Blueprint

Expense Management

Build a modern spend management platform. Issue virtual and physical corporate expense cards to employees, enforce dynamic spending controls and MCC limits, auto-capture receipt metadata via OCR webhooks, and synchronize settled expenses directly into ERP general ledgers.

System Architecture & Flow

REAL-TIME EXPENSE AUTHORIZATION & AUDIT PIPELINE< 1500ms Webhook SLA

Employee Spends

Employee taps card at terminal or checks out online with virtual card.

Policy Evaluation

Rook checks employee spending budget, MCC rules, and triggers real-time auth webhook.

Receipt Prompt

Instant push notification prompts employee to upload receipt photo via mobile app.

ERP Settlement

Settlement webhook triggers automated two-way entry in QuickBooks, NetSuite, or Xero.

1Issue Employee Expense Card with Spending Policies

Create an active virtual card assigned to an employee with daily/monthly limits and Merchant Category Code (MCC) white-lists (e.g. travel, software subscriptions, office supplies).

POST /v1/cardsIssue Expense Card

curl -X POST "https://api.sandbox.rookpayments.com/v1/cards" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_test_..." \
  -H "X-Program-ID: 7c9e6679-7425-40de-944b-e07fc1f90ae7" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "account_id": "acc_exp_99812",
    "type": "virtual",
    "cardholder_name": "Jordan Rivera",
    "metadata": {
      "department": "Engineering",
      "cost_center": "CC-4010"
    },
    "spending_limits": [
      { "amount": 500000, "interval": "monthly" },
      { "amount": 100000, "interval": "daily" }
    ],
    "controls": {
      "allowed_categories": ["software", "cloud_hosting", "travel_lodging"],
      "blocked_mccs": ["7995", "6051"]
    }
  }'

2Handle Real-Time Authorization Webhook

When an employee swipes or checks out, Rook dispatches an authorization webhook. Verify employee status and project budget balance before returning approval.

EVENT card.authorization.requestPayload

{
  "event_id": "evt_auth_448201",
  "type": "card.authorization.request",
  "data": {
    "card_id": "crd_881920",
    "amount": 14900,
    "currency": "USD",
    "merchant": {
      "name": "GITHUB INC",
      "mcc": "5734",
      "city": "SAN FRANCISCO",
      "country": "USA"
    },
    "cardholder": {
      "id": "usr_9912",
      "name": "Jordan Rivera"
    }
  }
}

3Attach Receipt & Reconcile with Accounting GL

Attach the employee's uploaded receipt image, extract tax details, and match the receipt against the cleared ledger transaction.

POST /v1/transactions/{id}/receiptsAttach Receipt

curl -X POST "https://api.sandbox.rookpayments.com/v1/transactions/txn_449210/receipts" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer rk_test_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "file_url": "https://s3.amazonaws.com/company-receipts/rec_89812.pdf",
    "ocr_metadata": {
      "total_tax": 1250,
      "merchant_tax_id": "XX-XXXXXXX",
      "invoice_number": "INV-2026-908"
    },
    "status": "matched"
  }'

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