[Due for payment 2026-01-14] [$250] Full story: The `Expense exceeds auto-approval limit` violation showing on a Draft report

[izarutskaya]

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Version Number:
Reproducible in staging?: Needs Reproduction
Reproducible in production?: Needs Reproduction
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack:
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers):
Logs: https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/4856
Expensify/Expensify Issue URL:
Issue reported by: @puneetlath
Slack conversation (hyperlinked to channel name): #expensify_migrate

Action Performed:

1. Go to https://staging.new.expensify.com/
2. Create a workspace with an auto-approval limit
3. As a admin/approver, create an a Draft report with expense that exceeds the limit
4. View the draft report created

Expected Result:

Violation Expense exceeds auto-approval limit shouldn't show it at all on Draft reports.

Actual Result:

The Expense exceeds auto-approval limit violation showing on a Draft report.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

Select the officially supported platforms where the issue was reproduced:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

The link for the FS you can find in the OP

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• Last Price Increase: 2025-12-23
• Automatic offers:
• truph01 | Contributor | 109913306

Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @laurenreidexpensify

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to @laurenreidexpensify (Bug), see https://stackoverflow.com/c/expensify/questions/14418 for more details. Please add this bug to a GH project, as outlined in the SO.

[truph01]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

• The Expense exceeds auto-approval limit violation showing on a Draft report.

What is the root cause of that problem?

• We should the expense exceeds auto-approval limit violation even when the report is draft

  App/src/libs/TransactionUtils/index.ts

  Lines 1352 to 1354 in df5234b

  	if (violationName === CONST.VIOLATIONS.OVER_AUTO_APPROVAL_LIMIT) {
  	return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && isOpenOrProcessingReport;
  	}

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

• Use

    if (violationName === CONST.VIOLATIONS.OVER_AUTO_APPROVAL_LIMIT) {
        return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && isProcessingReport(iouReport);
    }

or

    if (violationName === CONST.VIOLATIONS.OVER_AUTO_APPROVAL_LIMIT) {
        return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && !isReportOpen;
    }

instead.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

[MelvinBot]

This has been labelled "Needs Reproduction". Follow the steps here: https://stackoverflowteams.com/c/expensify/questions/16989

[truph01]

I can reproduce the bug with the reproduce steps:

1. Go to https://staging.new.expensify.com/
2. Create a workspace with an auto-approval limit
3. As a member, create an a Draft report with an expense that exceeds the limit
4. As admin, view the draft report created

[situchan]

I can also reproduce the bug with repro step in OP.
As @truph01 submitted proposal already, can I be reviewer?

[truph01]

@situchan I've hidden my proposal. If you think it’s still a viable approach, feel free to re-post it—I’d be happy to review it as C+ role.

[Eskalifer1]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

The Expense exceeds auto-approval limit violation showing on a Draft report

What is the root cause of that problem?

We check here is report is Open or Processing:

App/src/libs/TransactionUtils/index.ts

Lines 1352 to 1354 in 7511846

	if (violationName === CONST.VIOLATIONS.OVER_AUTO_APPROVAL_LIMIT) {
	return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && isOpenOrProcessingReport;
	}

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We should only check if report is processing:

return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && isProcessingReport(iouReport);

or

return isPolicyAdmin(policy) && !isSubmitter && !isReportOpen

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Reminder: Please use plain English, be brief and avoid jargon. Feel free to use images, charts or pseudo-code if necessary. Do not post large multi-line diffs or write walls of text. Do not create PRs unless you have been hired for this job.