# Purchase Approval: Can I Spend This?

Source: https://maito.app/workflows/answer-can-i-spend-this

Employees ask Maito whether they can buy something and get a clear answer from your budget sheet and approval rules, including who has to sign off.

People ask about budgets and approval rules and get a clear answer.

[Finance](https://maito.app/workflows/team/finance) · When you ask · Updated October 19, 2026

Works with

-   Slack
-   Email
-   [Airtable](https://maito.app/workflows/tool/airtable)
-   Microsoft 365

## How do you answer "can I spend this?"?

To answer "can I spend this?", employees ask Maito in Slack. It checks your approval rules and the team's remaining budget in your spreadsheet, answers yes or no with the numbers, names who must approve at that amount, and flags committed spend and paperwork such as a signed order form.

## How it's done today

Finance answers the same budget questions daily.

## What Maito does

1.  Read the question
2.  Check budget and approval rules
3.  Answer and say who approves

## Example

**Jo** (1:40 PM):

can I buy a $2,000 tool for the support team? It's a yearly plan.

**Maito** (1:41 PM):

Yes, within budget. Customer success has $6,150 left this quarter, out of $15,000.

**Who approves**  
• Over $1,000 needs your director's approval. That's Kate.  
• Over $5,000 also needs finance.  
• Annual plans need a signed order form, even with a card.

Catch: the budget sheet has $1,800 marked committed for Zendesk seats, which hasn't hit your actuals yet. After that you'd have $4,350, still enough.

Source: the Q4 budget sheet in Microsoft 365 and the purchasing policy in company knowledge. Want me to draft the request to Kate?

**Jo** (1:44 PM):

yes, please.

**Maito** (1:45 PM):

Sent the request to Kate in a thread here with the cost, the budget left and the order form. Nothing is bought yet.

## How to set it up

When you ask Answer "can I spend this?"

Set up

Nothing to set up. Ask in Slack or by email whenever you need it.

Connect spreadsheet

-   Airtable
-   Microsoft 365

Not connected yet? Your agent sends you a link to sign in.

## What it won't do

Maito answers from the sheet and the policy. Approvals and exceptions stay with the people who own the budget.

## Questions

### Where does the budget come from?

From a spreadsheet in Airtable or Microsoft 365. The approval rules come from your finance policy.

### Does it approve the purchase?

No. It tells the person what the rules require and who approves.

### What if the budget sheet is out of date?

Maito says which figures it used and when the sheet was last updated, so the person can check.

## More finance workflows

-   [Log and match every invoice Invoices from email get read, logged and matched to purchase orders. Finance · When something happens Works with Gmail, Microsoft 365, QuickBooks, Xero.](https://maito.app/workflows/log-and-match-every-invoice)
-   [Review expenses against policy Expenses get checked against the policy before a person approves them. Finance · When something happens Works with Ramp.](https://maito.app/workflows/review-expenses-against-policy)
-   [Prep the month-end close checklist Know which close tasks are done, late or blocked. Finance · On a schedule Works with Linear, Asana.](https://maito.app/workflows/prep-the-month-end-close-checklist)
-   [Explain a budget variance See why spending is over or under budget, line by line. Finance · When you ask Works with QuickBooks, Xero, Airtable, Microsoft 365.](https://maito.app/workflows/explain-a-budget-variance)
-   [Chase overdue invoices Customers with overdue invoices get polite, correct reminders. Finance · On a schedule Works with QuickBooks, Xero, Gmail, Microsoft 365.](https://maito.app/workflows/chase-overdue-invoices)
-   [Build a forecast scenario Ask "what if" and get the forecast redone with your assumptions. Finance · When you ask Works with Airtable, Microsoft 365.](https://maito.app/workflows/build-a-forecast-scenario)

[See all workflows](https://maito.app/workflows)

## Put your AI teammate to work.

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[Put Maito to work](https://maito.app/login?returnTo=%2Fworkflows%2Fanswer-can-i-spend-this)[Book a demo](mailto:support@maito.app?subject=Maito%20demo)