# Returns the expense category with the given identifier.

`GET /accounting/expense-categories/{id}`

Group: Accounting › Expense Categories · Operation ID: `getExpenseCategory`

To look up a category by its external identifier, which is not unique, use POST accounting/expense-categories/search.

[Open in the interactive reference](https://docs.api.lensing.ai/?op=getExpenseCategory)

## Parameters

| Name | In | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Api-Version` | header | `"v1"` | yes | The API version this request targets, named by its public identifier. Required on every request; omitting it, or naming a version this company does not have, is answered with 400. This document describes version `v1`. |
| `id` | path | string | yes | The unique identifier for the expense category to return. |

## Response

`200` Success

Under `data` (getExpenseCategoryOutput):

| Field | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | yes | The unique identifier for the expense category. |
| `category` | string | yes | The display name of the expense category, for example 'Meals'. Unique within the tenant. |
| `categoryType` | string | no | The kind of expense. One of 'Pur', 'Dis' or 'PerDiem'. 'Dis' is distance traveled. |
| `reimbursable` | boolean | yes | Whether expenses in this category are reimbursed to the employee. |
| `status` | string | no | The lifecycle status of the expense category. Possible values: 'active', 'inactive'. An inactive category stays readable so historical expense items still resolve, and is not offered for new ones. |
| `requireAttachment` | boolean | no | Whether an expense in this category must have a receipt attachment. |
| `requireAttendees` | boolean | no | Whether an expense in this category must list attendees. |
| `externalId` | string | no | The identifier this category has in an external system. It is not unique. |
| `lastModifiedDate` | string (date-time) | yes | The date and time the expense category last changed, in UTC. Format YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ. |

## Errors

| Code | Status |
| --- | --- |
| `NOT_FOUND` | 400 |

## Statuses

- `400` — Invalid request or business failure. Codes: NOT_FOUND
- `401` — Missing or invalid access token
- `403` — Not authorized
- `404` — Not found
- `429` — Too many requests
- `500` — Internal server error