# List expense categories

Operation ID: `expenseCategories`

Group: Accounting › Expense Categories

[Open in the interactive reference](https://docs.api.lensing.ai/lensing/v1/endpoints/expenseCategories)

`GET /accounting/expense-categories`

Read-only: Reads and returns; changes nothing.

Lists expense categories.

## Parameters

| Name | In | Type | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `Api-Version` | header | string · 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`. |

## Query surface

- `id` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between, like
- `category` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between, like
- `categoryType` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between, like
- `reimbursable` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between
- `status` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between, like
- `requireAttachment` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between
- `requireAttendees` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between
- `externalId` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between, like
- `lastModifiedDate` — filter by eq, ne, gt, gte, lt, lte, in, notIn, between
- Orderable: id, category, categoryType, status, lastModifiedDate
- Selectable: id, category, categoryType, reimbursable, status, requireAttachment, requireAttendees, externalId, lastModifiedDate
- `page[size]` — Page size
- `page[cursor]` — Opaque continuation cursor

## Response

`200` Success

Under `data`, an array of expenseCategoriesRow:

| Field | Type | Required | Filter | Sort | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| `id` | string | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`), Pattern (`like`) | yes | The unique identifier for the expense category. |
| `category` | string \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`), Pattern (`like`) | yes | The display name of the expense category, for example 'Meals'. Unique within the tenant. |
| `categoryType` | string \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`), Pattern (`like`) | yes | The kind of expense. Possible values: 'Pur', 'Dis', 'PerDiem'. 'Dis' is distance traveled. |
| `reimbursable` | boolean \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`) | no | Whether expenses in this category are reimbursed to the employee. |
| `status` | string \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`), Pattern (`like`) | yes | 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 \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`) | no | Whether an expense in this category must have a receipt attachment. |
| `requireAttendees` | boolean \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`) | no | Whether an expense in this category must list attendees. |
| `externalId` | string \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`), Pattern (`like`) | no | The identifier this category has in an external system. It is not unique. |
| `lastModifiedDate` | date-time \| null | no | Exact (`eq`, `ne`), Range (`gt`, `gte`, `lt`, `lte`, `between`), Any of (`in`, `notIn`) | yes | The date and time the expense category last changed, in UTC. Format YYYY-MM-DDTHH:mm:ss.sssZ. |

```json
{
  "data": [
    {
      "id": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6",
      "category": "<category>",
      "categoryType": "<categoryType>",
      "reimbursable": true,
      "status": "<status>",
      "requireAttachment": true,
      "requireAttendees": true,
      "externalId": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6",
      "lastModifiedDate": "2026-01-15T09:30:00.000Z"
    }
  ],
  "pagination": {
    "hasMore": true,
    "nextCursor": "<nextCursor>"
  }
}
```

## Statuses

- `400` — Invalid request or business failure
- `401` — The request carries no valid access token.
- `403` — Not authorized
- `404` — Not found
- `429` — Too many requests from this client address. The response has no body and no `Retry-After` header.
- `500` — Internal server error