Top 5 petty cash management software in 2025

Managing petty cash funds may seem minor, but for many businesses, it’s a constant source of friction. Whether it’s chasing down paper receipts, manually entering expenses into spreadsheets, or dealing with end-of-month reconciliation chaos, traditional petty cash processes can be surprisingly time-consuming. Fortunately, there’s a better way.

Petty cash management software offers a modern, digital alternative that helps finance teams take back control over small business expenses. In this guide, we’ll explore the key features, benefits, and top software providers that can simplify your petty cash workflows—saving time, reducing errors, and improving accountability.

What is petty cash management software?

Petty cash management software is a digital solution designed to help businesses effectively track, manage, and reconcile small cash transactions. These minor, everyday expenses — such as office supplies, taxi fares, or team lunches — are often paid using petty cash. Traditionally, this process involved paper receipts, manual entries in a petty cash book, and a locked drawer or petty cash jar. However, these manual processes are prone to human error, lack real-time visibility, and make it hard for finance teams to maintain accountability.

Petty cash management software automates the recording and approval of petty cash expenses, ensuring better control over company funds. It streamlines the reimbursement process, reduces the risk of unauthorised spending, and integrates seamlessly with accounting software for accurate financial reporting. As a result, it is a vital component of modern expense management software.

Key features to look for in petty cash management software

When evaluating software for petty cash management, look for features that address common pain points such as manual errors, lack of visibility, and inefficiencies in the reconciliation process. Here are the essential features:

• Real-time expense tracking: Instant insights into petty cash transactions, including timestamps, amounts, and categories.
• Customisable approval workflows: Tailored approval processes based on spending limits or cost centres.
• Expense categorisation: Automatically categorise petty cash expenses for clear reporting.
• Attachment support: Upload petty cash receipts and supporting documentation per transaction.
• Integration with accounting software: Seamless accounting integration to sync data with your existing accounting systems.
• Mobile access: Submit petty cash claims and view balances from mobile devices.
• Spending controls: Set predefined spending limits to prevent unauthorised transactions.
• Automated reconciliation: Simplify the reconciliation process with auto-matching and reports.
• Detailed reports: Generate comprehensive reports for financial records and audits.
• Access management: Control who can view, approve, or request funds with role-based permissions.

Benefits of using petty cash software

Adopting petty cash management software can deliver significant improvements in how your business handles everyday transactions:

• Improved efficiency: Eliminate manual data entry and reduce administrative workload for finance teams.
• Real-time visibility: Gain instant insights into petty cash expenses and spending patterns.
• Error reduction: Reduce manual tracking errors and human input mistakes.
• Enhanced accountability: Assign responsibility for each transaction, improving audit trails.
• Faster reconciliation: Automate petty cash reconciliation and reduce month-end stress.
• Better compliance: Ensure adherence to internal expense policies and spending limits.
• Time savings: Save valuable time across the business by streamlining petty cash processes.

Top 5 petty cash management software for businesses

1. Zoho Expense

Zoho Expense is a comprehensive expense management platform with features tailored for petty cash tracking. It supports real-time expense visibility, automated categorisation, and integration with popular accounting software. Finance teams can set up approval workflows and generate comprehensive reports to streamline the reconciliation process.

2. Soldo

Soldo provides prepaid company cards linked to a smart platform for managing business expenses, including petty cash. With advanced controls, expense categorisation, and detailed analytics, Soldo helps reduce unauthorised spending and ensures accountability. It's an effective choice for businesses looking to manage decentralised spending.

3. Weel

If you're seeking a smart, simple way to manage business expenses—especially small, day-to-day ones—Weel is worth your consideration. Designed for modern finance teams, Weel combines virtual and physical petty cash cards with real-time expense tracking and approval workflows. It offers an intuitive way to issue prepaid expense cards, set custom limits, and track petty cash activity across your team. With seamless accounting integrations and strong mobile capabilities, Weel makes it easier to stay in control without adding complexity. Explore Weel or book a demo today.

4. Expensify

Expensify simplifies petty cash tracking through receipt scanning, real-time tracking, and expense reporting. Its automation features help businesses cut down on manual processes while offering control over minor expenses and office-related purchases.

5. Pleo

Pleo offers an easy petty cash software experience with smart company cards and real-time transaction feeds. It enables employees to make petty cash payments while automatically collecting and categorising receipts. Pleo’s user-friendly mobile app ensures a smooth transition from traditional cash processes.

Tips for choosing the right petty cash software

When selecting the best petty cash management software for your business, consider the following tips:

• Understand your needs: Determine whether you need a standalone petty cash tool or an integrated expense management system.
• Prioritise ease of use: Opt for software with an intuitive interface and mobile support for quick adoption across teams.
• Check integration options: Ensure it integrates with your existing accounting systems to avoid duplicate data entry.
• Evaluate reporting capabilities: Look for customisable and detailed reports that support audits and budget planning.
• Test scalability: Choose a solution that can scale with your business as it grows.
• Compare support & training: Reliable support and available training can ensure a smooth implementation and usage experience.
• Try before you buy: Explore petty cash software free trials to evaluate fit before committing.

Why choose Weel for petty cash management?

Managing petty cash doesn't have to be messy or manual. Weel offers a streamlined, user-centric approach that helps businesses transition from outdated cash jars and paper receipts to a smarter, digital-first petty cash system. Whether you're managing everyday office expenses or tracking high-volume, low-value purchases across departments, Weel brings structure, visibility, and control to your process.

With Weel, finance teams gain a centralised platform to manage petty cash and broader expense workflows with precision. Its flexible infrastructure supports both virtual and physical prepaid cards, real-time transaction tracking, customisable approval workflows, and automated reconciliation—ensuring every pound spent is accounted for without adding administrative burden.

Here are some of the key features of Weel and the real-world problems they solve:

Prepaid virtual & physical cards

Weel eliminates the need for shared corporate cards or petty cash jars by issuing employee-specific cards. This solves the problem of lost accountability and unauthorised spending, and ensures traceable transactions every time.

Custom spending limits & expense policies

Finance teams can apply predefined spending limits based on roles, departments, or use cases. This controls budget leakage, enforces compliance with internal approval policies, and prevents overspending before it happens.

Automated receipt collection

Employees can snap and upload receipts via mobile as they spend. This eliminates the common issue of missing receipts and manual follow-ups, helping ensure every transaction is audit-ready.

Smart approval workflows

Set up multi-level or conditional approval processes based on purchase type or amount. This removes the bottlenecks of manual approvals and speeds up reimbursements while keeping control in place.

Real-time tracking & notifications

Every transaction appears in Weel the moment it happens. This feature addresses the traditional delay in visibility that occurs with manual expense reporting, allowing finance teams to identify and respond to unusual or unauthorised activity immediately.

Seamless integration with accounting software

Weel syncs with platforms like Xero and MYOB, eliminating duplicate data entry and reducing manual reconciliation tasks. This saves valuable time and reduces errors in accounting records.

Automated reconciliation & reporting

Weel matches transactions with receipts and policy rules automatically. This dramatically reduces month-end workload, improves accuracy, and ensures your records are always up to date.

In short, Weel isn't just a petty cash tool—it's a full-featured, modern expense management platform tailored to businesses looking for smarter ways to handle day-to-day spending. It brings together control, visibility, and ease of use into a single platform designed to evolve with your financial operations.

Curious to see how Weel can help you streamline your business's expense management? Take the product tour or book a demo with our team today!

Frequently asked questions

How does petty cash software improve efficiency?

Petty cash software streamlines data entry, automates approval workflows, and simplifies reconciliation, reducing manual efforts and saving valuable time for finance teams.

Which petty cash software is best for small businesses?

Weel, Zoho Expense, and Pleo offer excellent features tailored to small businesses, including customisable controls, real-time tracking, and easy-to-use interfaces.

How do you automate petty cash?

You can automate petty cash by using software that provides digital cards, real-time tracking, automated categorisation, and integrations with accounting software.

Is petty cash outdated?

While physical petty cash jars are outdated, managing minor expenses is still essential. Modern petty cash software provides a more secure and efficient way to handle such transactions.

What is meant by petty cash management?

Petty cash management involves tracking, controlling, and reconciling small-value expenses made by employees or departments to cover daily business needs.