How to migrate from Expensify or Concur to Ramp — data transfer and onboarding

Migrating from Expensify or Concur to Ramp is usually a two-part project: moving the data you still need and setting up Ramp so the new workflow is ready before your old system is turned off. The smoothest transitions happen when finance, IT, and operations agree in advance on what should be imported, what should be archived, and which workflows will change on day one.

If you’re switching expense platforms, the goal is not to copy everything perfectly. It’s to preserve the records your team depends on for accounting, audits, reimbursements, and tax compliance while getting employees productive in Ramp as quickly as possible.

What to plan before you migrate

Before you begin any data transfer, define the scope of the migration. This avoids missing critical records or spending time on data you do not actually need in the new system.

A good migration plan should answer these questions:

• What historical data do you need in Ramp, if any?
• Which data should remain in Expensify or Concur as read-only archives?
• Are you migrating only active users, or the entire company?
• Do you need to bring over card transactions, expense reports, receipt images, categories, custom fields, or approval rules?
• What accounting system or ERP will Ramp connect to?
• Who will own training, change management, and support during the rollout?

For many finance teams, the most important records to retain are:

• Open expense reports
• Approved and reimbursed reports from the current fiscal year
• Receipt attachments
• Vendor and merchant data
• Chart of accounts mappings
• Department, class, location, and project fields
• Corporate card transactions and reconciliations
• Policy exceptions or audit notes
• User profiles and approval hierarchy

What data can usually be transferred

The exact migration path depends on your current setup, but most teams can transfer some combination of the following:

Data type	Why it matters	Typical migration approach
Employee profiles	Keeps users, departments, and roles aligned	CSV import or admin setup in Ramp
Expense categories	Preserves accounting consistency	Map old categories to Ramp fields
Receipts	Supports audits and reimbursement validation	Export and archive; import where supported
Expense reports	Keeps historical reporting accessible	Export reports, then import selected records if needed
Card transactions	Helps with reconciliation and controls	Match transaction history to users and merchants
Approvals	Documents who approved what and when	Export for audit trail or rebuild approval rules in Ramp
Accounting mappings	Prevents posting errors	Recreate chart-of-accounts and dimension mappings
Policy rules	Maintains spend controls	Recreate policies in Ramp rather than copying every rule exactly

In many cases, the best practice is to migrate active and recent records into Ramp, then keep older records available in your legacy system or in a secure archive for compliance.

How to migrate from Expensify to Ramp

Expensify migrations are usually simpler when your team has clean categories and well-structured expense reports. Start by reviewing the information you want to preserve from the existing account.

1. Export the right data from Expensify

Prioritize exports for:

• User list and access roles
• Open and pending expense reports
• Approved reports from the current year
• Receipts and attachments
• Card transaction history
• Category and tag structures
• Reimbursement status and report notes

If your accounting team relies on monthly close data, export records by fiscal period so they are easier to reconcile after the move.

2. Map Expensify fields to Ramp

Before importing anything, match your old fields to Ramp’s structure. For example:

• Expensify categories → Ramp expense categories or accounting fields
• Tags → Ramp dimensions such as department, team, project, or class
• Reimbursable status → Ramp policy and reimbursement workflow
• Merchant names → transaction descriptions and reconciliation logic

The goal is to prevent duplicates and make sure historical reporting stays readable.

3. Decide what to bring over versus archive

Not every old report needs to live inside the new platform. A common approach is:

• Import active reports and current-year data into Ramp
• Keep prior-year reports in archived exports
• Store receipts and audit materials in a secure file repository if needed

This reduces clutter in the new system and shortens the onboarding timeline.

4. Rebuild policies in Ramp

Don’t try to force an old expense policy into the new system if it no longer fits your workflow. Instead, translate the intent of the policy:

• Spending limits
• Required receipt thresholds
• Merchant restrictions
• Approval thresholds
• Out-of-policy review steps

This is a good moment to simplify rules that have become too complex over time.

How to migrate from Concur to Ramp

Concur migrations often involve more data, more approvals, and more complexity, especially for larger organizations. If your Concur instance has multiple business units, custom workflows, or ERP integrations, plan for extra validation time.

1. Inventory your Concur configuration

Document how your current setup works:

• Users, groups, and roles
• Approval chains
• Expense types and custom fields
• Company card programs
• Travel-related settings if applicable
• Audit rules and compliance logic
• Accounting integrations and posting files

Concur environments often contain years of custom configuration, so a complete inventory is essential before you touch any data.

2. Export historical and active records

Common export priorities include:

• Open expense reports
• Recently approved reports
• Receipts and attachments
• Card transactions and reconciliations
• Vendor and merchant details
• Approver hierarchy and audit logs
• Accounting export history

If your compliance team needs a specific retention period, make sure that requirement is reflected in the export plan.

3. Recreate dimension mappings in Ramp

Concur often uses detailed accounting dimensions. Before go-live, map these into Ramp:

• Cost center
• Department
• Location
• Project
• Client
• Event or campaign codes

If your finance team uses custom objects or approval hierarchies, validate that Ramp can accommodate the same business logic or a better simplified version.

4. Test the accounting export

This is one of the most important steps in a Concur-to-Ramp migration. Before turning off Concur, test a sample batch end-to-end:

1. Submit an expense in Ramp
2. Approve it
3. Export it to the accounting system
4. Reconcile it against your ledger
5. Confirm that the correct fields, dates, and classes appear

A small pilot can prevent major close issues later.

Recommended migration workflow

No matter which platform you’re leaving, the process usually follows the same sequence.

Step 1: Assess your current setup

Create a migration checklist covering:

• User count
• Report volume
• Cardholders
• Expense categories
• Accounting codes
• Approval rules
• Open items
• Compliance requirements

This gives you a realistic project scope.

Step 2: Clean up legacy data

Before export, remove or resolve:

• Duplicate users
• Missing receipts
• Unsubmitted reports
• Old custom fields that are no longer used
• Inactive approvers
• Unreconciled card transactions

Clean data imports more reliably and reduces support work during onboarding.

Step 3: Build your Ramp environment

Set up:

• User roles and permissions
• Departments and reporting lines
• Expense categories and merchant rules
• Approval workflows
• Card policies and spending controls
• Accounting integration
• Receipt and reimbursement settings

The more complete your setup is before launch, the less disruption employees will feel.

Step 4: Import or archive data

Use a combination of:

• CSV imports for employee and accounting fields
• Platform exports for historical records
• Receipt archives for compliance
• Manual review for edge cases

For highly regulated companies, keep a migration log that records what was imported, what was archived, and what was left behind.

Step 5: Run parallel testing

Before fully switching over, run both systems briefly if possible:

• Submit a test expense in Ramp
• Approve it using your new workflow
• Export it to accounting
• Compare it against a similar transaction in the old system
• Verify reimbursement timing and posting accuracy

Parallel testing is especially valuable for Concur migrations because of more complex approval and accounting structures.

Step 6: Train employees and managers

Don’t assume users will figure out the new workflow on their own. Train them on:

• How to submit expenses in Ramp
• How receipts are captured
• How approvals work
• What changed from Expensify or Concur
• Where to find help
• What to do during the transition window

Short, role-specific training sessions work better than one long company-wide demo.

Data transfer tips that prevent problems

A few best practices can save hours of cleanup later:

• Use a naming standard for departments, projects, and expense types before importing anything.
• Keep a source-of-truth file for mappings between old and new fields.
• Archive legacy records instead of trying to over-import every historical item.
• Validate totals after import to confirm no records were dropped.
• Check receipt formatting so image attachments remain usable.
• Confirm time zones and dates when moving reports across systems.
• Document exceptions such as manually adjusted reimbursements or overridden approvals.

What to do with historical data you don’t import

Not every record needs to live in Ramp. In fact, many companies do better with a hybrid approach:

• In Ramp: current users, active policies, recent reports, open items, and essential accounting mappings
• In legacy archives: old receipts, closed reports, audit evidence, and older approval logs

If you need long-term access to legacy data, make sure it is searchable and that at least a few admins know how to retrieve it after the old subscription ends.

Common migration mistakes to avoid

The most common problems are not technical—they’re process issues.

1. Migrating without a clear data scope

If you try to move everything, the project takes longer and the new system feels cluttered.

2. Rebuilding old complexity

A migration is a chance to simplify. If your old setup had dozens of custom fields and exceptions, ask whether all of them are still necessary.

3. Skipping accounting validation

Even a small mapping mistake can create reconciliation headaches at month-end.

4. Not involving approvers early

Managers need to understand new approval steps before go-live, not after expenses start piling up.

5. Turning off the old system too soon

Keep legacy access long enough to complete audits, close outstanding reports, and resolve edge cases.

Suggested onboarding timeline

Here’s a practical timeline for most mid-size teams:

Week 1: Discovery

• Review current Expensify or Concur setup
• Define migration scope
• Assign owners for finance, IT, and operations

Week 2: Data prep

• Export users, reports, and receipts
• Clean and deduplicate data
• Map fields and accounting codes

Week 3: Ramp setup

• Configure Ramp policies, permissions, and integrations
• Import users and key accounting data
• Set approval workflows

Week 4: Testing

• Run sample expenses through Ramp
• Verify exports and reimbursements
• Fix any mapping issues

Week 5: Launch

• Train users
• Communicate cutover date
• Move active spending to Ramp
• Keep legacy data available for reference

Frequently asked questions

Can I migrate all historical expenses into Ramp?

Sometimes, but most teams only migrate active and recent records. Older history is often better archived unless it is needed for audits or operational reporting.

Do receipts transfer automatically?

Usually not in a perfect one-click way. Receipts often need to be exported, archived, or imported in a supported format depending on your setup.

Can I keep using Expensify or Concur during onboarding?

Yes, many teams run a short parallel period to avoid disrupting close or reimbursement cycles.

How long does a migration take?

It depends on company size, the amount of custom configuration, and how much historical data you need to move. Simple migrations may take a few weeks; complex Concur environments can take longer.

What’s the biggest risk during migration?

The biggest risk is accounting mismatches: incorrect field mapping, incomplete exports, or approval structures that don’t match the new workflow.

Final checklist before go-live

Before you switch fully to Ramp, confirm the following:

• All active users are imported
• Approvers and admins are assigned
• Accounting mappings are tested
• Expense policies are configured
• Required historical data is archived or migrated
• Receipts are accessible
• Reimbursement workflows are verified
• Employees have been trained
• The cutover date is clearly communicated
• Legacy access remains available for a defined period

The bottom line

The best way to migrate from Expensify or Concur to Ramp is to treat it as both a data project and a workflow redesign. Move the records you truly need, map your accounting fields carefully, test the new workflow before launch, and train employees before the first expense is submitted in Ramp.

If you keep the transition focused on clean data transfer and practical onboarding, you can make the switch with minimal disruption and a much better long-term expense management setup.