Remote launches expense cards for Employer of Record staff

Remote has launched Expense Cards for eligible Employer of Record employees, adding employee spending to the same system it uses for hiring and payroll.

Available in supported countries as part of Remote's Employer of Record offering, the cards are issued virtually. Eligible employees can typically start using them within one business day for work-related purchases.

The launch extends Remote's push into financial services tied to workforce management. Instead of asking employees to pay first and claim later, companies can issue cards directly and set controls in advance over who can use them, what can be bought and how much can be spent.

Transactions are recorded automatically in Remote Expenses. Employees then add a receipt in the Remote app to complete the expense record.

The cards are tied to employment information Remote already holds, including entity, role, location and tax status. As a result, spending data is linked to the relevant employee and employing entity within the same platform, without a separate reconciliation process.

Remote is positioning the product as an alternative to the reimbursement model commonly used for employee expenses. Under that model, staff often pay with their own cards, submit a claim and wait for repayment through payroll or finance teams.

Research cited by Remote found that 68% of surveyed UK office workers had incurred bank fees after covering business expenses on their personal cards. It also found that 51% said delayed reimbursements had created financial strain.

Expense controls

The cards are not a standalone corporate card product and are only available to eligible customers using Remote's Employer of Record service. Reimbursement remains available within Remote Expenses for spending still handled after purchase.

Remote said the card system shifts the workflow from reimbursement after approval to a model in which controls are set before money is spent. Finance teams can review completed payments after the transaction while keeping a record in the same platform as payroll and employment data.

That approach may appeal to companies employing staff across several countries, where spending, payroll and employment administration often sit in separate systems. This fragmentation can leave finance teams juggling different tools and records while employees carry the cost of business purchases until claims are processed.

Michiel Boere, Chief Financial Officer at Remote, described that issue as part of day-to-day management for international employers.

"Managing travel and expenses is a core part of running a global workforce, yet finance and HR teams often struggle to reconcile payroll and employee spending data," said Michiel Boere, Chief Financial Officer at Remote. "Remote brings employment, payroll and spending data together into one place. With Remote Expense Cards, employees around the world can pay for things like travel without using their own money, while teams set controls at the individual level and see every transaction alongside the employment data."

Remote said there is no platform fee for the cards and no per-card charge for customers. It has framed that pricing as part of a broader effort to embed spending management within its existing workforce platform rather than offer a separate financial product.

The wider business provides tools for companies hiring and paying staff across more than 150 countries, including global payroll, contractor management and Employer of Record services. Expense Cards add another function for employers managing workers across jurisdictions with different entities, tax treatments and employment arrangements.

For employees, the main change is that purchases can be made without using personal funds. For employers, the shift is towards setting limits before a purchase takes place and keeping the resulting records attached to employment data within the same system.

Remote said Expense Cards are intended for work spending by eligible Employer of Record employees and are not a personal payment method, compensation benefit or lending product.