---
title: "Overview of request types"
slug: "overview-of-request-types-1"
description: "Get an overview of request types in Payhawk: learn how to create requests for purchases, trips or services on the Payhawk spend management platform."
updated: 2026-10-19T10:35:30Z
published: 2026-10-19T10:35:30Z
canonical: "payhawk.com/overview-of-request-types-1"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://payhawk.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Overview of request types

Defining different request types allows you to gain clearer visibility into your company's spending and ensure that each request is reviewed with the appropriate context.

Request types also allow you to collect specific, standardized information and create tailored approval workflows, making the procurement process more efficient and transparent. For example, you can create a **Hardware** request type that requires specific details related to hardware needs from the requester.

Each request type is defined through its general settings, field settings, and workflow settings.

> [!TIP]
> If the **Review** step is not included in the approval workflow of the request type, requesters will need to choose card (**Card**) or bank transfer (**Bill**) as the payment method for their request, or the **No payment needed** option for goods that are, for example, in-store and a purchase is not necessary.
> 
> ![Payment method dropdown in the Payment and Recurrence panel with None, Card, and No payment needed options.](https://storage.googleapis.com/payhawk-cdn/Adm%3ARequests/Request_payment_method_options_20261006_ai.png)
> 
> For more information:
> 
> - [Viewing available funds for employee cards](/help/checking-funds-availability)
> - [Loading funds to your Payhawk account](/help/loading-funds-to-your-payhawk-account)

## Settings for request types

The settings of each existing request type are located in the **Settings** tab and include essential configurations, such as:

- The toggle for enabling and disabling the request type.
- The request type name.
- The request type description.
- A hint for the requests of that request type; if provided, the hint will guide requesters on the information they are expected to provide for requests of that type.
- The request type visibility settings.
- The toggle that defines the default state of the **Amount** section for requests of that type - with or without items’ breakdown.

For more details, see the article on [creating request types](/help/creating-request-types-and-their-fields).

![Settings page for lab consumables request with options for visibility and amount.](https://storage.googleapis.com/payhawk-cdn/requests-Dec15/settings-request-types-overview.jpg)

## Additional information and categorization

The field settings are located in the **Fields** tab and include:

- A default set of fields (for example, **Summary** and **Description**).
- Custom-defined fields whose purpose is to gather more specific information, based on the nature of the request (for example, **Office location**).
- Custom fields, defined on the system-level, that can be manually associated with the specific type of request and further customize its form to ensure all necessary details are captured (for example, **Category** or **Project**).

The categorization fields are applied at the line level, allowing each item within a request to be categorized independently.

![Overview of hardware request fields including description, document, and payment method.](https://storage.googleapis.com/payhawk-cdn/requests-Dec15/fields%20request%20types.jpg)

## Workflow settings for request types

The workflow settings are located in the **Workflow** tab and allow you to create or update the [workflow of that request type](https://help.payhawk.com/en/articles/8537324-setting-workflows-for-requests-and-purchase-orders).

![Workflow stages for hardware requests including submit, review, approve, and payment options.](https://storage.googleapis.com/payhawk-cdn/requests-Dec15/workflows%20request%20types.jpg)