---
title: "Setting spend limits and advanced card controls for employee cards"
slug: "setting-spend-limits-and-advanced-card-controls-for-employee-cards"
description: "Set or update spend limits and controls for employee cards. Manage recurring limits, ATM withdrawals, fund requests, merchants, categories and spend policies."
updated: 2026-10-27T14:18:10Z
published: 2026-10-27T14:18:10Z
canonical: "payhawk.com/setting-spend-limits-and-advanced-card-controls-for-employee-cards"
---

> ## 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.

# Setting spend limits and advanced card controls for employee cards

As a Payhawk Administrator, you can manage employee cards by setting or updating spend limits and applying card controls, such as defining the recurring limits, allowing or blocking ATM withdrawals, fund requests, merchants and merchant categories, and more.

## Updating the available funds for individual cards

Independently of the recurring card limit, you can always update the available card funds both for cards with stand-alone limits and under a spend policy:

1. In the [Payhawk Web Portal](https://portal.payhawk.com), open the app switcher in the top-left corner and go to **Cards**, then select **All cards** in the left pane.
2. Select the desired card by clicking on it.
3. In the **Available** field, click on the **Edit** (**Pencil**) icon.
4. Enter the new amount.
5. Click on the **✔** icon to save your updates. They will be applied immediately.

Alternatively, click on **x** to discard any changes that have been made. Employees can [request additional funds](/help/submitting-and-canceling-fund-requests), which must be approved by designated approvers in accordance with your company's established approval workflows. These requests typically include a note and may also have supporting documents attached.

![Card record showing the Available amount, with an inset of the same field in edit mode.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261002_ai/lim_01.png)

## Updating the general settings of cards with stand-alone limits

Setting the general parameters of cards (and spend policies) includes defining the spending card limit and its recurrence, blocking fund requests or setting approval workflows for them if allowed, defining settings for increasing the spending limit, and more.

> [!TIP]
> - You can modify the general settings of cards under a spend policy by [editing that spend policy](/help/managing-spend-policies).
> - [Team cards](/help/team-cards) can have [stand-alone limits](/help/overview-of-cards-card-limits-and-advanced-card-controls-for-administrators) only. If a card is linked to a team card, you can set its recurring limits by editing the settings for the team card from the **Cards** > **Team cards** > **Settings** tab.

To update the general setting of cards with stand-alone limits:

1. In the [Payhawk Web Portal](https://portal.payhawk.com), open the app switcher in the top-left corner and go to **Cards**, then select **All cards** in the left pane.
2. Select the desired card.
3. On the card record, open the **Settings** tab, go to the **General Settings** section, and click on **Edit**.
4. In the dialog that opens, modify the desired settings as needed.
5. Click on **Save**.

![Card record Settings tab with the Edit general settings panel open.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261002_ai/lim_02.png)

## Updating the advanced card controls of cards with stand-alone limits

> [!TIP]
> - You can modify the advanced card controls of cards under a spend policy by [editing that spend policy](/help/managing-spend-policies).
> - If a card is linked to a team card, you can enable or disable its ATM withdrawals (for physical cards) and fund requests by editing the settings for the team card from the **Cards** > **Team cards** > **Settings** tab.

To update the advanced controls of cards with stand-alone limits:

1. In the [Payhawk Web Portal](https://portal.payhawk.com), open the app switcher in the top-left corner and go to **Cards**, then select **All cards** in the left pane.
2. Select the desired card.
3. On the card record, open the **Settings** tab, go to the **Advanced controls** section, and click on **Edit**.
4. In the dialog that opens, modify the desired settings as needed.
5. Click on **Save**.

![Card record Settings tab with the Edit advanced controls panel open.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/navigation-redesign-didi_20261002_ai/lim_03.png)

## Adding individual cards to spend policies

You can also [add individual cards to an existing spend policy of your company](/help/assigning-changing-and-removing-spend-policies-from-employee-cards).

## Useful resources

- [Setting spend limits and card controls for spend policies](/help/managing-spend-policies)
- [Defining custom approval workflows](/help/workflow-conditions-and-custom-workflows)