Have you recently submitted a travel claim, but had it delayed because it required corrections?\u00a0 Or did you have difficulty with certain elements of your request, and need assistance?\u00a0 Every new system comes with challenges and changes, and we understand that certain elements of the system may be causing you frustration.\u00a0 This article summarizes the top 5 issues you may encounter when submitting a request, as well as tips or instructions on how to avoid potential issues.<\/p>\n
Taxes\u2026.who cares about taxes?\u00a0 While we understand that tax amounts on expense items are not your top priority when seeking reimbursement, it is important for the University that the tax components are accurate.\u00a0 To ensure our rebates from the government are correct, the Business Office must verify that the tax components of each expense match your receipts.\u00a0 While the system attempts to calculate taxes, it cannot always guarantee that the amounts are what you were actually charged.\u00a0 It is your responsibility to enter your expenses fully and accurately, including updating the tax components. If the Business Office discovers any discrepancies, they must return the request to the originator before any edits can be made to the document.\u00a0 If you experience any problems during the return for correction process, the Business Office is happy to assist you at that time.<\/p>\n
For more details on how to update the taxes on expense items, visit the following resources:<\/p>\n
When submitting any request, you should make sure that the FOAPALs in your report are the ones to which you intend to charge your expenses.\u00a0 To avoid errors, follow these steps:<\/p>\n
If you see a warning symbol next to any of your expenses, either the FOAPAL is missing or you have not included FOAPALs for 100% of the expense.\u00a0 You must update these items before you hit submit or you will receive an error.<\/p>\n
For more details on how to change a FOAPAL, visit the following resources:<\/p>\n
It is important to submit the appropriate type of report to ensure your payment is received.\u00a0 There are 3 main types of report requests:<\/p>\n
Authorization Report<\/strong>: This type of request is used solely for budgeting purposes. You are not required to request an authorization through the system unless you need an advance.\u00a0 Authorization reports ONLY encumber funds in FAST Finance \u2013 they do not result in a payment to the traveler.\u00a0 An authorization report is created by clicking on the \u201c+New\u201d icon in the Authorization Reports Listing.\u00a0 If you accidentally submit an authorization instead of an expense report, you can turn the authorization into an expense report by highlighting it in the Authorization Reports listing and clicking on the \u201cGenerate Expense Report\u201d button at the bottom right; this will save you from having to recreate the entire report.<\/p>\n Advance Request<\/strong>:\u00a0 This request is initiated when you have pre-paid expenses for your trip or when you need a cash advance, as permitted under the Travel Policy.\u00a0 To create an advance request, you must start by creating an authorization report (see above).\u00a0 When you come to the end of the authorization report click on \u201cRequest Advance\u201d instead of submit. If you inadvertently submit the authorization request without the advance request, you can still request an advance once the authorization has been approved by simply opening the report and clicking on the \u201cRequest Advance\u201d button.\u00a0 Select the appropriate type of advance request, enter the amount you are requesting (up to the dollar value of the authorization), and click submit.<\/p>\n Expense Report<\/strong>: This report is initiated when you return from your trip.\u00a0 If no previously submitted advance or authorization is outstanding, the expense report is created by clicking on the \u201c+New\u201d icon in the Expense Reports listing. \u00a0If you are clearing a related outstanding advance you must highlight the outstanding advance in the Outstanding Advance Listing and click on the \u201cGenerate Expense Report\u201d button on the bottom right.\u00a0 If you are clearing an outstanding authorization, for which no advance was issued, you must highlight the authorization report in the Authorization Reports listing and click on the \u201cGenerate Expense Report\u201d button on the bottom right.<\/p>\n When requesting an advance, you are required to select an advance type:\u00a0 Cash Advance or Prepaid Expenses Advance.\u00a0 Prepaid expenses cover items such as air fare, conference registration or hotel charges you have already paid. Advances for prepaid expenses will be issued any time up to 21 days before your return date.\u00a0\u00a0 A cash advance is provided under specific circumstances as outlined in Carleton\u2019s Travel Policy.\u00a0 It will only be issued within 14 days before your departure. So, if you select a cash advance when you really have pre-paid expenses, your payment could be drastically delayed.\u00a0 .\u00a0 Pay close attention to the wording next to your advance amount request \u2013 it will tell you the earliest date you could possibly receive payment, not including wait times for approvals.\u00a0 If the date is far in the future, and your advance is for pre-paid expenses, cancel the request and select the correct advance type before clicking Submit.<\/p>\n If you have any questions about the system, or require any assistance, please email financial_systems@carleton.ca<\/a> or visit our website at www.carleton.ca\/travel<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Business Office will not approve your electronic report until they receive the required documentation, including the original receipts and signed declaration. This also means your supervisor will not receive it for approval. So the sooner you send the documents to the Business Office, the sooner you will receive your payment.\u00a0 The information included in the title, purpose, and comments of the travel claim is used by the Business Office, your supervisor, and the audit team, to determine whether the trip was for University business and\/or research purposes. \u00a0It is important that enough information is included in these sections to make this determination clear.\u00a0 Keep in mind that the backup documentation which may include information regarding the purpose of the trip is not forwarded to the supervisors who are required to approve the trip. \u00a0A supervisor will not approve the electronic report if they cannot determine the legitimacy of the travel, so always be sure to elaborate in the descriptions fields whenever possible.\u00a0 If you are ever wondering where your request is in the process, check the Status History of your report.<\/p>\n\u00a04.\u00a0Requesting the wrong type of Advance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
5. \u00a0Missing Documentation and\/or Insufficient Information<\/strong><\/h4>\n