Have you recently submitted a travel claim, but had it delayed because it required corrections? Or did you have difficulty with certain elements of your request, and need assistance? Every new system comes with challenges and changes, and we understand that certain elements of the system may be causing you frustration. 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.
1. Errors in Tax Amounts
Taxes….who cares about taxes? 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. To ensure our rebates from the government are correct, the Business Office must verify that the tax components of each expense match your receipts. While the system attempts to calculate taxes, it cannot always guarantee that the amounts are what you were actually charged. 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. If you experience any problems during the return for correction process, the Business Office is happy to assist you at that time.
For more details on how to update the taxes on expense items, visit the following resources:
- Pages 12-16 of the Travelers and Delegates User Guide,
- The video Updating Taxes on Expenses at www.carleton.ca/travel/videos, or
- Follow the Travel and Expense Wiki on the left hand side of your screen while in the system.
2. Incorrect or Missing FOAPAL/Funding Source
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. To avoid errors, follow these steps:
- In the first step of your request (General Information), ensure the FOAPAL in the Funding Default is the one you intend to charge, or at least the one to which most of your expenses should be charged. If it is not correct, delete the existing FOAPAL and add the correct one.
- While adding your expense items, for any expense that should not be charged to the funding default in (a), click on the Funding link when you enter the line item and change the FOAPAL.
- Review page 3 of your report before you hit submit to verify the FOAPALs are correct.
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. You must update these items before you hit submit or you will receive an error.
For more details on how to change a FOAPAL, visit the following resources:
- Page 6 or 14 of the Travelers and Delegates User Guide,
- The video Changing a FOAPAL at www.carleton.ca/travel/videos,
- The detailed video Working with Funding (FOAPAL) Defaults at www.carleton.ca/travel/videos, or
- Follow the Travel and Expense Wiki on the left hand side of your screen while in the system.
3. Submitting the Wrong Type of Report
It is important to submit the appropriate type of report to ensure your payment is received. There are 3 main types of report requests:
Authorization Report: 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. Authorization reports ONLY encumber funds in FAST Finance – they do not result in a payment to the traveler. An authorization report is created by clicking on the “+New” icon in the Authorization Reports Listing. 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 “Generate Expense Report” button at the bottom right; this will save you from having to recreate the entire report.
Advance Request: 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. To create an advance request, you must start by creating an authorization report (see above). When you come to the end of the authorization report click on “Request Advance” 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 “Request Advance” button. Select the appropriate type of advance request, enter the amount you are requesting (up to the dollar value of the authorization), and click submit.
Expense Report: This report is initiated when you return from your trip. If no previously submitted advance or authorization is outstanding, the expense report is created by clicking on the “+New” icon in the Expense Reports listing. If you are clearing a related outstanding advance you must highlight the outstanding advance in the Outstanding Advance Listing and click on the “Generate Expense Report” button on the bottom right. 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 “Generate Expense Report” button on the bottom right.
4. Requesting the wrong type of Advance
When requesting an advance, you are required to select an advance type: Cash Advance or Prepaid Expenses Advance. 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. A cash advance is provided under specific circumstances as outlined in Carleton’s Travel Policy. 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. . Pay close attention to the wording next to your advance amount request – it will tell you the earliest date you could possibly receive payment, not including wait times for approvals. 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.
If you have any questions about the system, or require any assistance, please email financial_systems@carleton.ca or visit our website at www.carleton.ca/travel.
5. Missing Documentation and/or Insufficient Information
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. 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. It is important that enough information is included in these sections to make this determination clear. 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. A 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. If you are ever wondering where your request is in the process, check the Status History of your report.
For information about supporting documentation requirements or lost receipts, read our FAQ at www.carleton.ca/travel/faq/expense-items-faq.