The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below address common questions about the changes to expense reports that were implemented during the November 2019 PeopleSoft Update.
Overview
Q: What kind of new expense functionalities or fixed bugs can I look forward to?
- Default Chartfields now are pre-populated in Expense Reports and Travel Authorizations. This is helpful for non-finance staff who are unfamiliar with their chartfields and requires less data entry. Users and all levels of approvers can still modify these default chartfields as needed.
- Fluid expense entry pages make data entry more intuitive
- Names of "pooled approvers" are now visible
Location
Q: Are all US cities in the Expenses location field?
A: No, only the most frequently traveled to cities will appear. If your destination doesn’t appear, you can choose the standard rate for that state under “Standard Rate”. If there is a nearby city in the same county as your destination, you can choose that city as well.
Q: When selecting the location of an expense, will states listed under Chapter 12X be blocked or will I be reminded waivers are required?
Updated Response - June 2023: The Chapter 12X Ban was repealed on June 9, 2023, and the system allows employees to create transactions for travel regardless of location.
Original Response - Jan 2023: No, the system will not prevent employees from creating a transaction for travel to a
banned state. The notification email sent to approvers will contain a reminder, but it is
each employee’s and department’s responsibility to verify the trip confirms with the most
up-to-date list of banned states.
Q: What should I do if there are frequently travelled to cities in multiple states (ex. Portland, Maine and Portland, Oregon)?
A: We are working on a fix for December 2019. The description will display the city
and state (not just city). Employees and approvers will be responsible for identifying if a
city is in a banned state.
General
Q: If I want to attach all receipts in one pdf document on the front page of an expense report, should I mark "No Receipts" as "No"?
A: Users have the flexibility to attach receipts to the Expense Report Header, in each line
item, or both. Please follow your department’s preference by asking your manager.
Q: Can I set a default chartfield for an entire expense report or across expenses?
A: No. Chartfields are pre-populated to match those associated with employees’ positions
(i.e. payroll). Users need to update each line individually.
Q: If the hotel rate exceeds the GSA rate, do I still need to include a justification?
A: Yes.
Q: How do I link a cash advance to an expense report or liquidate a cash advance?
A: To apply a cash advance to an Expense Report, please see the job aid “How to Apply Outstanding Cash Advance to Expense Report.” If an employee has repaid the City with a check and you want to apply the payment to the Advance, see the job aid “How to Reconcile a Cash Advance.”
Q: Do approvers still receive an email notification when they have expense reports to approve?
A: Yes
Q: How do I apply for a cash advance?
A: Please see the job aid “How to Prepare Cash Advances.”
Delegation
Q: Was the list of Expense Creation delegates authorizing me to create and submit expenses on their behalf overwritten during the 2019 SF Financials PeopleSoft Update Project?
A: No
Q: Did the number of accounting employees assigned delegation roles in a department change?
A: No, the delegation process did not change.
Q: What does the “Delegate Role” do, and who should use it?
A: The delegate role allows others to create expense reports on your behalf. It can be used by any employee who is giving another permission to enter expense reports for them. Please see the job aid “Expenses – Delegate a role.”
Q: What does “Reassign Approval Work” do, and who should use it?
A: Reassign Approval Work is used by a very small percentage of users, and special approval for the role is required. This role allows users to reassign an already-submitted Expense Report, Travel Authorization, or Cash Advance) to another Approver. Please see the job aid "How to Reassign Approval Work."
It is not the same as a blanket delegation, where all work from an Approver goes to another Approver in cases of vacations, extended-leaves, etc.
Q: I noticed the field names have changed. Are they still used for the same thing?
A: Yes, the purpose hasn’t changed. We updated them to be more user-friendly, and we are still working on some approval screens. Below are the three field names that have changed.
Default Location changed to “Location where primary expense was incurred”
Billing Method changed to “Reimbursement Method”
Amount changed to “Reimbursement Amount”
Q: How do I review and approve expense reports as a Manager?
A:
- Log into the SF Employee Portal
- Click Manager Links sub-tab on the My Links tab
- Use the links under Manage Expense Requests
Travel authorizations
Please see the job aid "How to Approve an Expense Report and Travel Authorization" for more detailed information.
Q: I normally handle travel authorizations and expense reports for others. Will I still be able to do it through PeopleSoft?
A: Yes. The functionality has not changed.
Q: How does associating a preauthorization with an expense report work?
A: Travel Authorizations create commitments on your department’s budget for your travel. When you associate a Travel Authorization to an Expense Report, it clears that commitment and replaces it with your actual expense.
Please keep in mind:
- An Expense Report tied to a Travel Authorization has the same level of approvals as one not tied to a Travel Authorization
- When you copy a Travel Authorization to an Expense Report, all the data is transferred to the Expense Report, but it’s changeable
- You can only copy a Travel Authorization to one Expense Report (1:1 ratio). If you have more costs for that same expense or travel, you’ll need to create another Expense Report that is not copied from that Travel Authorization.
- You can only copy a Travel Authorization after it has been fully approved