Company travel expense reporting

[dajop]

Just curious about the time it takes and level of detail to which those on here who travel for work, have to put into reporting expenses.

For the company I work for, several years ago, the process was fairly simple. You got your company credit card statement, attached reciepts, wrote on the statement what the expenses related to, and submitted cash expenses online via spreadsheet. A weeks travel = 5-10 minutes. Electronic downloads went straight to accounting for allocations.

Then it changed to an online system, where you had submit each expense online with an explanation, and check the coding (usually accurate). Also cash expenses added that way. A weeks travel = 10-15 mins.

In the last 12 months we moved to a more detailed online system. Now everything has to be itemised, so if you have a hotel stay for 4 nights, you need to break down every charge on the bill, including individual itemisation of web, meals, minibar etc (if nightly rate is same for stay, only have to enter rate and taxes once). For airline tickets, need to enter ticket number and airline. For group meals, need to enter names of those present and position titles (before you just wrote it on the receipt). Thankfully they haven't forced it here, but in our Australian offices everyone has to also scan their receipts in and attach electronically. A weeks travel can now take 30 minutes to do.

I just wondered what others experiences are, and is this the norm these days?

 

[MrHyde]

And I thought our company policy was too much....

We have a spreadsheet we need to fill out that has the expenses split out by category - travel, food, accomodation and we need to specify GST separately, but the spreadsheet calculates all that for you. We also need to specify the project code as some/most expenses can be on-charged to the customer. There is also a field on whether the charge was through Amex or cash so that I can be re-imbursed for the cash component.

Where I spend most of the time is scanning all the receipts so that I can submit them with the spreadsheet. Our finance department requires each receipt and boarding passes (for flights) in digital format along with the expense claim sheet.

The other thing that costs me time is having to fill out customer expense claims using their forms/templates as well so that I can get their approval (either digital or signed) so that Finance can charge them for the expenses.

 

[Dave Noble]

company I was at till recently had fairly comprehensive requirements for expense claims; didn 't overly bother me since although it takes some time , it is the company's time

 

[simongr]

I have a major issue with that Dave - it might be the company's time but they are not paying you to fill in forms - they are paying you to do whatever job it is that you do and not fill in onerous forms....

 

[2muchplastic]

I have a major issue with that Dave - it might be the company's time but they are not paying you to fill in forms - they are paying you to do whatever job it is that you do and not fill in onerous forms....

I half agree with Dave Noble, our system is an intranet based system where receipts have to be scanned against each expense line item and it takes twice as long as the old spreadsheet based form to complete.

Completing my expenses, which is a task that is a direct result of my travelling, which is a part of my job has to be accepted as part of my workload.

 

[Dave Noble]

I have a major issue with that Dave - it might be the company's time but they are not paying you to fill in forms - they are paying you to do whatever job it is that you do and not fill in onerous forms....

if they have have a bureaucratic process, then they are paying for the filling in of expense details; not doing it in my own time. No do expense claim then no get reimbursed

 

[simongr]

I think you both missed my point. I was not suggetsing you do this on your own time. Companies should design efficient and effective processes and not waste time with bureaucracy...

 

[NYCguy]

I used to throw my receipts at my PA. Well, I didn't throw them at him. Not usually. Unless severe aggravation had provoked one of my Miranda-Priestly-overdosed-on-crystal-meth humours.

Filling in and submitting the forms to HQ was his problem. I looked at the forms once and they made me a little migrainous. Come to think of it, I should have been a little nicer to him. You know, let him have the day-off on Xmas, that sort of thing.

Oh, well... It's too late now. Thanks for doing all that paperwork, Tom-Tom. I never once had a claim denied.

 

[dajop]

I think you both missed my point. I was not suggetsing you do this on your own time. Companies should design efficient and effective processes and not waste time with bureaucracy...

+1 to that. I can see the value online systems bring, ease of coding accountability etc. But when you pay managers to sit there and go through a hotel bill line by line and enter that information into a system, then scan receipts from via a communal photocopier... value adding? I think not.

 

[Dave Noble]

I think you both missed my point. I was not suggetsing you do this on your own time. Companies should design efficient and effective processes and not waste time with bureaucracy...

The company has to ensure that (a) that they have everything that is needed for themself and (b) to ensure that claims made are valid

the length of time to do expense claims hardly overly onerous; 30 minutes for a week's travel hardly a major issue imo and far from onerous

Dave

 

[Tooner]

+1 to that. I can see the value online systems bring, ease of coding accountability etc. But when you pay managers to sit there and go through a hotel bill line by line and enter that information into a system, then scan receipts from via a communal photocopier... value adding? I think not.

I agree, and while we cough and moan about our system (linked to our purchasing cards), all we have to do is keep the receipts (technically not required for anything under $55), code the entries to the receipt (which the PA I share with 4 other people does for me) and then send them off in an envelope to the central admin team. A little bit of work each month and it is done.

Compared to some descriptions here, I think I should tell everyone to STFU!

 

[MikedOut]

Gee....i've got it easy. Open the CC bill, write on what the trip was for (and i just use the same description for each expense on the whole trip), attach the reciepts, give to PA. Get the coversheet back, sign it and hey presto....done. Once I've signed it I have no idea what finance do with it.

 

[straitman]

Gee....i've got it easy. Open the CC bill, write on what the trip was for (and i just use the same description for each expense on the whole trip), attach the reciepts, give to PA. Get the coversheet back, sign it and hey presto....done. Once I've signed it I have no idea what finance do with it.

Wow.

Your company is a whole lot easier to deal with than mine. OS trips must be pre approved by the country manager and then the expenses also on return.

 

[notzac]

..Unless severe aggravation had provoked one of my Miranda-Priestly-overdosed-on-crystal-meth humours.

Wow. That would be quite .. something. :shock:

 

[dajop]

Your company is a whole lot easier to deal with than mine. OS trips must be pre approved by the country manager and then the expenses also on return.

Our procedures were tightened last year. For me (I report into US) short haul (<6hrs) within same continent requires immediate manager approval before forwarding to our global functional lead for approval (so my bosses' bosses' boss). For intercontinental (>6hrs) it follows this, then needs approval of our one of our executive team members as well (add another layer).

I can cope with the intercontinental stuff as that is rare, but the short haul (requiring 3 levels of approval for a $300 return flight) is rather painful and inefficient (several times whilst waiting for approval fares have gone up by 50+%). I also find it rather demotivating, as it sends a message that me (or my boss), can't be trusted to manage a travel budget. What's worse is the "perception" around international travel - for those in the US it's a big deal. For those of us who live in a country that's 1 hr drive from end to end, international travel is as little as 40 minute taxi ride ....

 

[YQY]

In the last 12 months we moved to a more detailed online system. Now everything has to be itemised, so if you have a hotel stay for 4 nights, you need to break down every charge on the bill, including individual itemisation of web, meals, minibar etc (if nightly rate is same for stay, only have to enter rate and taxes once). For airline tickets, need to enter ticket number and airline. For group meals, need to enter names of those present and position titles (before you just wrote it on the receipt). Thankfully they haven't forced it here, but in our Australian offices everyone has to also scan their receipts in and attach electronically.

I can cope with the intercontinental stuff as that is rare, but the short haul (requiring 3 levels of approval for a $300 return flight) is rather painful and inefficient (several times whilst waiting for approval fares have gone up by 50+%). I also find it rather demotivating, as it sends a message that me (or my boss), can't be trusted to manage a travel budget. What's worse is the "perception" around international travel - for those in the US it's a big deal. For those of us who live in a country that's 1 hr drive from end to end, international travel is as little as 40 minute taxi ride ....

This is very similar to our company policies. We have had to itemize all expenses via the intranet app. Originally we had send the receipts via internal email to the expenses department. Now we have the option to scan and send them electronically via the intranet app. However we had to retain the hard copies for 3 years.

After 3 months i realised the company outsourced the storage of receipts to me !!! - so i have started to send the receipts in by mail and make it their problem to manage the receipts.

All domestic travel i require at least three levels of approval and for international i need approval from AP.

 

[NYCguy]

Wow. That would be quite .. something. :shock:

They brought it all on themselves. The mere presence of a Lanvin Couture suit should say "don't screw with me", but did they pay attention? NO!

Besides, I didn't get where I am today by being a sweetheart.

 

[significance]

At my work, the credit statements come in directly to our intranet system. Once a month, we need to go into the system, assign each expense to a project (giving a "trip name" to each group of expenses) and hit "send". We don't need to explain each item, but our supervisors see them and can ask if they like. We need to file away the receipts in our own records so they are available if we are ever audited.

 

[Keith009]

I simply scan my receipts, and email them off to the company accountant with brief explanatory notes. Takes 5 mins max.

 

[MDC]

I'm in the same boat as a lot of others here. A typical expense claim will take me between 15-30 mins. We use an intranet app and have to create a claim for each trip. We then enter in each receipt and even have to break down accommodation into itemised days/nights. Cost centres / account codes also have to be entered against each expense item.

Meals are easy because they are mostly per diem based (depending on the country)

The report then gets submitted to the manager for approval, then to accounts for approval.

The original receipts have to be submitted otherwise no payment. Nothing too difficult.

The pain I have is that there are only two expense runs each month. I often find that I have to pay the credit card bill from my own pocket due to extended trips.