Company travel expense reporting

[samiam]

My EA reconciles my credit card receipts with statement, which is provided electronically via the Westpac "Smart Data Online (SDOL)" website, at the end of the month.

Each line item is coded to a cost-centre, using drop down boxes, and a brief decription added to each.

Reconciled statement printed, I sign off, statement & receipts scanned and then emailed to my boss for countersigning.

Flights, cars, hotels etc we receive an account (from FCM, Hertz, etc) and I sign off.

 

[Warks]

When I read the OP I thought "dajop's company must have been taken over by Germans!" Having worked for a German company for many years I was used to the level of complexity increasing every year. Then our division got merged into another company and everything became easier. The company now carried the can for the expenses on the corporate card and paid the bill as soon as it was due - we were supposed to do monthly expenses but without any financial pressure to do so most people let them pile up. Then the auditors arrived...
Everything changed to a system one level below that described by dajop. A ten minute job became half an hour or more. While half an hour might not sound much to some, you try and find a lazy half hour in your week to do it. Usually means you stay late in the office as a result.

Since going self-employed I've got another perspective where I've got to keep everything for tax purposes and I enter it all in a simple Excel spreadsheet with all the GST recorded and send to the accountant quarterly. When it's your own money you keep on top of it.

I do consulting work for one company where they pay my travel expenses. I keep all my receipts and itemise them in a spreadsheet (experience with a multinational helps) and then send them in with an invoice as soon as I have enough. At present that's weekly. Even though it only takes about 15 minutes, with drawing up the invoice as well, it's still something I have to be dragged to do. This company made something of a bizarre request: to send in all my boarding passes as well. To check if I actually went on the flights I've billed them for?

Who knows? I could be working for dajop's company.

 

[Grooba]

Most of you guys seem to have it easy with online/intranet expense systems.

We've to itemize every expense on a spreadsheet - food, transport (not including flights), internet, phone, postage, misc, etc. Each individual item must be accompanied by a reciept. This reciept must be numbered in the correct order and then glued/sticky taped down (not stapled) to a piece of paper and submitted along with a printed and signed copy of the spreadsheet.

I used to get quite frustrated at all the paperwork required for each project (I'm a technical person and don't care for all the associated paperwork) but after a few years it's not so bad as I'll do my expenses day by day, instead of once a week/fortnight.

Luckily we don't have to worry about expensing back flights or accom!

 

[straitman]

Most of you guys seem to have it easy with online/intranet expense systems.

We've to itemize every expense on a spreadsheet - food, transport (not including flights), internet, phone, postage, misc, etc. Each individual item must be accompanied by a reciept. This reciept must be numbered in the correct order and then glued/sticky taped down (not stapled) to a piece of paper and submitted along with a printed and signed copy of the spreadsheet.

I used to get quite frustrated at all the paperwork required for each project (I'm a technical person and don't care for all the associated paperwork) but after a few years it's not so bad as I'll do my expenses day by day, instead of once a week/fortnight.

Luckily we don't have to worry about expensing back flights or accom!

vec,

Reading your post I thought initially that 'you must work for the same company' but then I saw that you still get off easily as we have to include absolutely everything incl flights and accom. Dependant upon the amount the approval level is ridiculously high.

 

[Grooba]

We don't have anyone named William (or Bill) working in my region, and only one other WP - he's LTG.

Luckily our approval is pretty much non existant for flights - we fly QF as it's our companies preferred airline. (and the fact that our TA books everything on a corporate account I never see any of the costs).

 

[MDC]

Does anyone else have the same approval problems that I have? Midday today is expense cut-off for the payment run. I've got a month or so of expenses to claim and no manager here today to approve the claims! I missed the run at the start of the month because I was either travelling or on leave.

What does this mean for me? I have to wear the cost of the last month of travel (ie: pay the Amex bill) and get reimbursed at the end of the month when the next payment run is made.

 

[straitman]

Does anyone else have the same approval problems that I have? Midday today is expense cut-off for the payment run. I've got a month or so of expenses to claim and no manager here today to approve the claims! I missed the run at the start of the month because I was either travelling or on leave.

What does this mean for me? I have to wear the cost of the last month of travel (ie: pay the Amex bill) and get reimbursed at the end of the month when the next payment run is made.

In our case that is also not allowed. (Paying yourself)

I would prepare the claim and leave it in the managers in tray. It really is up to the company to then to pay the Amex late fees.

 

[2muchplastic]

In our case that is also not allowed. (Paying yourself)

I would prepare the claim and leave it in the managers in tray. It really is up to the company to then to pay the Amex late fees.

Absolutely.

Been in that situation several times, have been away and the Amex bill fell due. In this instance my company wears the late payment charge.

 

[Grooba]

Absolutely.

Been in that situation several times, have been away and the Amex bill fell due. In this instance my company wears the late payment charge.

My company is the same. As our accounts department is beyond rediculous this happens quite often.

 

[Andyzx]

I read with interest the replies. I have used many systems and in some cases devised the process to confound most, if not all and waste as much time in red tape as possible:evil:. BUT don’t blame me it’s the ACCOUNTANTS for coding, AUDIT for following company policy, PURCHASING to consolidate and compliance to approved suppliers, STAKEHOLDERS and SHAREHOLDERS to ensure your not spending their money, the TAX MAN for GST/VAT, tax deductibility, travel diaries, FBT for all that personal benefits that you enjoy and most of all your MANAGERS to see you are not getting more than they do… and especially who’s watching cougho movies in their hotel room!

The best systems I have seen have the pre authorisations for flights, travel etc and transactions downloaded from the travel management and cards etc, including descriptions, tax amounts, an attempt at coding and the claimant complete any additional information / explanation and automatically sign and forward to managers for approvals. Claims automatically passed via pre approval or workflow manager approval to AP and paid either to yourself, so you can include the other cash items or to the card provider. Receipts are scanned by good multi size document, scanners. AP should process weekly to accommodate the issue of payments to individuals… but these systems are few and far between.:idea:

Currently we have internet based claims, a little slow and doesn’t flow well but generally a week to months travel will take 15-20 minutes, and manual collection of receipts, summaries for manager written authorisation. Cash expenses are paid separately some months later

Lastly, I have seen more time wasted over a $300 travel expense than a $40m warehouse. But then again I have also identified a traveller who claimed $12,000 of expenses twice…..winners and losers and I think generally claimants are the losers.

 

[Warks]

..winners and losers and I think generally claimants are the losers.

I remember a senior manager who used to say if you were all even on your expenses then you were probably ripping off the system.

 

[markis10]

But then again I have also identified a traveller who claimed $12,000 of expenses twice…..winners and losers and I think generally claimants are the losers.

I thought as part of my termination agreement this would never be revealed to a third party, after all how was I to know what happens to my money and that the receipts were not originals, its not my fault the copier prints in colour, gee you make one little mistake......

Serious hat on - I used to work with a multinational in the IT space with claims processed by HQ in SIN, used to get a lot of flack over hiring cars versus taxis until I decided to abide by company policy and taxi during a two day trip to Brisbane, two Sunshine Coast - Gold Coast bills and some shorter ones were sent that week as part of my claim of $800, never copped flack again when they saw how expensive by comparison Taxis's are, having corporate policies set by an Asian HQ has its downsides.