Entering and submitting expense reports via a mobile device.

 

Enter an Expense Report – Getting Started

Enter an Expense Report:

• For travel or non-travel reimbursement
• For yourself or as proxy for another employee
• With single, or multiple expense lines
• Charged to a Grant or Non-Grant chart string
• Using one or more chart strings

 

What policies govern Expense Reports?

• Travel, Entertainment & Courtesy Policy
• Purchasing and Payment Policy and Procedures
• Expense Approval Roles & Responsibilities

 

What does an Expense Report affect? 

• Expenses created from Expense Reports will be reflected in financial reports as expenses once they are budget checked, even if all approvals have not been processed
• Sponsored Project Expenses - F&A will not be applied to these expenses until they have been completely approved

 

When is an Expense Report not used? 

• When travel/expense has not yet occurred
• For reimbursing individuals who are not employees (use a Visitor’s Expense Report)
• Note that temporary employees (except in the Center for Public Safety) cannot submit electronic expense reports and must be reimbursed as a visitor using the Visitor Expense Report 

 

Who can submit an Expense Report? 

• Employees who incurred expenses for legitimate business purposes 
• Proxies who are authorized to enter expense reports on behalf of another employee

Step 1: Create an Expense Report

Navigate to Expense Reports

1. Log in to NUFinancials: nufin.northwestern.edu
2. Tap the Expenses tile. 
3. Tap Create Expense Report. 

 

 

Select Proxy, if applicable.

 

1. If you are a Proxy, tap the drop-down arrow next to your name in the upper left corner. 
2. Tap Change Employee. 
3. Select the name of the employee for whom you are proxy from the Employee Search window that appears.
   1. Once selected, you will be taken back to the Expense Report. You will now see the employee’s name you selected in the upper left corner. 

 

 

 

 

Step 2: Enter Expense Report General Information

1. Tap to select the Business Purpose from the drop-down menu.
2. Tap in Description and type one.
3. Tap on the Expenses Supervisor magnifying glass to select the supervisor who will approve these expenses.
4. Tap on the appropriate supervisor name.

Note: If the Expenses Supervisor is not displayed, you will need to print the Expense Report, have it signed by a Supervisor, scanned, and attached to the Expense Report for submittal. 

 

 

  

 

 

5. Attach receipts (from phone photo album or scanned on your phone) and other supporting documentation (e.g. foreign currency conversion rates, hotel, mileage amounts, Expense Report Policy Exception Form) in Attach Receipts.  Consult with your school or department for document retention guidelines.

6. Optionally, tap in description and type one.

 

7. Tap Done.

 

8. Optionally, tap Accounting Defaults to enter a default chart string to which all of your expenses will be charged. If you don’t enter a default you will have to enter the chart string for each expense. You can override the default on any expense entry.
   1. Enter the chart string codes. 
   2. Tap Done. 

 

  

 

9. Tap Create Expense Report. 

 

 

 

10. Tap the Expense Report Action drop-down.
    1. Select Add Expense Lines.
    2. Tap Done.

 

 

Note: Optional Expense Report Actions:

• Quick-Fill - This offers you the opportunity to enter multiple expense lines at one time. See Appendix A.
• Add from My Wallet - You can pull in transactions from your Corporate Card (My Wallet) to reconcile.

Step 3: Enter Expense Report Line Details for New Expense

1. Tap to enter the Expense Date.
2. Select an Expense Typeby tapping on the magnifying glass.
   1. Expense Type categorizes expenses as they relate to the ChartField Account.
   2. You can use toggle between Frequently Used and All Types to locate expense types.

Note: If you select “Other Expenses”, you must tap Accounting, scroll to the right and enter the Account code you wish to use. See Appendix B for the list of Expense Types with default Account codes.

3. Tap and enter a Description explaining the details for this expense. 
4. Select the Cash/Personal Credit from Payment drop-down menu. 

Note: Please visit myHR Learn to view the training materials for Northwestern Corporate Card Expense Reports: Expense Report for My Wallet Transactions 

5. Enter the Amount. Update the Currency for foreign transactions. Please view the Expense Report Training Guide KB article for Foreign Currency transactions.   

 
 

Expense Type 

Domestic Meal – Group 

• A group meal is used whenever reimbursing the employee for more than just their own meal.
• This may include other faculty, staff, and university guests, but not family members.
• Enter the Name, Company and Title of each person who attended the group meal. 

 

 

2. After all Attendees have been entered, tap Done in the upper right corner of Attendees Entry window to return to the Expense Report.

Hotel Expense Lines 

1. Select Domestic or Foreign Hotel/Motel as the Expense Type and enter the Description. 
2. Enter the Number of Nights stayed in the hotel for that expense line. 
   • A hotel stay can be aggregated to one line or broken out for each day; see Appendix C for Accounting field and Receipt Split.
   • Each unique hotel stayed in must have its own line.

Domestic or Foreign Private Auto Mileage Expense Line 

1. Select Domestic or Foreign Private Auto for the Expense Type and enter the Description.
2. Enter the number of Miles for the trip.
   • This should be a round trip figure.
   • Mileage must be entered in whole numbers only.
3. The Amount will automatically populate.

4.  

   • Mileage reimbursement covers fuel, insurance, and vehicle wear and tear; these expenses may not be claimed separately.
   • The mileage Rate is updated in NUFinancials annually based on the Federal Mileage Rate.
   • When attaching proof of mileage, you may use Google Maps, MapQuest, or Yahoo Maps to calculate mileage.
   • Please attach only the page that shows (in text) the names of the start and end points as well as number of miles driven.

Step 4: Accounting Details (chart string)

1. Tap Accounting. This is where your Chart String information is stored if you entered a default. If you didn’t enter a default this is where you can enter a chart string for any one expense.
   • Enter Fund, Dept, Project and Activity.
   • Update Account (if needed).

2. To add additional chart strings to your expense report, tap the + button next to the ChartFields line. 
3. Enter Amounts to be allocated to each chart string. 
4. Use scroll bar to enter additional Fund, Dept, Project, Activity, and Account.   
5. Tap Done. 

 

No Receipt:  If you do not have a receipt, select the No Receipt field, enter an explanation in the Description field, and attach the Expense Policy Exception Form. 

Step 5: Review and Submit

1. Tap Save in the upper right corner.  You must complete the General Information section and enter at least one expense line to save without error.
2. Tap Review and Submit in the upper right corner.  An expense report summary will display.

3. If you entered any foreign travel related expenses, a message will appear on the Expense Report Summary. 
   1. Tap the Foreign Travel Dates link.

1. Complete the Foreign Travel Dates window until Balance is 0.00.
   1. Enter the Country and City where the foreign expense was incurred.
   
   
   2. Enter the dates (consecutive) that you were in the foreign country and city by tapping the Date From and Date To calendar icons and selecting the dates. The dates (consecutive) you select should include the full length of stay in the city, not just the dates when you incurred an expense.
   
   
   
   3. Note: if you were in the same city twice over two different consecutive dates and incurred expenses, enter each set of consecutive dates/expenses separately. For example, if you flew in to Frankfurt August 1 and stayed overnight, then went on to Prague and stayed over 2 nights, and then returned to Frankfurt and stayed overnight, and then flew out the next day you returned, you would enter 3 sets of dates:
      • Frankfurt August 1-2
      • Prague August 2-4
      • Frankfurt August 4-5
         
   4. Enter the total amount in U.S. dollars of expenses you incurred in the foreign city. Note: If you incurred more than one expense for a given foreign city over consecutive dates, you can add the expenses up and enter the total expense. The total USD amount you allocate in Foreign Travel Dates should only reflect the total USD expenses that are “foreign” expense types. This total may not include all the expenses actually spent in that foreign location; e.g., “books” expense should not be allocated to a foreign location even if purchased in a foreign location.
   
   
   5. To add more foreign travel country, city, dates, and amounts, tap  and repeat steps i - iii.
   
   
   6. Tap Done.

4. To make changes to your Expense Report, tap Update Details.

6. A Certification statement appears. Tap Submit. This is your electronic signature.

7. A Summary of all your expense reports will appear. Tap on purple arrow to view the following status options: Returned, Not Submitted, Awaiting Approval, or Pending Payment

 

Note:   Sponsored Project Expenses - F&A will not be applied to these expenses until they have been completely approved.

You can withdraw an expenses report after submission, but before it is approved.

 

Appendix A – Quick Fill

 

If you are adding multiple lines to the Expense Report, use Quick Fill to enter the information.

1. Tap the Expense Report Action drop-down.
   • Select Add from Quick-Fill
   • Tap Done.

2. Once the Quick-Fill window appears, enter the Date Range for the expense.
3. On the Add Expense Types section:
   • Click the One Day checkbox if it occurred only once during the trip.

• Click the All Days checkbox if it occurred more than once.

4. Click Done.

Note: If you stayed at the same Hotel/Motel for the entirety of your trip, select One Day. The Expense Report will populate a field to enter number of days. If more than one Hotel/Motel was expensed, you will need to fill out a line for each unique Hotel/Motel. The same process can be used for Airfare – you only need to enter one line for roundtrip airfare.
 

5. Click Update Details. This will take you to the line information.

1. Complete fields for General Information: Business Purpose, Description, Expenses Supervisor, Accounting Details. You can attach your receipts here if you like, as well.
2. Click Add Expense.
3. Enter Date, Expense Type, Description, Payment, and Amount.
4. Click Receipt Split.
   
5. Click the + above Date to add another line.
6. Enter the Date, Expense Type, Description and Amount in the new line.
   • If this is Non-Reimbursable expense, select Yes.
7. Click Done. This will take you back to the Expense Entry screen. Complete each expense line accordingly.

 

For additional assistance please contact the IT Support Center at 847-491-4357 (1-HELP) or email servicedesk@northwestern.edu.