How to Add a Claim for Mileage or Travel Expense

Transcription

1 How to Add a Claim for Mileage or Travel Expense Using Employee Self Service Version 9.3 Last Updated: 08/05/2013

2 REVISION HISTORY Date of Revision Owner Indicate Page # Summary of Changes 08/05/2013 MUNIS Team ALL Minor formatting changes 2 P a g e

3 Table of Contents REVISION HISTORY... 2 WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I GET STARTED?... 4 Employee Self Service (ESS)... 4 SOFT COPY vs. HARD COPY... 4 REQUIRED SUPPORT FOR EXPENSE CLAIMS... 5 MUNIS VENDOR NUMBER... 5 DATA ENTRY... 5 ADMINISTRATIVE REG. BUS-05: TRAVEL EXPENSES AND REIMBURSEMENTS... 5 WEB SITE REFERENCES... 5 Supporting Documentation for Monthly Mileage Reimbursements... 6 LOGGING INTO EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE (ESS)... 8 ENTERING CLAIM DETAILS (MONTHLY MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT EXAMPLE)... 9 ENTERING EXPENSES & RECEIPTS SAVING FOR LATER ATTACHING SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION REVIEWING AND SUBMITTING YOUR CLAIM MONITORING CLAIM STATUS TRAVEL EXPENSES REIMBURSEMENT EXAMPLE *NEW FEATURE* HOW TO COPY AN EXISTING CLAIM Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) P a g e

4 WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW BEFORE I GET STARTED? As of August 1, 2012, reimbursements claims for mileage or travel expenses are initiated by the employee via Employee Self Service (ESS). All documentation justifying the claim(s) MUST be attached electronically at the time the claim is submitted in ESS. Once submitted, the claim is processed by the campus/department bookkeeper, approved by your principal/director, and finally processed for payment by the Accounts Payable Department. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on how district employees create reimbursement claims in ESS for monthly mileage or eligible travel expenses. The reimbursement claim process is illustrated below: Employee Self Service (ESS) Employee Self Service is available for ALL district employees. It can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week from any computer with internet service. The main page of the ESS is made up of several panels. The panels display personal information, organizational announcements, time-off information, and pay details. Remember, when logging in your user name is your "E-Number" without the e and leading zeros 0. If it is the first time you are logging in, the default password is the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number. If you have logged in before, but forgot your password; contact the Helpdesk at (helpdesk@nisd.net) to have your password reset. SOFT COPY vs. HARD COPY Computer documents are available in TWO forms: hard copy and soft copy. A hard copy is the actual physical form of the document, usually printed onto copy paper. A soft copy is the version of the document that is still on the computer. Soft copies can include Microsoft Word documents and Adobe PDFs. For reimbursement claims, it is helpful to SAVE these soft copies to a location on your computer that you can easily access (i.e. Desktop). 4 P a g e

5 REQUIRED SUPPORT FOR EXPENSE CLAIMS ALL support documentation MUST be in a soft copy format. Please refer to the following table for a list of required attachments: EMPLOYEE EXPENSE CLAIM TYPE Mileage Reimbursement Claims Travel Expense Reimbursement Claims ATTACHMENTS Monthly Mileage Reimbursement Form (Click here for form) Parking Receipts Other resource (i.e. copy of Google Maps directions) Travel Authorization Request (Required for Federal Programs) Conference agenda(s) Hotel Receipts (itemized breakdown of expenses) Eligible Expense Receipts (i.e., parking, hotel, shuttle/taxi) *Approved travel and mileage reimbursements that do not meet current IRS regulations will be taxable to the employee. MUNIS VENDOR NUMBER If this is your first time requesting a mileage or travel expense reimbursement, contact Diana Ornelas in the Purchasing Department at Diana.Ornelas@nisd.net to ensure that you have a valid vendor record on file. DATA ENTRY Always use CAPS LOCK when entering data related to travel expense claims in ESS. ADMINISTRATIVE REG. BUS-05: TRAVEL EXPENSES AND REIMBURSEMENTS Administrative Regulation (BUS-05) outlines all requirements pertaining to the approval and reimbursement of travel expenses which include: mileage, public transportation, meal reimbursements, accommodations, travel reports, and any expense restrictions. For further explanation of each travel expense please refer to Administrative Regulation (BUS- 05) located on Northside ISD s intranet. WEB SITE REFERENCES Employee Self Service Resource Center: The Employee Self Service center offers a wide range of instructional videos and guides that will help you get the most of ESS. On this page you will also find a link to the ESS log in screen. Accounts Payable Website: Periodically, there may be changes to reimbursement rate. The Accounts Payable intranet site has the most up-to-date travel forms. 5 P a g e

6 Supporting Documentation for Monthly Mileage Reimbursements As previously mentioned, prior to entering a claim in ESS, all support documentation must be in a soft copy format (i.e. scanned receipts, mileage reimbursement form, copies of online directions). The employee must provide justification (proof) for any mileage traveled throughout any given month. STEP 1. Download the Monthly Mileage Reimbursement Form (BUS 005) from the Accounts Payable intranet site by clicking the following link: Monthly Mileage Reimbursement Form. STEP 2. Click the SAVE icon located in the Adobe Toolbar. STEP 3. STEP 4. Save a copy of the Mileage Form to your Desktop or to a location you can easily access. Enter your applicable information in the top portion of the form (Date, Campus/Dept., Employee ID, etc.) STEP 5. Enter the travel information for the month (Date, Travel From, Travel To, etc.) STEP 6. NUMBER OF MILES field There are TWO ways to calculate the number of miles: (1) For travel to/from NISD facilities, please use the In-District Mileage Chart. You may access the chart by clicking on the purple NISD Mileage Chart button (Step 4 screenshot). (2) For travel to/from non-nisd locations please use an online directions provider (i.e. Google Maps, Mapquest, etc.). 6 P a g e

7 You DO NOT have to save a copy of the NISD Mileage Chart. You MUST SAVE a copy of any online directions used to justify number of miles. STEP 7. SELECT either PER MILEAGE CHART or PER OTHER SOURCE ATTACHED from the drop down menu. STEP 8. Note that the form automatically calculates the Total Mileage Expense based on the Total Number of Miles you entered within the form. STEP 9. Once all mileage information has been entered, be sure to SAVE A COPY of the Monthly Mileage Reimbursement Form to your workstation (i.e. Desktop, H: Drive, etc.) STEP 10. If you incur any type of parking fees during the month, be sure to scan and save copies of the parking receipt(s). THE MONTHLY MILEAGE FORM IS WHERE YOU LOG YOUR MILEAGE THROUGHOUT THE MONTH. DO NOT ENTER EACH DAY OF TRAVEL IN ESS. 7 P a g e

8 LOGGING INTO EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE (ESS) STEP 1. From the NISD Homepage, under Employee Links (drop-down menu), click on EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE. STEP 2. STEP 3. STEP 4. Click on Once you have logged into ESS, click the EMPLOYEE SELF SERVICE link. Click the EXPENSE REPORTS link. STEP 5. Click the ADD CLAIM link. 8 P a g e

9 ENTERING CLAIM DETAILS (MONTHLY MILEAGE REIMBURSEMENT EXAMPLE) Once you have clicked the ADD CLAIM link the Claim Details screen will appear: **Remember use ALL CAPS when entering claim information in ESS** STEP 1. STEP 2. CLAIM TYPE: Monthly Mileage Reimbursement will default in the drop-down menu. DEPARTMENT: Please select your respective department. IMPORTANT: Be sure to select the correct department so that the correct bookkeeper/secretary can process your claim. Please do not use the location codes at the bottom beginning with a Z-. STEP 3. DESCRIPTION: Enter a brief description as to what the claim pertains to (i.e. JULY 2012 MILEAGE). STEP 4. START DATE: Enter the first day of the month of travel (i.e. 07/01/2012). STEP 5. END DATE: Enter the last day of the month of travel (i.e. 07/31/2012). STEP 6. Start and End times are NOT required. STEP 7. Click the CONTINUE button. 9 P a g e

10 ENTERING EXPENSES & RECEIPTS After clicking CONTINUE, you will be directed to the Expense and Receipts screen: STEP 1. Click the down arrow on the LOCATION section. STEP 2. Enter the DESTINATION CITY and DESTINATION STATE. STEP 3. Click the down arrow in the UNIT EXPENSES section. STEP 4. Click the ADD AN EXPENSE link. STEP 5. The Expense Information screen will appear: 10 P a g e

11 STEP 6. STEP 7. EXPENSE TYPE: Select MILEAGE from the drop-down menu. field: Enter the Total Number Of Miles traveled for the month. REMEMBER: What you enter here should exactly match the Total Miles on your Monthly Mileage Reimbursement form. STEP 8. DATE INCURRED field: Enter the last day of the month of travel (i.e. 07/31/2012). STEP 9. COMMENTS field: Enter any comment(s) that you would like to communicate to the bookkeeper/secretary (i.e. PERSONAL VEHICLE, JULY 2012 PG 1 OF 2, etc). STEP 10. Click the SAVE EXPENSE button. ( (COMPLETED EXAMPLE) HINT: If you are including multiple Monthly Mileage Forms, click the Add an Expense link to add another expense. If you need to make changes or delete this unit expense, use the appropriate links on the right. 11 P a g e

12 SAVING FOR LATER Before you can attach any supporting documentation you must first save the information you have entered thus far. STEP 1. Locate the SAVE FOR LATER button at the bottom of the screen. STEP 2. Click the SAVE FOR LATER button to save all your claim details. STEP 3. You will not be allowed to attach your support document(s) until you have saved your claim. STEP 4. You should receive the Your claim was saved successfully message. IMPORTANT: If you receive an error message here please go to page 19 (FAQ #3). 12 P a g e

13 ATTACHING SUPPORT DOCUMENTATION If your claim was saved successfully you may now attach all required supporting documentation. STEP 1. Click the down arrow in the ATTACH RECEIPTS section. STEP 2. Click the ATTACH A RECEIPT link. STEP 3. The Attach a Receipt pop-up will appear: STEP 4. Click the BROWSE button to locate the soft copy file you wish to attach to your claim. STEP 5. Locate your file, select it, and Click OPEN. 13 P a g e

14 STEP 6. Click the UPLOAD button. STEP 7. The screen will refresh. STEP 8. Scroll down to the Attach receipts section and you should see the name of the file you just attached. STEP 9. To attach more files, repeat STEPS 2-6 above. IMPORTANT: Ensure that the correct file is attached to claim. Once the file it attached and submitted, it cannot be changed. If an error is made, the entire claim must be deleted and re-entered. 14 P a g e

15 REVIEWING AND SUBMITTING YOUR CLAIM Once you have attached all required supporting documentation (soft copies) you must review your entire claim for accuracy. STEP 1. Click the REVIEW button. STEP 2. Verify all claim and expense details. STEP 3. If you need to make changes, click the EDIT DETAILS link on the left-side bar. STEP 4. If no changes are necessary, click the SUBMIT CLAIM button. STEP 5. You should receive confirmation if your claim was submitted successfully. 15 P a g e

16 MONITORING CLAIM STATUS The employee can monitor his/her claim(s) in ESS at any time. STEP 1. Click on the EXPENSE REPORTS link from the left-side bar. A listing of all your submitted claims and their respective status will display: STATUS: ENTERING: The claim has been saved, but NOT submitted. CREATED: This claim has been submitted to your campus/department bookkeeper. ALLOCATED: The bookkeeper has processed and released the claim to your administrator for approval. RELEASED: Claim has been processed by bookkeeper/secretary and is awaiting approval by principal/director. APPROVED: Your principal/director and the Accounts Payable Department have approved your claim. REIMBURSED: You have received your reimbursement and the claim is complete. Please allow 5-7 business days for bank deposit to be completed. REJECTED: Claim was rejected. NOTE: The Accounts Payable Department has 5-10 business days to process employee reimbursement payments. Employee will receive an notification once the funds have been deposited. 16 P a g e

17 TRAVEL EXPENSES REIMBURSEMENT EXAMPLE The steps for creating a Travel Expense Reimbursement are similar to those for a Mileage Expense Reimbursement. Quick instructions are described below: STEP 1. STEP 2. STEP 3. STEP 4. STEP 5. STEP 6. STEP 7. STEP 8. As before, click the EXPENSE REPORTS link from the ESS home page. Click the ADD A NEW CLAIM link. (Claim Details screen will appear) CLAIM TYPE: Click the drop down menu and select Travel Expense Reimbursement. DESCRIPTION: Enter a brief description as to what the claim pertains to (i.e. XYZ CONFERENCE). START DATE: Enter the first day of travel (i.e. the day you left). END DATE: Enter the last day of travel (i.e. the day you came back). Click CONTINUE. (Expense and Receipts screen will appear) Click the down arrows to expand each section and add information. STEP 9. Click the down arrow on the LOCATION section. Enter the Destination City and Destination State. STEP 10. Click the down arrow in the PER DIEM EXPENSES section. 17 P a g e

18 STEP 11. Select the allowable meals incurred during the travel event (breakfast, lunch, and dinner). REMINDER: Administrative Regulation (BUS-05) outlines all requirements pertaining to the approval and reimbursement of travel expenses which include: mileage, public transportation, meal reimbursements, accommodations, travel reports, and any expense restrictions. STEP 12. STEP 13. Click the down arrow in the UNIT EXPENSES section. Click the ADD AN EXPENSE link. The Expense Information screen will appear: STEP 14. EXPENSE TYPE drop-down menu: Select the applicable expense. a. AIRFARE b. LODGING/HOTEL c. MILEAGE d. MISC TRAVEL EXP e. PARKING FEES f. REGISTRATION g. RENTAL CAR h. TAXI/SHUTTLE i. TRAVEL ALLOWANCE (ATHLETICS DEPT. ONLY) 18 P a g e

19 STEP 15. STEP 16. field: Enter the expense quantity (Ex: if the employee paid for two nights in a hotel, enter quantity of 2). AMOUNT ($) field: Enter the amount ($) of the expense (Ex: the price per night for the hotel stay). STEP 17. STEP 18. DATE INCURRED field: Enter the last day of travel (i.e. the day you came back). COMMENTS field: Enter any comment(s) that you would like to communicate to the bookkeeper/secretary. STEP 19. Click the SAVE EXPENSE button. HINT: If you are including multiple EXPENSE TYPES, click the ADD AN EXPENSE link to add another expense. You may also make changes or delete this expense. STEP 20. Be sure to click the SAVE FOR LATER button before attaching all Travel Support Documentation. STEP 21. As before, be sure to review and submit your travel expense reimbursement. 19 P a g e

20 *NEW FEATURE* HOW TO COPY AN EXISTING CLAIM A new feature with Employee Self Service version 9.3 is the ability to copy existing claims. This option could be useful if the employee travels to a certain destination each month, quarter, etc. STEP 1. Click the EXPENSE REPORTS link from the ESS menu. STEP 2. A listing of all your submitted claims and their respective information will display. STEP 3. Locate the claim you wish to copy and click on the COPY link. 20 P a g e

21 Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.) FAQ #1: I cannot remember by ESS password. What can I do? ANSWER: You may call the Helpdesk at extension (77700) and request that your password be reset. You may also send a GroupWise to MUNIS.support@nisd.net and provide a description of the issue, contact information, and your employee number. A MUNIS project team member will contact you for resolution. FAQ #2: I am creating a travel expense claim for the first time in ESS, what resources are available? ANSWER: There are THREE resources available to assist you in creating a travel expense claim in ESS: Employee Expense (ESS) Training Video: How to Add a Claim for Mileage or Travel Expense Training Guide: MUNIS Support Lab Schedule: FAQ #3: When I click on the SAVE FOR LATER button I receive the following error: ANSWER (1): If you have never received a reimbursement for a travel expense, it is possible that your employee number may be missing from your vendor record. Please contact Diana Ornelas in the Purchasing Department at Diana.Ornelas@nisd.net to ensure that you have a valid vendor record on file. ANSWER (2): Ensure that you have NOT entered a Start Time or End Time in Claim Details screen (page 8). To delete any start times or end times: Click on the Edit Details link from the Expense and Receipts screen. Delete any entered data in the Start Time or End Time fields. Click Continue. FAQ #4: I am located on a high school campus, is there anyone on-site who can help me? ANSWER: The Campus Applications Technologists on each high school campus have been trained on how to enter a travel expense claim via ESS and can be utilized as a resource. 21 P a g e

22 FAQ #5: I have gathered all my receipts justifying my travel expense claim, how do I save them in soft copy format? ANSWER (1): All campuses and departments have a scanner available for employee use. ANSWER (2): If your mobile device (cell phone, ipad, etc.) has a camera function you may take a photo of the receipt(s) and them to your NISD and save them for easy access. ANSWER (3): CutePDF is a useful program for converting documents to PDF (i.e. web pages, Word documents, Excel documents, etc.). To verify that your NISD workstation has this option please contact the Helpdesk at x FAQ #6: I have just returned from a conference I attended in Austin, what should I include when I create my Travel Expense reimbursement in ESS? ANSWER: See the list below: It is recommended that the Travel Authorization Form (TAR) be saved in a soft copy format and attached in ESS. This form is a required attachment for Federal Programs. If attending a conference, a scanned copy of the conference agenda is required. Mileage to and from a travel event should NOT be included in the Monthly Mileage Reimbursement Form. Please use an online directions provider (i.e. Google Maps, Mapquest, etc.) and SAVE A SOFT COPY of the directions. For Lodging/Hotel expenses, please request an itemized breakdown of expenses from the hotel. A scanned copy of the itemized breakdown of expenses is required. Ensure all other eligible expense receipts (i.e. parking, shuttle/taxi) are scanned and saved. 22 P a g e

23 Mileage & Travel Expense Claims RESPONSIBILITIES EMPLOYEE BOOKKEEPER/SECRETARY Ensure travel was pre-approved on District s Travel Approval Request form. Submit claim through ESS. Route to correct department. Attach receipts and documentation. Attach mileage form. Ensure claims are correct and complete. Ensure attachments agree with claim. Check MUNIS notifications for claims. Ensure all forms, receipts, etc. are attached and correct and agree with submitted claim. Allocate claim to proper budget code for payment. Ensure travel was pre-approved on District s Travel Approval Request form. Release claim to administrative approver. Notify employee if claim is incomplete or has errors. APPROVER ACCOUNTING (A/P) Check MUNIS notifications for claims needing approval. Ensure submitted claims are complete and all supporting documentation is attached. Travel has been pre-approved. Budget code is accurate. Approve and release for payment. Ensure all documentation is attached to claim request. Notify bookkeeper/secretary if claim is incomplete or has errors. Process claim for payment. Non-compliance at any point will result in payment delays to the employee. Approved travel and mileage reimbursements that do not meet current IRS regulations will be taxable to employee. 23 P a g e