Employee Reimbursements Tutorial

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Explanations of the Menu Options

The Menu Options appear in the far left column of every screen in the Employee Reimbursement System. These menu options are described briefly below, with more detailed narratives and screen shots presented later in this document.

Start Rmbrs
The Start Reimbursement header includes options to start or continue a Travel Reimbursement, an air ticket for a non-employee, or a Non-Travel Reimbursement.
Start/Continue Travel (Start/Cont Travel)
After entering the Payee Name, which may be different than the default setting of your name, this option can be used to start or continue completing a travel authorization, air ticket requisition, or a travel reimbursement.
Non-ISU Employee
The Employee Reimbursement System can be used to order air tickets for non-employees. However, reimbursements for non-employees must be processed on paper Honorarium or Expense Vouchers. Unlike the other two options, for Non-ISU Employee the name of the person is entered after clicking the menu option.
Start Non-Travel
After entering the Payee Name, this option can be used for expenses unrelated to a trip. Some restrictions apply, which are explained later in this handout.
Start/Continue Travel (Start/Cont Travel): After entering the Payee Name, which may be different than the default setting of your name, this option can be used to start or continue completing a travel authorization, air ticket requisition, or a travel reimbursement.
Non-ISU Employee: The Employee Reimbursement System can be used to order air tickets for non-employees. However, reimbursements for non-employees must be processed on paper Honorarium or Expense Vouchers. Unlike the other two options, for Non-ISU Employee the name of the person is entered after clicking the menu option.
Start Non-Travel: After entering the Payee Name, this option can be used for expenses unrelated to a trip. Some restrictions apply, which are explained later in this handout.
Process Travel - Update
The Update section allows you to create and fax an air ticket requisition, indicate the dates and purpose of a trip, create a pre-trip authorization, allocate expenses among accounts, and review the expense allocation before routing. You must first use the Start/Cont Travel menu option rather than beginning here. However, after a Rmbrs # has been established it is possible to navigate among the different menu options to make corrections.
Air Ticket Requisition (Air Tkt Rqstn)
An air ticket requisition is used to order an air ticket from one of ISU’s contracted travel agencies. The contracted agencies will charge the ticket to ISU’s American Express card, which will be billed intramurally to your department the following month.
Air Ticket Fax
This menu option sends an electronic fax of the Air Ticket Requisition to the selected contracted travel agency.
Travel Dates/Purpose
The Travel Dates/Purpose screen indicates the trip dates, destination, business purpose, and course coverage for faculty.
Estimate Expenses
The Estimate Expenses menu option creates a pre-trip authorization, with the option of encumbering funds. A pre-trip authorization is not required by ISU, but some departments and colleges require it for their areas.
Estimate Expenses 2
In the rare case where five fund accounts would not be enough, the Estimate Expenses 2 menu option allows you to add more fund accounts.
Enter Expenses
Enter Expenses is used to enter expenses to be reimbursed after the trip has been completed. You will be prevented from entering an expense before the first travel date indicated on the Travel Dates/Purpose screen.
Allocate Expenses
Expenses must be allocated to up to three fund accounts before being routed for approval.
Review Expense Allocation
The allocation of expenses can be reviewed before routing.
Air Ticket Requisition (Air Tkt Rqstn): An air ticket requisition is used to order an air ticket from one of ISU’s contracted travel agencies. The contracted agencies will charge the ticket to ISU’s American Express card, which will be billed intramurally to your department the following month.
Air Ticket Fax: This menu option sends an electronic fax of the Air Ticket Requisition to the selected contracted travel agency.
Travel Dates/Purpose: The Travel Dates/Purpose screen indicates the trip dates, destination, business purpose, and course coverage for faculty.
Estimate Expenses: The Estimate Expenses menu option creates a pre-trip authorization, with the option of encumbering funds. A pre-trip authorization is not required by ISU, but some departments and colleges require it for their areas.
Estimate Expenses 2: In the rare case where five fund accounts would not be enough, the Estimate Expenses 2 menu option allows you to add more fund accounts.
Enter Expenses: Enter Expenses is used to enter expenses to be reimbursed after the trip has been completed. You will be prevented from entering an expense before the first travel date indicated on the Travel Dates/Purpose screen.
Allocate Expenses: Expenses must be allocated to up to three fund accounts before being routed for approval.
Review Expense Allocation: The allocation of expenses can be reviewed before routing.
Process Travel - Route
The Route section allows the employees to confirm expenses, and allows you to route a Reimbursement or Authorization, or to check on its status.
Reimbursement Requests (Rmbrs Requests)
Reimbursement Requests is used by the payee to select among multiple reimbursements on the same Rmbrs # and to confirm expenses before routing for approval.
Route Travel Authorization (Route Trvl Athrn)
After the Estimate Expenses screen has been entered, it can be routed for approval. Unlike reimbursements, the estimate of expenses does not have to be confirmed by the employee.
Route Travel Reimbursement (Route Trvl Rmbrs)
After the employee has confirmed expenses through the Rmbrs Requests menu option, they can be routed for approval. The approver will then be notified to log in to a separate system called E-Forms Approval to approve the expenses.
Browse E-Form Action
If a reimbursement already has been routed for approval, you can check its status by clicking on Browse E-Form Action, or by directly logging in to E-Forms Approval.
Reimbursement Requests (Rmbrs Requests): Reimbursement Requests is used by the payee to select among multiple reimbursements on the same Rmbrs # and to confirm expenses before routing for approval.
Route Travel Authorization (Route Trvl Athrn): After the Estimate Expenses screen has been entered, it can be routed for approval. Unlike reimbursements, the estimate of expenses does not have to be confirmed by the employee.
Route Travel Reimbursement (Route Trvl Rmbrs): After the employee has confirmed expenses through the Rmbrs Requests menu option, they can be routed for approval. The approver will then be notified to log in to a separate system called E-Forms Approval to approve the expenses.
Browse E-Form Action: If a reimbursement already has been routed for approval, you can check its status by clicking on Browse E-Form Action, or by directly logging in to E-Forms Approval.
Browse
The Browse section allows you to view summaries of an individual employee’s travel expenses or to view summaries of travel for your department.
Compare Expenses
If the traveler completed the Estimate Expenses screen there were amounts estimated for Lodging, Meals, Mileage, etc. as part of the pre-trip authorization. After entering the Rmbrs #, clicking the Compare Expenses menu option allows comparison between these estimates and the actual amounts entered under Enter Expenses. Some approvers find this to be an important tool to determine whether to approve expenses. However, this menu option cannot be used unless the Estimate Expenses screen was previously completed.
Traveler by Depart Date (Trvlr by Depart Date)
After entering a Dept number, clicking on Traveler by Depart Date gives a list of all trips taken by employees in that department, starting with the most recent departure dates. To show up on the browse, an employee must have completed an Estimate Expenses screen or a Travel Dates/Purpose screen. (Completing an Air Ticket Rqstn screen without continuing to complete the Travel Dates/Purpose screen will not result in the traveler appearing on the browse.)
Browse Events
Only system administrators in the Controller’s Department have access to this menu option.
Completed/Unreimbursed Trips (Complt/Unrmbrs Trips)
After entering a Dept number, clicking on Completed/Unreimbursed Trips displays travelers who need to have expenses entered or routed for approval. This is a valuable tool for monitoring reimbursements that require attention.
Routed/Unreimbursed Trips (Routed/Unrmbrs Trips)
After entering a Dept number, clicking on Routed/Unreimbursed Trips displays reimbursements that have been routed but not yet paid. This browse includes reimbursements that still need approval, as well as approved reimbursements waiting for the Wednesday or Friday night reimbursement cutoff.
Authorizations Not Approved (Athrn Not Apprv)
After entering a Dept number, clicking on Authorizations not Approved displays trips for which an Estimate Expenses screen has been entered and routed, but is still waiting for approval.
Daily Expense Detail
After entering a Rmbrs #, clicking on this menu option allows you to browse a summary of the expenses entered for the trip. You also can drill down on a particular day by clicking on the underlined date that appears on the Daily Expense Detail screen. This browse should be reviewed by the traveler before confirming expenses, by the verifier when comparing receipts to entered expenses, and by approvers before approving a reimbursement in E-Forms Approval.
Air Ticket Requisition by Number (Air Tckt Rqstn by #)
After entering a Dept number, clicking on Air Ticket Requisition by Number allows you to browse all air tickets ordered by that department. The browse displays the most recent Air Ticket Requisition numbers first, which is not the same as the order of the departure dates.
Air Ticket by Name (Air Tckt by Name)
After entering a Dept number, a person’s last name (in capital letters) and clicking on Air Ticket by Name you can browse the tickets ordered by that department.
Compare Expenses: If the traveler completed the Estimate Expenses screen there were amounts estimated for Lodging, Meals, Mileage, etc. as part of the pre-trip authorization. After entering the Rmbrs #, clicking the Compare Expenses menu option allows comparison between these estimates and the actual amounts entered under Enter Expenses. Some approvers find this to be an important tool to determine whether to approve expenses. However, this menu option cannot be used unless the Estimate Expenses screen was previously completed.
Traveler by Depart Date (Trvlr by Depart Date): After entering a Dept number, clicking on Traveler by Depart Date gives a list of all trips taken by employees in that department, starting with the most recent departure dates. To show up on the browse, an employee must have completed an Estimate Expenses screen or a Travel Dates/Purpose screen. (Completing an Air Ticket Rqstn screen without continuing to complete the Travel Dates/Purpose screen will not result in the traveler appearing on the browse.)
Browse Events: Only system administrators in the Controller’s Department have access to this menu option.
Completed/Unreimbursed Trips (Complt/Unrmbrs Trips): After entering a Dept number, clicking on Completed/Unreimbursed Trips displays travelers who need to have expenses entered or routed for approval. This is a valuable tool for monitoring reimbursements that require attention.
Routed/Unreimbursed Trips (Routed/Unrmbrs Trips): After entering a Dept number, clicking on Routed/Unreimbursed Trips displays reimbursements that have been routed but not yet paid. This browse includes reimbursements that still need approval, as well as approved reimbursements waiting for the Wednesday or Friday night reimbursement cutoff.
Authorizations Not Approved (Athrn Not Apprv): After entering a Dept number, clicking on Authorizations not Approved displays trips for which an Estimate Expenses screen has been entered and routed, but is still waiting for approval.
Daily Expense Detail: After entering a Rmbrs #, clicking on this menu option allows you to browse a summary of the expenses entered for the trip. You also can drill down on a particular day by clicking on the underlined date that appears on the Daily Expense Detail screen. This browse should be reviewed by the traveler before confirming expenses, by the verifier when comparing receipts to entered expenses, and by approvers before approving a reimbursement in E-Forms Approval.
Air Ticket Requisition by Number (Air Tckt Rqstn by #): After entering a Dept number, clicking on Air Ticket Requisition by Number allows you to browse all air tickets ordered by that department. The browse displays the most recent Air Ticket Requisition numbers first, which is not the same as the order of the departure dates.
Air Ticket by Name (Air Tckt by Name): After entering a Dept number, a person’s last name (in capital letters) and clicking on Air Ticket by Name you can browse the tickets ordered by that department.
Process Non-Travel
The Process Non-Travel section allows you to enter non-travel reimbursements for ISU employees.
Non-Travel Update (NT Update)
You must first use the Start Non-Travel menu option at the top left of the screen rather than beginning here. However, after using Start Non-Travel to create a Rmbrs # it is possible to navigate among the different menu options to make corrections.
Update Non-Travel Reimbursements (Update NT Rmbrs)
After entering a Rmbrs # you can make changes to a Non-Travel reimbursement you had entered previously. Once the reimbursement has been routed, you will not be able to make updates.
Non-Travel Expense Detail (NT Expense Detail)
After entering a Rmbrs # you can view a summary of all the receipts entered. This is similar to the Daily Expense Detail browse for travel reimbursements. This browse should be reviewed by the payee before confirming expenses, by the verifier when comparing receipts to entered expenses, and by approvers before approving a reimbursement in E-Forms Approval.

Non-Travel Routing
The routing for Non-Travel reimbursements is slightly different from the routing of Travel reimbursements, which was explained above.
Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel (Confirm/Unroute NT)
If an employee enters his/her own expenses, it will not be necessary to click this menu option to confirm, as the system will automatically direct you there. However, if the payee’s expenses are entered by someone else, after logging in to AccessPlus, the payee must enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to confirm expenses. If an approver or verifier wants to halt a routed or approved Non-Travel Reimbursement, they could enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to unroute it. The Unroute step is required before making any changes, as a reimbursement in routing status cannot be changed.
Route Non-Travel Reimbursements
After the traveler has confirmed expenses through the Rmbrs Requests menu option, they can be routed for approval. If the payee does not have the ability to route the reimbursement for approval, an e-mail will be sent by the system to a Verifier designated by that department. The approver will then be notified to log in to a separate system called E-Forms Approval to approve the expenses.
Browse E-Form Action
If a reimbursement already has been routed for approval, you can check its status by clicking on Browse E-Form Action or by directly logging in to E-Forms Approval.
Non-Travel Update (NT Update)
You must first use the Start Non-Travel menu option at the top left of the screen rather than beginning here. However, after using Start Non-Travel to create a Rmbrs # it is possible to navigate among the different menu options to make corrections.
Update Non-Travel Reimbursements (Update NT Rmbrs)
After entering a Rmbrs # you can make changes to a Non-Travel reimbursement you had entered previously. Once the reimbursement has been routed, you will not be able to make updates.
Non-Travel Expense Detail (NT Expense Detail)
After entering a Rmbrs # you can view a summary of all the receipts entered. This is similar to the Daily Expense Detail browse for travel reimbursements. This browse should be reviewed by the payee before confirming expenses, by the verifier when comparing receipts to entered expenses, and by approvers before approving a reimbursement in E-Forms Approval.
Update Non-Travel Reimbursements (Update NT Rmbrs): After entering a Rmbrs # you can make changes to a Non-Travel reimbursement you had entered previously. Once the reimbursement has been routed, you will not be able to make updates.
Non-Travel Expense Detail (NT Expense Detail): After entering a Rmbrs # you can view a summary of all the receipts entered. This is similar to the Daily Expense Detail browse for travel reimbursements. This browse should be reviewed by the payee before confirming expenses, by the verifier when comparing receipts to entered expenses, and by approvers before approving a reimbursement in E-Forms Approval.
Non-Travel Routing
The routing for Non-Travel reimbursements is slightly different from the routing of Travel reimbursements, which was explained above.
Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel (Confirm/Unroute NT)
If an employee enters his/her own expenses, it will not be necessary to click this menu option to confirm, as the system will automatically direct you there. However, if the payee’s expenses are entered by someone else, after logging in to AccessPlus, the payee must enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to confirm expenses. If an approver or verifier wants to halt a routed or approved Non-Travel Reimbursement, they could enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to unroute it. The Unroute step is required before making any changes, as a reimbursement in routing status cannot be changed.
Route Non-Travel Reimbursements
After the traveler has confirmed expenses through the Rmbrs Requests menu option, they can be routed for approval. If the payee does not have the ability to route the reimbursement for approval, an e-mail will be sent by the system to a Verifier designated by that department. The approver will then be notified to log in to a separate system called E-Forms Approval to approve the expenses.
Browse E-Form Action
If a reimbursement already has been routed for approval, you can check its status by clicking on Browse E-Form Action or by directly logging in to E-Forms Approval.
Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel (Confirm/Unroute NT): If an employee enters his/her own expenses, it will not be necessary to click this menu option to confirm, as the system will automatically direct you there. However, if the payee’s expenses are entered by someone else, after logging in to AccessPlus, the payee must enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to confirm expenses. If an approver or verifier wants to halt a routed or approved Non-Travel Reimbursement, they could enter the Rmbrs # and click Confirm/Unroute Non-Travel to unroute it. The Unroute step is required before making any changes, as a reimbursement in routing status cannot be changed.
Route Non-Travel Reimbursements: After the traveler has confirmed expenses through the Rmbrs Requests menu option, they can be routed for approval. If the payee does not have the ability to route the reimbursement for approval, an e-mail will be sent by the system to a Verifier designated by that department. The approver will then be notified to log in to a separate system called E-Forms Approval to approve the expenses.
Browse E-Form Action: If a reimbursement already has been routed for approval, you can check its status by clicking on Browse E-Form Action or by directly logging in to E-Forms Approval.
E-Forms Approval
E-Forms Approval is a system separate from the Employee Reimbursement system. The Employee Reimbursement system is used to create and update reimbursements and authorizations, and E-Forms Approval is used to route and approve those authorizations and reimbursements. A separate handout entitled “Routing and Approving Employee Reimbursements in E-Forms Approval” is available to help you use E-Forms Approval.

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