T-Card Expense Report Instructions
T-Card Expense Report Instructions
The following step-by-step instructions are designed to guide you through properly submitting your T-Card expense reports in Chrome River and to address a wide range of expense-related issues that may arise.
For any assistance with these reports, please contact the travel team at EBSC-travel@mx.uillinois.edu.
Receipts
Almost all expenses that are being requested for reimbursement will require an accompanying receipt. The three main items that should be featured on the receipt are: the name of the reimbursee, the payment method, and the cost of the expense.
The name isn't a strict requirement for certain receipts such as a receipt for a taxi. One issue you may run into though is if a receipt is in the name of someone else that is not the reimbursee. Typically, Payables will require that the person whose name is on the receipt be the one requesting reimbursement for that expense.
For the payment method, Payables likes to have the type of card and the last four digits of the card displayed on the receipt (something like VISA xxxxxxxxxxxx1234). If a receipt does not feature the payment method, then a supplemental credit card/bank statement that features the charge can be used.
Paying for Other University Personnel's Travel Expenses
(NOTE: It is AGAINST University policy to pay for another University personnel’s travel expenses)
You are not allowed to pay for other University personnel's travel expenses as it challenges the integrity of the reimbursement process by introducing the possibility of duplicated reimbursements for a single expense. If you do end up accidentally paying for someone else's travel expenses, there is an exception request that can be submitted but exceptions are not guaranteed, especially if it is a common occurrence. The Engineering Business Service Center offers the ability to prepay for University personnel's travel expenses using a departmental T-Card so that individuals don't need to carry the financial burden of certain travel expenses until the completion of the event. Please reach out to EBSC-travel@mx.uillinois.edu if you need assistance with a prepayment or exception request.
Creating an Expense Report & Adding Posted Transactions
For T-Card Expense Reports, you'll need to create a Draft Expense Report in Chrome River and then add your related posted transactions and receipts related to your travel.
Step 1: Create a New Draft Expense Report
Select Create in the Expenses section.
Step 2: Fill out the Expense Details
Fill out the Expense Details with the following guidelines:
Report Name: Enter your Org # + Last Name + Event + Location + Date(s) of Event. (ex: 422 Goldstein Scale K-12 West Lafayette, IN Jul 14-Jul 19, 2024)
Business Purpose: Should answer the who, what, when, where, and why of the expense. See Providing a Detailed Business Purpose to ensure your following University guidelines.
Report Type: In most cases, for student/employee reimbursements you will want to select the ‘TCard and Employee Reimbursements’ option.
Does the beneficiary of the expense work 100% in an approved location that is not owned or maintained by the University of Illinois?: Select Yes or No from the drop-down menu. The question should be answered Yes for employees working 100% remotely from a location that is not owned or maintained by the University. This employee is considered a fully remote employee.
Transaction / Purchase Type: Chrome River should default to the 'General' option.
Trip Type: Select the option that best matches the destination of the business travel. If the reimbursement is for something like conference registration or a business meal, the ‘Non-Travel’ option is the best to use.
Budget Fiscal Year: This should be the fiscal year in which the purchase is made. Chrome River should default to the current fiscal year.
User Defined: Can be left blank
Click Save in the top right-hand corner.
After you save your expense details, the Add Expenses menu should automatically populate, and then select Credit Card. However, if it doesn't auto-populate, click the plus sign, and then you can select Credit Card.
A list of your posted transactions will appear, select the relevant posted transaction(s) that relate to this expense report by clicking the check box above the amount. Once you've selected all relevant transactions, click Add at the top right.
Next, a selection of Expense Tiles will appear. The Chrome River system may try to guess the expense type of your posted transaction and then select an expense tile automatically. They typically get it wrong, so you may have to change it manually to the correct expense type. Please note that some tiles have a small down arrow at the bottom of the expense tile indicating that sub-selections are available.
Below are guides for adding all the various types of expenses related to your travel per Step 3. Add all that is relevant to your reimbursement request and then proceed with Step 4.
Once you have all your expenses added to your expense report click the Submit button located at the bottom.
Finally, the below screen will appear on the upper right-hand side of the page. If you would like to save a copy of the report, you can select any of the options under the PDF drop-down. If everything looks good, you can click the Submit button.
The report has been forwarded for approval. No further action is needed unless it is returned to you.
What to do if you have an International Transaction Fee
Some payments to international vendors will have an international transaction fee that is imposed by the bank that you will need to include with the associated Expense Report. When you see these transactions posted in Chrome River, you’ll need to grab backup documentation from Bank of America.
Step 1: Obtaining your Backup Documentation
There are 2 options for obtaining your backup documentation, from the Global Card Access Dashboard or CentreSuite:
Option 1: From your Bank of America Global Card Access Dashboard, choose the appropriate card from the drop-down menu and then Scroll through your activity to find the international transaction fee, these will not be labeled as such and will appear above the corresponding transaction.
Option 2: From your Bank of America Global Card Access Dashboard, select View Statements from the Quick Actions menu on the right-hand side. A new window tab will open with your CentreSuite access. Hover over the STATEMENTS drop-down menu and select Account Activity. Select the DETAILS button for your P-card. Select the Transactions Tab and scroll to find the international transaction fee, which will be right below the associated charge. Screenshot both charges together (as shown below) and save as a .pdf file.
Step 2: Adding the Posted Transaction and Expense Details
- When you add the posted transactions to your draft, you’ll want to include the original charge AND the international transaction fee, click the boxes for both charges.
- The Account Code for the international transaction fee will be the same as the original charge account code.
- For the Description field, put “International Transaction Fee”.
- For the required receipt, upload your recently saved screenshot .pdf of the charge with the international transaction fee.
- You’ll need to update the total charge in the title of your Expense Report to include the international transaction fee.
How to Recall a Submitted Expense Report
Sometimes the need may arise where you need to recall a recently submitted Expense Report to either add information or transactions or adjust the information or transactions. If the expense is already approved or exported, you will not be able to recall it for adjustments.
Step 1: Find your Recently Submitted Expense Reports
From your Chrome River dashboard, select View All Submitted to pull your list of recently submitted expense reports.
You can also access this list by clicking the 3 Horizontal Bars at the header of Chrome River and selecting Recently Submitted.
Step 2: Select the Expense Report to Recall
Select the Expense Report you wish to recall, it should be in pending status. Expense Reports with an Approved or Exported status are not eligible to be recalled.
Click the Recall button at the top right-hand corner (below your name).
This report will then be moved to your draft list where you can open, edit, and then resubmit.
What to do when the Approver Returns your Expense Report
If an approver returns your expense report, you will receive a notification email via Chrome River with an explanation for the return. In order to make any requested adjustments to the returned Expense Report, you’ll need to first recall the report from your Recently Submitted (instructions above) to have it returned to your drafts list where you can then open, edit, and then resubmit.