Expense Details

The Expense Details window is used to specify the details of an expense claim. It is invoked from the Expenses grid when the user selects to enter an Expense Type (see Entering Expenses), and then can be reopened for editing only until the relevant expense is submitted for approval.

Once expenses are submitted for approval, the Expense Details form can be accessed only if those expenses are recalled, or—by approvers only, and in read-only mode—via the Expense Approvals screen.

The controls displayed on this screen are dependent on your environment's configuration.

Some input items may be hidden, e.g. Country and Currency are available only if so configured, and if Multi-currency Time and Expenses is in operation.

First select an Expense Type.

Expense Types

The application can be configured to support multiple levels of Expense Type input (Expense Levels), to enable multi-level analysis (for example, Level 1: Meals, Level 2: Per Diem).

Multi-level expense analysis is not currently supported for Credit Card Expenses.

If Expense Levels are not configured in your application, the Expense type region will display a single selection control:

If Expense Levels are configured, the Expense type region will display multiple selection controls, with the highest level of expense at the top of the list. You must then make your Expense Type selections in order, from top to bottom. If an Expense Type at any level is configured for further levels of analysis, this is indicated by a label suffix >>.

There is no parent/child relationship between Expense Types and Expense Levels, but the combination of Levels for each Type must be unique.

Expense Levels must be configured in Star PDM (Setup / Expenses / Multi-Level Analysis / Level 1, etc.).

Region

The controls displayed under Region allow you to set the monetary unit in which the expense is claimed.

First select the relevant Country—this my be a nation or an economic zone, e.g. USA or Euro Zone, or Functional currency, i.e. the main currency used by your business or unit—and then select the relevant Currency, e.g. Euro or GBP, or Unknown if not known.

Claim

The controls displayed under Claim vary according to the Expense Type selected.

For example, for simple expense amounts a single Amount control is displayed (with the symbol of the functional currency in parentheses appended to the label), whereas for unit-based expenses Unit and Rate controls are displayed.

Per Diem Expenses

If the Expense Type selected is Per Diem, then the Claim region displays checkbox selectors for up to five pre-configured Per Diem expense types, e.g. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. The amount to be reimbursed for each per diem is displayed in brackets after the per diem label.

Per diem expenses are always in the functional currency.

Select the appropriate per diem checkbox or checkboxes to be reimbursed accordingly:

Per Diem Expenses and set values for reimbursement must be configured for each appropriate Expense Type. This is done in Star PDM (Setup / Expenses / Expense Types / Edit / Switches: Per Diem Expense + Per Diem Amounts).

Expense Analysis

Expense input can also be configured to capture Expense Analysis Type or class details for specific Expense Types only.

Where so configured (i.e. where an Expense Type has been associated with an Expense Analysis Type, for example CPE), when the Expense Type is selected, a new field with the appropriate Type label (2Analysis Type CPE in the screenshot below) allows the user to make the mandatory Expense Analysis Item selection.

Expense Analysis Types must be configured in Star PDM (Setup / Expenses / Analysis Types + Analysis Items).

Mileage Calculation for Unit-based Expenses

When entering unit-based expenses only, Google Maps can be used to automate mileage calculation.

If the use of Google Maps is enabled, then the ClaimUnit and Rate fields are replaced by mileage fields: Calculated, Miles and Rate.

The symbol of the functional currency is displayed in brackets after the Rate label.

Google Maps functionality must be enabled in Star PDM (Setup / Expenses / Expense Types / Edit / Switches: Use Maps). Also in Setup, an optional Map Override field can be used to specify a percentage by which users are permitted to adjust the calculated mileage by editing the value in the Miles or Km field (as specified in Expense Types setup).

Mapping

To use Google Maps functionality:

  • In the Expense Details, Claim region, select Map.

    This invokes the Expense Route window, in which you can plot the multiple waypoints of a journey on a map. The Google Maps API will then use those details to calculate the total length in miles of that journey.

In the Expense Route window:

  1. Enter a short, meaningful Description of the expense and/or journey.

  2. To plot the start of your journey, either:

    • Enter the address into the uppermost Location field. Any matching locations are filtered as you type, make a selection.

      The AutoComplete of Locations is activated only once a set number of characters have been entered - five characters by default: your configuration may differ.

    • Select the search icon to display the Find Location window, then select a Favourite or other saved location.

      For details of how to record a Location in this window, see Edit Location immediately below.

      The quickest way to flag a Location as a Favourite, is simply to select the associated Location Status icon so that it displays as solid, not outline. This Location will then be listed in the Find Location window Favourite tab.

  3. Use as many of the remaining Locations fields as necessary to enter any other known waypoints on your journey.

    The number of Locations fields (i.e. the maximum number of Locations) is variabl, determined by a value set in the Star database. There are eight Locations in a standard installation.

    To change the order of a Location, select and hold the drag-and-drop icon
    drag and drop iconto move it into the correct sequence.

  4. When you have entered multiple Locations, and they are in the correct sequence, click Update Map.

    The most direct route between each of the specified Locations is plotted and indicated on the map, and the Distance value is calculated and populated automatically.

  5. Only if you are making a return journey, select the Round Trip checkbox. The Distance value is then doubled automatically.

  6. Click Save to record the journey and calculated mileage.

    You are returned to the Expense Details window, with the Claim values updated accordingly.

Edit Location

To edit the recorded details of a Location:

  1. In the Expense Route window, click the appropriate Edit Location Status icon to view the Edit Location window.

    In this window:

    • The Address field confirms the selected Location. It is automatically populated and read-only.
    • The Description field is optional. It allows you to record a brief annotation against the Location.

    • The remaining fields - Home, Office, Default, Favourite - correspond to the tabs in the Find Location window (see immediately above). If you select a checkbox, the Location will be listed in the appropriate tab.

      There can only be one Default Location. If you select this checkbox, the correspoding setting on the current Default Location is reversed. There is no prompt for confirmation.

      If you select the Favourite checkbox, the Location's associated Status icon toggles from outline to solid , for ease of identification.

Other Expense Details

Your subsequent selections and/or inputs automatically affect the options available in other selection controls and/or the values populating other fields.

For instance:

  • If you select Country: USA, then the options in the Currency drop-down list are restricted to Unknown and Dollars.
  • If you select Country: Euro Zone, then the options in the Currency drop-down list are restricted to Unknown, GBP and Euro.
  • In the amounts field at top right (Expense, etc.), each label is appended with the relevant currency symbol, according to the selected Currency.

  • Amounts are calculated automatically, according to the manually-entered Unit value, but the Repaid and Tax amounts can then be edited, subject to validation.

    If a manually-entered Repaid or Tax amounts exceeds the permitted leeway, then a warning dialogue is displayed. When the dialogue is closed, the value automatically reverts to its automatically calculated default.

GL Dimensions

The GL Dimensions controls (labelled GL Dimension1 and GL Dimension2 by default) record dimensions relating to the GL code to which the expense should be mapped.

GL Dimension1 and GL Dimension2 are both subject to Replace Terms.

Default GL Dimension values are derived from the Staff record when the expense is created, but can be overridden by any user with the required Approver privilege.

GL Dimensions must be configured in Star PDM (Setup / Expenses / GLDimension1, etc.).

Comments

Optionally, enter any Comments pertinent to the claimed expense.

Save

When the expense details are complete, click Save in the Expense Details window.