Understanding the difference between an Expense and an Expense Report is key to managing your reimbursements efficiently on ITILITE. This guide will clarify these two core concepts.
Table of Contents
Step-by-step Guide
Follow these steps to understand how Expenses and Expense Reports are organized in ITILITE:
- From your ITILITE Dashboard, navigate to the Expenses section. Here, you will typically see two main views: Expenses and Reports.
- The Expenses tab displays individual transactions or line items, such as a single meal, a taxi ride, or a hotel charge. Each of these is an individual Expense.
- The Reports tab shows collections of these individual Expenses, grouped together for submission and approval. For example, all the Expenses from a business trip would be grouped into one Expense Report.
Pro-Tips & Guardrails
NOTE: An Expense is a single claim line with its own date, amount, category, and fields. An Expense Report is a bundle of one or more Expenses that you submit together for approval and reimbursement.
PRO-TIP: You don't submit individual Expenses alone; you always submit an Expense Report that contains one or more Expenses. Approval and payout processes happen at the Expense Report level.
NOTE: Policies can apply at both the Expense level (e.g., a daily meal limit) and the Expense Report level (e.g., an extra approval for reports exceeding a certain total amount).
Verification & FAQs
Q: Can an Expense exist without being linked to an Expense Report?A: Yes, individual Expenses can exist in a "Draft Expenses" state before being linked to an Expense Report. They must be linked to a report for submission.
Q: What types of Expenses can be included in an Expense Report?
A: An Expense Report can include various types of Expenses, such as Standard Expenses (meals, taxi), Mileage Expenses, and Per Diem claims, as long as they align with the report's purpose and approval flow.
Q: Can an Expense be part of multiple Expense Reports?
A: No, an Expense can belong to at most one Expense Report at a time. Once an Expense Report is submitted, its linked Expenses move through the approval and payout process with that specific report.
Q: When does an Expense Report get submitted for approval?
A: An Expense Report can be manually submitted once all linked Expenses are in a "Ready to submit" state (meaning all mandatory fields are filled). Depending on your company's settings, reports can also be automatically created and submitted.
Q: How does ITILITE handle different types of Expenses like mileage or per diem?
A: ITILITE supports specific Expense types like Mileage Expense, where reimbursement is calculated based on predefined rates, and Per Diem, which calculates a fixed allowance based on destination and days, instead of individual bills. These are still individual Expenses that get linked to an Expense Report.
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