Chrome river reminder

The business purpose, or Justification, is an important component of the expense report. It is required to address specific details per University policy. Individuals need to establish a clear reason for why the expense(s) should be considered allowable and address how the expense(s) benefits ASR and supports our role within the University’s mission.

While it may feel redundant to provide that information on the expense report after completing a PERR, it is necessary because the PERR is not automatically available outside of ASR’s internal workflow. A full justification should be included in Chrome River by completing the Business Purpose field and/or adding comments. A PDF of an approved PERR can also be attached as additional supporting documentation.

Chrome River reminders

Now is a good time to clean-up your Chrome River eWallet. When utilizing the email functionality to forward receipts/documentation to your profile, Chrome River will do its best to match the documentation to a credit card transaction. However, if it doesn’t find a match, it will create a new (often duplicate) out-of-pocket expense it expects to be reconciled. It is a best practice to periodically review your eWallet (sections All, Out-of-Pocket Expenses, Receipt Gallery) to remove any duplicates and/or documents that are no longer needed so you have a clear listing of actual pending transactions.

While in the eWallet, make sure to review the Expense Type (icon in the header) that has been assigned to your transactions to ensure it is appropriate for the expense. It is easiest to review/modify the Expense Type while transactions are still in the eWallet (before adding them to an expense report). A job aid outlining all Expense Types is available in the job aids. Hint: watch out for bundled expenses which require a specific bundle Expense Type to be used.

Travel tip: Lodging

The Traveling on University Business policy addresses many aspects of travel as well as defining what is considered allowable expense. When arranging lodging, please be aware of the following:

• When submitting lodging expenses in Chrome River, always complete the “Allowable Total” field during the itemization so the correct policy rules are applied.
• A full itemized receipt/invoice from the hotel is always required for supporting lodging expenses regardless of how the reservation was made. Reservation confirmation notifications or cost estimates/summaries from third-party travel sites do not qualify as itemized receipts/invoices as they do not outline all of the charges.
• In most travel scenarios, the allowable expense is defined as 150% of the lodging per diem for the nightly rate (before taxes):
• Domestic per diem: US General Services Administration (GSA)
• Alaska/Hawaii per diem: US Department of Defense
• International per diem: US Department of State
• When traveling for a conference, the standard per diem limit may be exceeded when there is a documented conference negotiated rate. Be sure to check the Pre-Negotiated Conference Rate checkbox on the Chrome River lodging itemization. However, if the conference rooms are fully booked and/or unavailable, the standard 150% per diem rule applies even if the reservation is at the conference hotel.
• In the event that it is not possible to find a hotel within the per diem limit for the destination within a reasonable proximity, it is possible to request an exception to the per diem limit prior to making the reservation. Travelers can submit a Request for Lodging Exception to their supervisor outlining the circumstances and why the higher rate should be viewed as acceptable. If approved, the reservation can be made and the approved exception form attached to the Chrome River expense report along with the itemized receipt/invoice from the hotel.
• Use of vacation rental sites is permissible (but not necessarily preferred) if there is a cost savings over traditional lodging and other related travel expenses (e.g., car rental, ground transportation). However, the use of vacation rentals requires pre-approval via a Request for Lodging Exception. The 150% per diem rule still applies to the nightly cost. Additionally, any extra fees should be reviewed beforehand to ensure all of the extra costs are allowable within University policy.

Chrome River reminders

Following the recent policy changes, please keep the following in mind when filling out your next Chrome River expense report:

• Whether TCard or out-of-pocket, all expenses must be submitted within 60 days, otherwise they may become taxable.
• Non-Travel Out-of-Pocket: 60 days from original purchase date
• Travel Out-of-Pocket: 60 days from end of travel status
• Travel Card (TCard): 60 days from original purchase date
• When entering out-of-pocket expenses, the transaction date must reflect the purchase date as outlined on the receipt, not the date of the expense report.
• The justification must address why the expense was necessary and how it benefits the department/University.

Chrome River update

Due to an upcoming change in reporting functionality, it will no longer be possible for Morrill Shared Services to send reminders to TCard cardholders with unreconciled transactions prior to the 60-day reconciliation deadline. Cardholders will continue to receive the automated notifications from Chrome River, so it will be imperative for you to act on those notifications and submit the unreconciled transactions. As a reminder, policy requires expenses to be submitted in Chrome River within the following timelines:

• TCard: 60 days of original purchase or transaction date.
• Out-of-Pocket (non-travel): 60 days of original purchase date, otherwise the expense is unallowable.
• Out-of-Pocket (travel): 60 days from end of travel, otherwise the expense is unallowable.