Frequently Asked Questions for Xero staff
General
How do I start using Expensify?
Download the Expensify for iPhone, Android and iPad. Login from Okta and you're ready to go. If you have a PCard this will be linked to your Expensify account for you.
What is the Inbox?
The Inbox on web and mobile is your to do list. This is your to do list and will show reports you need to submit and and those you need to approve.
Where can I find more information?
- Ask in the #expensifyhelp Slack room
- In-app message or email concierge@expensify.com for product questions and issues
- Email the Xero Finance team at accounts@xero.com for policy clarifications, reimbursement, etc
- Check out the Expensify Community
Submitting
How do I add my expenses?
SmartScan with mobile app or email to receipts@expensify.com
For more info check out our Guide for Expensify for Xero staff
What do I write for the expense Comment?
Please explain your expense and the business purpose for which it was incurred. If your cost is an entertainment expense please say what the entertainment was and the attendees. If it is an internal team event please note team and number of attendees.
Do I have to add Department, Location and Classification to every expense?
No, only add these if you are cross charging the expense. If it is for your home Department / Location / Classification leave blank and Expensify will automatically populate
Do I have to wait for SmartScan to finish before closing the app?
No, once the status on the receipt changes to SmartScanning you can close the app while Expensify processes it. SmartScan times vary depending on a whole number of factors so there's no need to wait around.
If you need your receipts to be available immediately and don't have time to let SmartScan process your receipt, please click Stop SmartScan and manually key in your information. However, as long as you SmartScan your receipt as soon as you receive it then this should never be an issue.
Who is Concierge and why is she contacting me?
Concierge is Expensify's virtual assistant who will be in touch anytime you need to do something. She also provides best practice tips to get you using Expensify in the best way possible.
What are the different symbols on my expenses?
The symbols that appear on an expense explain how it was created in Expensify.
An expense created by a receipt (either a reimbursable expense or an un-merged PCard expense) has a little cash symbol on the left and a receipt on the right:
An imported PCard expense that hasn't merged with a receipt has a little card and lock symbol on the left and a green circle on the right:
An imported PCard expense that has merged with it's matching receipt has a little card and a receipt on the right (this is what a merged PCard expense will look like):
My PCard expense and SmartScanned receipt haven't merged, what do I do?
Expensify uses the date, amount and currency to auto match an imported PCard expense and corresponding SmartScanned receipt. If any of these don't match or the receipt wasn't SmartScanned then auto matching will fail. Review Expensify's merge troubleshooting guide here and manually merge if necessary
To fix, select the two expenses (one with the cash symbol and the other with the card) and Merge them together.
What do I do if the expense amount on my report is different to what is on my statement?
If you spend money overseas on your personal debit or credit card and the amount that appears on your bank statement is different to what Expensify has converted the receipt to, open the expense and modify expense amount and currency to reflect what is on your bank statement. A note will be added so your approver knows too.
How do I assign my expense to more than one Department?
You can split an expense in any number of ways and proportions and then assign a different Category, Department, Location, Classification, Tax and Comment to each part of the expense. Splitting an expense will create a new expense for each split.
What are the violations and notes that appear on my expenses?
Violations are where the company's expense policy rules are not being complied with. Examples of these might be missing receipts, categories or comments.
Notes do not necessarily highlight an error but are expenses that Expensify thinks warrants manual review by the approver.
How do I submit my expenses for approval?
When your expenses are ready to submit, click the Submit button in your report. Expensify will automatically route them to the appropriate approver.
Too much effort? You can set Expensify to submit automatically daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly by going to Personal Settings > Preferences > Scheduled Submit
When do I have to submit my expenses?
PCard expenses must be submitted by the last day of the month and Reimbursable expenses can be submitted whenever you want.
Reimbursement occurs twice a month. Expenses must be submitted and approved by:
- 10th for reimbursement around 15th
- 25th for reimbursement around end of month
Approving
What notifications does an approver receive?
An email notification is sent to an approver when a report submitted to them for review. A task will also be added to their Expensify Inbox. Weekly reminders on any outstanding tasks will be sent out each Monday.
I am going on holiday, how can I ensure my staff's expenses are process?
Don't hold up your staff's expenses and enable vacation delegate before taking time off. Go to Personal Settings > Account > Vacation Delegate and set your manager as your delegate. More information about Vacation Delegates can be found here
What does receipt not verified by SmartScan mean?
Receipts that have been SmartScanned have been read and verified by Expensify this means as an approver you can be confident that the expense has not been modified or incorrectly entered.
What do I do if there's an issue with an expense?
If there is an issue with an expense, don’t reject it, instead use report comment section to communicate between submitter and approver (this creates an audit trail)
What happens when an expense report is approved? How does Expensify match the report with the correct contact in Xero?
That is based on the report submitter in Expensify. When reports are exported, we use the email address of the report submitter to map to the corresponding Xero contact.
Account settings
Can I send in receipts from a non-Xero email?
Yes, go to Personal Settings > Account > Secondary login and add the email you want to send receipts from. More information about Copilots can be found here.
Can I give someone else access to my account?
Expensify's Copilot feature allows you to share access to your account with someone else. Go to Settings > Account > Copilot to add them.
Can my Copilot email in receipts to my account?
Yes, just add the account owner's email in the subject line when they send them to receipts@expensify.com
