Key tasks: Create expense reports
Important
This content is archived and is not being updated. For the latest documentation, see Microsoft Dynamics 365 product documentation. For the latest release plans, see Dynamics 365 and Microsoft Power Platform release plans.
Applies To: Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 Feature Pack, Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012
This topic explains how to create expense reports and submit them for approval. When you travel or incur other expenses on behalf of your company, you create an expense report to justify money that you spent by using the company credit card. If you paid for expenses by using your own money, you use the expense report to submit those expenses for reimbursement. An expense report describes, in detail, how and where the expenses were incurred.
Depending on the type of information that you must enter, creating an expense report can include multiple steps. This topic describes the tasks that you may have to complete when you enter expense reports.
What do you want to do?
Create an expense report and add information about expenses
Itemize expenses by line
Distribute an expense
Distribute an expense in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2
Add an intercompany expense to an expense report in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2
Return a cash advance on an expense report
Split a credit card transaction to include a personal expense
Add guests
Attach receipts to an expense report
Submit an expense report
Print a barcode cover page for an expense report
Find related tasks
Create an expense report and add information about expenses
Click Expenses on the top link bar, and then click Expense reports on the Quick Launch.
On the Expense report page, on the Action Pane, on the Expense report tab, in the New group, click Expense report.
Select any unreconciled expenses that must be added to the expense report, and then click Continue. If no unreconciled expenses must be added, clear the Select all transactions by default check box, and then click Continue.
Select the purpose of the expense, and then enter the expense location.
On the Expense lines tab, click Add new expense, and then select the type of expense that you want to add.
On the New expense line page, enter information about the expense.
Use the Itemize, Distribute amount, Guests, and Link receipts buttons in the Maintain group to add information.
Note
You can add credit card expenses to an expense report either when you first create the report, or after you have created and saved the report.
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Itemize expenses by line
For certain expenses, you can list individual charges that produce the total amount. For example, you can divide a hotel charge into a daily room rate, room service charge, and laundry charge.
If you want to add multiple itemized lines, complete the following procedure.
On the New expense report page, select the expense that you want to itemize, and then click Itemize.
On the Itemize FastTab, enter the check-in date for the expense, and select the expense category.
Enter the number of nights and the rate per night, and then click Add.
On the Itemized line item tab, click Add.
Select the expense category and the date of the expense, and then enter the amount for the item.
Repeat steps 1 through 5 for each remaining item for the expense. When you have finished, click Save and close.
If you want to add one itemized line, complete the following procedure.
On the New expense report page, select the expense that you want to itemize, and then click Itemize.
On the Itemized line item tab, click Add.
Select the expense category and the date of the expense, and then enter the amount for the item.
Select the project ID, if the project ID is necessary, and then click Save and close.
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Distribute an expense
You may want to assign responsibility for an expense to more than one group, organization, or party record. The expense amount can then be distributed among those groups, organizations, or parties. For example, you travel to Germany for 10 working days. You spend six days working for legal entity A and four days working for legal entity B. When you distribute the expense amount, legal entity A is responsible for 60 percent, and legal entity B is responsible for the remaining 40 percent.
When you are distributing expenses for a project, you can view information for your projects in the project validation forms in Microsoft Dynamics AX. However, you cannot filter projects by legal entity. Regardless of the legal entity that you are logged on to, you see the same list of projects. For example, if you are logged on to LE1, you see the same list of projects that you would see if you were logged on to LE2.
Warning
If you have to update tax related fields after you have distributed an expense between two projects, you must re-distribute the expense. If you distribute an expense between two projects and then select the tax information, the distributions that you added will be deleted and replaced with the default distribution. You will not be notified of this change.
On the New expense report page, select the expense that you want to distribute, and then click Other > Distribute amounts.
On the Distribute amounts page, select whether you want to distribute the expense as an amount or a percentage.
Select the legal entity, project ID, and category to which you want to distribute one part of the expense.
Enter the amount or percentage that you want to distribute, and then click the check mark icon to save your entry.
Click Split to add another line. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have distributed the total amount of the expense.
If you want to distribute the expense amount equally among the legal entities, click Distribute equally.
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Distribute an expense in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2
On the New expense report page, select the expense that you want to distribute, and then click Other > Distribute amounts.
In the Distribute field, select whether to distribute the expense by percentages or amounts.
Click New to add a distribution line, and then select the legal entity to which to distribute part of the expense.
Depending on whether you selected to distribute the expense by percentages or amounts, enter the distribution percentage or amount in the appropriate field.
Select the main account, department, cost center, and purpose for the expense.
Repeat steps 3 through 5 to distribute the expense to another legal entity.
After you have completed the expense distribution, click Save and close.
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Add an intercompany expense to an expense report in Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2
Occasionally, you might have to assign responsibility for an expense that you have incurred to another legal entity in your organization. If your organization has enabled intercompany expenses, you can select the responsible legal entity when you enter an expense. You can assign all or part of an expense to another legal entity.
On the New expense report page, on the Expense report FastTab, select the Intercompany expense report check box.
On the Expense lines FastTab, click New expense line.
Select the legal entity to which you are assigning responsibility for the expense, select the expense category, and then click OK.
Enter information about the expense. Additionally, if this expense was related to a project, enter information about the project.
Only projects that are maintained by the legal entity that you have selected are available.
Click Save and new to save this expense and create a new one. Alternatively, click Save and close to return to the expense report.
If expenses that you have assigned to another legal entity require additional distribution, on the Expense lines FastTab, click Other > Distribute amounts.
To complete the distribution, see the "Distribute an expense" procedure in this topic.
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Return a cash advance on an expense report
If you receive a cash advance from your organization, but you do not spend the whole amount, you can create an expense line on an expense report to return the rest.
On the New expense report page, on the Expense lines FastTab, click Other > Return cash advances.
Select the Cash advance return category, and then on the Action Pane, click Add to summary.
Select the line for the returned cash advance, and then on the Expense lines FastTab, click Edit.
Enter the amount that you want to return, and then click Save and close.
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Split a credit card transaction to include a personal expense
Part of an expense transaction that you charge to your corporate credit card may consist of a personal expense. For example, the total expense for a meal is EUR 65, but your spouse/partner joined you for the meal. Because your spouse/partner's meal is not covered by your organization, you can split the transaction. The cost of your spouse/partner's meal is then listed as a personal expense that you owe to your organization.
Note
You can split a credit card transaction to include a personal expense only if the credit card transaction has been imported into Microsoft Dynamics AX. You cannot manually enter a transaction and then split it.
On the New expense report page, on the Expense lines tab, select the imported transaction that you want to split, and then click Split to personal.
Enter the amount of the transaction that you want to assign as a business expense.
Select Add remaining to personal, and then click Save and close.
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Add guests
When you enter entertainment or meal expenses on an expense report, you may have to enter expenses for other people. For example, you may take a potential client to dinner. When you enter the meal expense on your expense report, you can also list your guest.
On the New expense report page, select the expense to which you want to add guests, and then depending on the version of Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 you are using, do one of the following:
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R2: Click Other > Persons entertained.
In Microsoft Dynamics AX 2012 R3: Click Other > Guests.
Select whether the guest is internal to your organization, a personal guest, or a contact who is external to your organization.
Select the name of the guest, and then enter the guest's company or organization and title.
Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each guest that you want to add to the expense line.
Click Save and close.
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Attach receipts to an expense report
You can attach electronic receipts for expenses to an expense report. You can also view receipts that are already attached. You can attach receipts to the expense report at any time.
On the New expense report page, on the Action Pane, on the Expense report tab, in the Attach group, click Attach receipts.
Click one of the following buttons to attach a receipt to your expense report:
Attach receipt file – Browse your computer to locate and attach a copy of the expense receipt.
Attach captured receipts – Attach a receipt that was submitted by using a mobile phone, fax, or other device.
Add URL – Add the URL for the location of the expense receipt.
When you have finished attaching receipts to the expense report, click Close.
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Submit an expense report
When you have entered all of the information that is required by your organization and attached all expense receipts, if expense receipts are required, click Submit on the Edit expense report page.
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Print a barcode cover page for an expense report
If you must submit an expense report and receipts by fax, you can print a barcode cover page that links your expense report and receipts. You can print a cover page before you create an expense report, or you can print a cover page for an existing report.
- On the New expense report page, on the Action Pane, on the Expense report tab, click Print expense report barcode cover page.
Note
If you are printing a barcode cover page for an expense report that you have not yet created, a new window opens that contains a unique barcode. When the expense report is created, the barcode and the attached receipts are associated with your worker record.
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