Expense tracking setup checklist

The tables below outline all steps for setting up Polaris to track expenses. Default settings are in place for most of these options, therefore you may be able to skip steps if the defaults work for your organization.

Features can be set up in any order, except:

Tax codes must be created before they can be used in expense codes (section 1)
Options in section 2 must be set up before they can be assigned to users (section 3)

1. Define system-level settings

Feature to set up	What the feature does	Configure at
Create tax codes	Tax codes define the different types of tax that can be associated with the expense codes you create	Administration > Expenses > Tax Codes
Create expense codes	Expense codes specify the types of costs that can be incurred for business activities and purchases in your organization. Meals, Parking, and Airfare are examples of possible expense codes. To use an expense code with a project, you must add it to the project.	Administration > Expenses > Expense Codes
Select expense sheet columns	The expense columns you select will be available on expense sheets	Administration > Expenses > Expense Columns
Define payment methods	Users can choose a payment method on expense sheets from the list you create	Administration > Expenses > Payment Methods
Create expense custom fields	Users can enter data in custom fields that appear on expense sheets	Administration > Expenses > Expense Settings
Set due dates	Due dates specify when expense sheet approvals are due	Administration > Expenses > Expense Settings
Set up an expense notice	You can choose to add a message that appears on all expense sheets	Administration > Expenses > Expense Settings

2. Set up system-level options that you'll assign to users

Feature to set up	What the feature does	Configure at
Create expense templates for employees	Expense templates define certain user expense settings	Administration > Expenses > Expense Templates
Add expense approval paths	Approval paths specify who approves expense sheets and in what order	Administration > Expenses > Expense Approval Paths
Set up expense permissions for managers	Permissions determine what approval and expense management actions supervisors and managers can take	Administration > Employees and Organization > Permission Sets
Set up expense notifications	Notifications can be sent to approvers when expense sheets are ready for approval, and to users when their expense sheets have been approved, rejected, or modified	Administration > Notifications System > Notifications or Administration > Notifications System > Email Notifications

3. Assign expense functionality to users

Feature to set up	What the feature does	Configure at
Ensure employees have a license for an expense product	The license allows the user to access expense functionality. Users are assigned a license for all products by default.	Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Licenses
Assign expense templates to employees	Users must be assigned an expense template before they can use expense sheets	Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Expenses
Assign expense approval paths to employees	The Supervisor default path is assigned automatically, though you can change this	Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Expenses
Assign notifications to employees and managers	All notifications in the system are assigned to new users by default, but emails will only be sent for ones that are enabled at the system level	Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Notifications
Assign permission sets and licenses to managers	Ensure all supervisors and managers who work with or approve expense sheets are assigned the permissions and licenses they need	Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Roles & Permissions and Administration > Employees and Organization > Users > Licenses

FAQs

How do we allow users to enter expenses against tasks?

Users can select which task a given expense applies to using the Task column on their expense sheet. For this column to display, it must be enabled at the system level and in the expense sheet.

Users can only enter expenses against tasks to which they are assigned, and against expense codes that are allowed for the task's project.

Can we force users to use a specific currency for expense reimbursements?

No, users can always use the Reimbursement Currency field on their expense sheet to choose which currency they want to be reimbursed in.

However, you can include a notice on expense sheets, specifying which reimbursement currency users should select. Approvers can also reject or edit expense sheets that don't use the desired reimbursement currency.

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