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Summary here
Expense Advances
Concepts & Definitions
An expense advance is a pre-approved cash payment issued to a staff member to cover anticipated business costs before those expenses are incurred. Common uses include travel advances for field trips, per diems for conferences, or procurement floats. The advance is issued after approval and must later be retired by submitting receipts through an Expense Retirement request — any unspent balance is recovered, and any deficit is reimbursed.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Expense Type | The category of expense the advance is for (e.g. Business Travel, Accommodation, Procurement) |
| Request Amount | The cash amount requested in advance of incurring the expenses |
| Bearer | Who funds the advance — Self (the employee’s own float to be reimbursed) or the Organisation (direct company advance) |
| Approver | The person who authorises the advance before funds are disbursed |
| Pay Method | How the advance is disbursed — bank transfer, cash, or cheque |
| Disburse Account | The GL account from which the advance is paid |
| Retirement Deadline | The date by which the employee must submit receipts to retire the advance |
How To
Request an Expense Advance
Navigate to Admin → Request → Expense Advances.
Screenshot: Expense Advances list view
- Click New.
- Select the Bearer (Self if you are requesting for yourself; Organisation if requesting on behalf of someone else).
- If Bearer is not Self, select the Requester (the staff member receiving the advance).
- Select the Approver and the Expense Type.
- Set the Request Date and enter the Request Currency and Request Amount.
- Add a Description explaining the purpose of the advance.
- Click Save, then Send to submit for approval.
Screenshot: Expense Advance — Payment Details sub-tab
After approval, the advance is disbursed through the Payment Details sub-tab — select the Pay Date, Pay Method, Pay Amount, and Disburse Account, then click Post.
Once the expenses are incurred, the advance must be retired by submitting an Expense Retirement request with supporting receipts.
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