Business Area Overview

Step in Business Process

Procedure within Advantage

(Optional) A pre-encumbrance or an encumbrance may be processed for estimated travel costs in order to reserve budget dollars for a traveler or group of travelers.

This blanket pre-encumbrance/encumbrance is created using a non-Travel transaction (for example, a transaction within the Accounting Based Spending (ABS) Transaction Type, such as a GAP to create the pre-encumbrance or a GAE to create the encumbrance). Refer to the General Accounting User Guide for more information.

(Optional) A traveler creates and submits a Travel Authorization for approval. This is often a required step, but may be done outside the system using a simple transaction and e-mails.

Create a Travel Authorization (TRAUTH) transaction to record the request for travel. A TRAUTH may be submitted even if the travel details are not yet known or booked.

If the TRAUTH references a pre-encumbrance or encumbrance, the TRAUTH will liquidate that blanket pre-encumbrance/encumbrance.

(Optional) A traveler may request a Travel Advance. Depending upon site-specific rules and the type of expense, an advance may be paid to the traveler.

Create a Travel Advance (TRADV) transaction to record the request for an advance. The TRADV must always reference a TRAUTH. If going on a trip and the traveler is just requesting a general advance amount, then it is necessary to create a TRAUTH with a Trip Details line where Expense Type denotes that it is a general advance (or similar). The relationship between the TRAUTH’s Trip Details line to the TRADV’s Trip Details line must be 1:1.  

If the Allow Automatic Advance Generation flag is checked on the Travel Administration (TRADM) table, then a TRADV transaction is automatically generated from a TRAUTH transaction for Trip Details lines where an advance is requested for a traveler. Automatic generation of a TRADV is convenient as the advance request is initiated through the TRAUTH. The system can automatically trigger the TRADV to be created without any further action or review.

The TRADV transaction allows multiple advances to be tracked for a single trip. Travel requests, advances, and payments are tied together through the Traveler ID and Trip ID fields.

The TRADV increases an asset balance for prepaid expenses. That balance is liquidated during later steps in the overall process.

Fields on the travel inquiry pages allow for the tracking of the advance amount issued, the outstanding unused advance amount, the amount billed to recover the unused advances from the traveler, and the amount collected from the traveler for any unused advances.

The traveler makes the trip.

No entry needed in Advantage.

The traveler files an Expense Report for expenses incurred for the trip.

Create a Travel Expense Report (TRER) transaction to report expenses. Advances are indirectly referenced by referencing the related TRAUTH.

If the Allow Automatic Expense Report Generation flag is checked on the Travel Administration (TRADM) table, then a TRER transaction is automatically generated from a TRER transaction for Trip Details lines where the Expense Payment Method = Direct Pay so that the vendor can be paid automatically without waiting for the trip to be completed.

The expense report records an accounting expense except in the case of items that were paid via PCard. Those line items are included in the expense report for informational/reconciliation purposes, but are expensed at the time of PCard payment generation.

Where a TRAUTH is referenced, the TRER will liquidate the TRAUTH.  Where a TRAUTH is not referenced but a blanket pre-encumbrance/encumbrance exists, the TRER will reference and liquidate the pre-encumbrance or encumbrance.

Advances that resulted from the referenced TRAUTH are reduced by the TRER. Where the advance is greater than the amount to be expensed, the advance is partially liquidated. The remaining balance is considered outstanding and can be collected via the Accounts Receivable process or via a manually created Travel Advance Repayment (TRADVR) transaction, or it can remain outstanding and be eligible to be used towards the traveler’s future trips. Where the advance is less than or equal to the amount to be expensed, the full amount of the advance will be liquidated.

Expense reports exceeding the advance amounts will generate a disbursement to the traveler. Disbursement accounting entries will liquidate any payable and record the appropriate entry to cash or warrants payable.

Disbursements are initiated for any expense amount in excess of the referenced advance amount, as allowed by the site’s travel policy rules. Both of the following are possible, even on the same report:

• If the traveler paid for expenses out of pocket, the reimbursement is made to the traveler.

• If the traveler records an expense amount owed to a vendor, a payment is made to the vendor. [Note: advances are not issued to vendors.]