Expenses

What is it?

When we say Spend Authorization, we mean …  

• Pre-approval ​of anticipated travel expenses before incurring costs 
• Document ​estimated expenses to ensure alignment with budget and policy​​ 
• Submit ​a formal request in Workday for approval prior to travel​​ 

When we say Expense Report, we mean …  

• Record actual business or travel expenses incurred 
• Reconcile expenses against a prior Spend Authorization​​ 
• Request reimbursement for out-of-pocket costs​​​ 

Key Terminology

Spend Authorization

Spend Authorizations are expense transactions that payees can use to request preapproval of estimated expenses. 

 

Legacy Term: Travel Request 

Expense Report​

Expense Reports are used to itemize and submit expenses incurred by a worker for business-related activities, which may be eligible for reimbursement. 

 

Legacy Term: Expense Report​ 

Cash Advance

A request by an employee to receive funds in advance of incurring business-related expenses. 

 

Legacy Term: Cash Advance 

Expense Item

The individual expense for each line on the Spend Authorization and Expense Report. These must be mapped to a single spend category and can drive the population of additional instructions and required fields on a report line. 

 

Legacy Term: Expense Type