Submit Expense Reports Quick Steps QRG

Submitted by na4x on

Updated May 22, 2025

Overview

This Quick Steps guide provides the overall steps to submit an expense report. For detailed steps and more information, see the Create Expense Report Quick Reference Guide (QRG).

Caution: Before submitting an expense report for reimbursement, make sure the expense(s) is not associated with a T&E Card transaction.  If the expense/receipt is from a T&E Card transaction, do not submit a reimbursement request.  You need to wait for the T&E Card transaction to post to Workday and then submit the receipt with that corresponding T&E Card transaction in your expense report.  
If you accidentally submit a T&E Card transaction as a reimbursement, then the reimbursement will need to be paid back to the university.

Submit Expense Report – Quick Steps

On the Workday Home screen:

  1. Click Menu > Menu > Personal > Expenses Hub. 
    (or type “create expense report” in the Search field and select Create Expense Report)

On the Expense Hub screen:

  1. Click the Create Expense Report button (under Tasks).
     

On the first Create Expense Report (Header) screen:

  1. In the Memo field, enter a title for the expense report. This is how you will reference the report.
  2. Complete the following required fields. In most cases, you can leave the default values.
    • Company – will auto-populate to your associated Company.
    • Expense Report Date – will auto-populate with the current date.  
    • Company on Expense Line – will auto-populate with your associated Company.  
      If the expense will be paid by a different company than your own, update this field to the appropriate company for reimbursement requests only.  If reconciling T&E card charges, leave the default company and provide the other company’s worktags in the fields below. The accounting will be adjusted on the back end.  
  3. Enter the appropriate worktags. You may need to obtain these from your fiscal contact or manager. Always check all your worktag entries to ensure they are correct and make any updates as needed.
    • Gift, Grant, Designated, or Project – Enter a Gift, Grant, Designated or Project worktag in the applicable field. One of these worktags must be entered to identify the account to charge the expense.
    • Fund, Function, and/or Cost Center – update these fields, as needed.   
    • Program – enter a program worktag if applicable to the expense.
    • Additional Worktags – In addition to the Business Unit, select any other worktags that are applicable to the expense, such as, Activity or Assignee.  
      If there are any T&E credit card transactions to be reconciled, they will display at the bottom of the screen.  If you have emailed receipts to Workday or uploaded them via the Workday mobile app, they will also display at the bottom of the screen under Quick Expenses.
       

Under the Credit Card Transactions and Quick Expenses section:

  1. If applicable, select the credit card transactions or quick expenses you want to reconcile.
DECORATIVE IMAGE
  1. Click OK. 


On the second Create Expense Report screen, under the Expense Lines tab:

  1. Do any of the following as applicable:
  • To reconcile a T&E card transaction or expense a quick expense for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses:
    • Select the T&E card transaction or quick expense on the left side of the screen. 
See above directions
  • Add an expense line for reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses: 
    • Click the Add button, then select New Expense. If there are no T&E card transactions or quick expenses, a new expense line is added automatically after selecting New Expense. 
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  1. Under Expense Line, attach a receipt for the expense. Supported file types include: JPG, PDF, PNG, or GIF for viewing and printing.  Do not use DOC, DOCX, XLS, or HEIC files since they cannot be printed (e.g., for grants or audit purposes). Most expenses will require a receipt.

NOTE: If your receipts are in a language other than English, please provide translated documentation. For example, use Google Translate to prepare translated documentation to attach to your report.

  1. Under the Expense Line section, complete the following required fields as needed. Some fields will auto-populate for T&E card charges.
    • Date – will auto-populate with the current date. Change this to the date the expense was incurred. This date should match what is on the expense receipt.
    • Expense Item – type search text to find the appropriate expense item or search by Expense Item Group or Spend Category, and then select it.
      For travel associated with employee training/professional development, use the Travel Employee Training expense items.  
    • Total Amount – type the amount of the expense incurred.
    • Currency – change the currency if needed.
    • Memo – enter a detailed description for the purchase, including the traveler’s name, if applicable.
    • The Company, Gift, Grant, Designated or Project fields - will auto-populate based on the values you entered on the first screen. Update as needed; otherwise no entry is required.
       
  2. Under the Item Details section, complete any fields as needed. The fields in this section will vary depending on the Expense Item selected.  
  3. ONLY ITEMIZE if needed.  Most expense items do not require itemization. 
    If you need to itemize an expense line, click Add under the Itemization section (or for hotel accommodations, click Edit under Daily Expenses).   
    • Itemize if you need to split the expense between more than one account (worktags).
    • Itemize if you need to split the expense between more than one expense item (e.g., an air upgrade on the same transaction as the airfare).
    • Itemization is required for the Split Transaction, T&E Card Cash Withdrawals and Hotel Accommodations (domestic and international) expense items.
    • Hotel Accommodations expense items are itemized under Daily Expenses and will automatically include the Hotel daily rate and Hotel taxes for you to complete.
       

Complete the Itemization screen, then click Done at the bottom of the screen.

NOTE: For more guidance on how to itemize, please review the Create Expense Report Quick Reference Guide (QRG).

  1. Once you’ve completed the fields for your first expense item, click on the expense line again on the left side of the screen, to refresh the screen and ensure there are no error messages.
  2. Select or add the next expense and complete the required fields until you’ve entered all the expense items.
  3. Review the total expense report amount at the top of the screen before submitting.
    • Company Paid - The amount to reconcile the T&E card transactions.
    • Reimbursement - The amount that will be reimbursed to you for out-of-pocket expenses.

T&E card transactions must never be entered as reimbursements.

Company Paid
  1. Click Submit to submit the expense report.

NOTE: If any red error messages display, they will need to be reconciled before you can submit the expense report.  For example, a Purchase Justification may be required if an expense line contains policy exceptions, such as First Class Airfare or exceeded maximum amounts (e.g. over $150 for a meal).

  1. After submitting the expense report, the Expense Hub displays.  Click View My Expense Reports to see a list of your expense reports.


You have successfully completed this task. It will route based on the business process workflow. 

NOTE: There are more detailed steps in the Create Expense Report QRG including separate procedures for entering hotel accommodations, per diem meals, and split transactions.
See the Email Expense Report Receipts QRG for detailed steps for emailing receipts to Workday.  Emailed receipts display as Quick Expenses in Workday.