Entering Expense and Travel Transactions

Expenses incurred for a job or a service call can be entered in the Time Card Entry window at the same time work hours are entered. You can track expenses directly related to a job or service call. In addition, expenses for Unbilled transactions can be entered. The expenses can be travel or non-travel.

If you are integrating with Canadian Payroll, expense reimbursements have to go through Accounts Payable.

Transactions for Reimbursed Expenses

When an employee enters and saves a reimbursable expense in the TimeTrack window, three things happen:

• A payroll transaction is created in Microsoft Dynamics GP.
• The cost is charged to the appropriate business expense accounts for Job Cost or Service Management.
• For service transactions, an entry can be made to a general ledger account.

When a payroll check is generated for the employee, the dollar amount of the expense is added to the employee's paycheck. This means that only one check is generated that includes regular pay and expenses.

Transactions for Non-Reimbursed Expenses

Non-reimbursed expenses can only be used with Service labor transactions. For an expense that is not reimbursed, a payroll transaction is not created. An example of a non-reimbursable expense would be travel costs for an employee using a company-owned vehicle.

If a Service Management transaction for travel expenses is created, and the total cost is zero, a payroll transaction is not created. In this case, the pay code and pay rate are used to allocate the expense to an appropriate account in Microsoft Dynamics GP. An entry is made to the general ledger batch. The name of the entry is "SM," plus the name of the payroll batch. Since the expense is not related to payroll, a payroll transaction is not created.

For example, the costs for a company-owned vehicle used by an employee can be tracked by defining a pay code with a pay rate of zero and associating the pay code with an appropriate expense account. The employee enters the total number of miles accumulated for business travel in the Time Card Entry window. Since the pay rate for the pay code is set to zero, the total cost calculated is zero, and a payroll transaction is not created. A general ledger transaction is created for the cost based on the amount in the Cost Rate field in the Travel Charges window (Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > Service Management > Invoice Setup > Travel Charges).

Before Entering Expense and Travel Transactions

Step 1: Select Expense Transaction Options

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > TimeTrack > Setup Options.
2. Mark the Create Expense/Travel Transactions checkbox.

Step 2: Define Pay Codes for Expense Transactions

Pay codes used for expense transactions entered in TimeTrack must be defined with a pay type of Business Expense. Follow the standard procedures for entering a new pay code.

1. Select Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > Payroll > Pay Code.
2. Enter a Pay Code and Description.
3. Select Business Expense from the Pay Type drop-down menu.
4. Enter a Pay Rate.
5. Select the frequency for paying the expense in the Pay Period drop-down menu.
6. If the expense is not subject to taxes, clear the checkboxes in the Subject to Taxes section.

Step 3: Assign Expense Pay Codes to Employee Records

Only the expense codes assigned to an employee record are available in the TimeTrack Time Card Entry window.

1. Select Cards > Payroll > Pay Code.
2. Use the Employee ID lookup to select an employee.
3. Use Pay Code lookup to select an expense pay code.
4. Select to use the default information from the company pay code record.
5. Select Save.

Entering Expense and Travel Transactions

1. Select Transactions > TimeTrack > Time Card Entry. The fields available in the Time Card Entry window depend on setup options. See Choosing Setup Options.
2. Enter a Batch ID. After entering a batch ID, you can view which employees and week-ending dates are included in the batch by choosing the expansion button in the Batch ID field. Double-clicking an employee name from the list in the Expanded Batch Lookup window enters the employee ID and week-ending date in the Time Card Entry window.
3. If the Employee ID field is blank, enter an employee ID.

4. The week-ending date appears in the Week Ending field based on setup options. You can edit the date. The transaction number is assigned when the transaction is saved or when you attach a note to the transaction using the notepad button. See Entering notes. The number is taken from the Computer Check field in the Payroll Setup Options window (Setup > Payroll > Payroll > Options).

5. Select a transaction type. Select a cost type of travel or expense. The transaction type and cost type selected determine the fields that are available to complete a transaction. The unit value used for travel costs associated with a service call or a job number is based on the value entered in the Travel Units field in the Service Management Travel Charges window (Microsoft Dynamics GP > Tools > Setup > Service Management > Invoice Setup > Travel Charges). If nothing is entered in the field, the system default value, miles, is used. This will affect the column heading in the edit list reports.

6. Select the job number or service call ID. The Job Number field is enabled when the transaction type is Job Cost. The Service Call ID field is enabled when the transaction type is Service.
7. Enter the day of the week. Use the lookup button to select the day of the week. You can also type a partial entry or type the number of the day (1 = Monday, etc.) and tab off the field to automatically enter the date.
8. Enter a cost code. Only cost codes relating to expenses will display. That is, SMS cost codes 1, 2, 4, or 5 for non-travel expenses and SMS cost code 5 for other expenses, and cost codes with a cost element of something other than labor for Job Cost expenses will appear.
9. If cost code 5 is selected, the sub cost code field is enabled and Travel will default. You can use the lookup to select a different sub cost code.
10. Enter equipment ID. If the transaction type is Service, enter the piece of equipment serviced on the service call. Use the expansion button attached to the field to mark an MCC call task complete. The transaction date is entered as the task's completion date. The task is marked complete in the Service Call Tasks window and the Maintenance Tasks window.
11. Enter a pay code. The pay code must have a pay type of business expense.
12. Enter the number of units for expense cost types or miles for travel cost types.
13. For expense cost types, tab to the field next to the Units field and enter an amount. The rate defaults from setup. The expansion button attached to the Amount field is disabled when entering expense and travel transactions for certified payroll jobs.
14. Enter a transaction description using up to 30 characters. Do not use quotation marks or commas in the description. The Pay Rate field will be visible if the Edit Financial Fields checkbox and Display Pay Rate on TRX checkbox are marked in the Payroll Setup Options window (Setup > Payroll > Payroll > Options). The total cost calculates automatically, depending on the transaction type. If you marked the Total Cost Display Is Hidden checkbox in the Setup Options window, the Total Cost field and the Cost column in the list view window will be hidden.
15. Select Save. A transaction number is assigned to the entry and a line item is displayed in the transaction list when the transaction is saved. The information included will vary for each transaction type.
16. Select File > Print to print the Employee Weekly Time Edit List, based on the batch number, employee ID, and week-ending date. Transactions are separated by pay code. The total labor hours by day are at the bottom of the page. These hours do not include fixed asset or expense/travel transactions.
17. Commit the transactions. See Committing Time Card Transactions.