Skip to Main Content Skip to Footer Toggle Navigation Menu

Create Expense Report

Expense Reporting does not begin in Workday until July 1, 2026. The Expense Report process in Workday is used to reimburse employees for out-of-pocket business expenses and to reconcile college-issued purchasing card (Pcard) transactions. This guide explains how to create an expense report.

Overview

An expense report can include a combination of items:

  • Out-of-Pocket Expenses: Personal funds spent on business-related costs that require reimbursement.
  • Pcard (Corporate Card) Transactions: Business expenses charged to a college-issued purchasing card. These transactions are loaded into Workday and must be reconciled and assigned to the correct Worktags on an expense report.
  • Mileage: Reimbursement for the use of a personal vehicle for business travel.

Pcard Rules and Policies

While Workday facilitates the reconciliation of Pcard transactions, all usage is subject to Macalester policies. An itemized receipt is required for all Pcard expenses. Transactions made with the Pcard will be automatically loaded into your Workday profile. You must reconcile these transactions on an expense report in a timely manner to ensure they are correctly categorized and attributed to the proper Cost Center, Grant, Project, etc.

Before Starting this Task

Before creating an expense report, have the following information available:

  • Itemized receipts for all expenses.
  • A description for all expenses.
  • The dates on which the expenses were incurred.
  • Any relevant Worktags, such as a Grant or Project, that should be charged.

Mobile Considerations: Capturing receipts is easier on mobile, but for tasks like splitting expense lines and adjusting Worktags most people find it easier to use a desktop computer.

Back to top

Create an Expense Report

These steps are best performed on a desktop or laptop for a complete view of all fields.

  1. From the Workday homepage, hover over Personal on the left, and select the Expenses Hub. 
  2. Select Create Expense Report, and complete the initial expense report form.
    • Leave the Expense Report Date as the current date.
    • The Company and Company on Expense Line should default to Macalester.
    • The Worktags are defaulted to your job position’s budget. Adjust them as desired.
      • The Worktags used here will be defaulted to all expense lines added to the report, but they can be changed on individual expense lines if needed.
    • Under Credit Card Transactions, select any Pcard transactions to include on the expense report. You do not need to select any if this expense report is just for an out-of-pocket expense.
    • Select OK to create the expense report.
      • You should now have three tabs:
        • The Header tab is what you just created by starting the expense report.
        • The Attachments tab should NOT be used. Receipts should be attached to the relevant expense on the expense line.
        • The Expense Lines tab is where you will reconcile Pcard transactions and add any out-of-pocket (OOP) expenses.
  3. Select the Expense Lines tab. Credit card transactions selected when creating expense report (Step 2) will display.
  4. Select Add to add an expense line for any out-of-pocket expense.
  5. For each expense line, complete the following fields:
    • Attachment/Receipt: At the top of each expense line there is a section for dropping/selecting files. Attach the itemized receipt for the expense.
      • Receipts must be attached to the corresponding expense line, not the Attachments tab in the expense report.
      • For Mileage: use a screenshot of Google (or other) maps showing the route driven and total miles.
    • Expense Date & Total Amount: Will autofill for Pcard expenses. For OOPs, enter the date the expense was incurred and the total expense amount.
    • Expense Item: Select the item that best describes the purchase (e.g., Airfare, Office Supplies).
    • Expense Activity Date: This field is important because it drives Prepaid and Postpaid expense reporting. It will appear will appear after an expense item is chosen. Enter the date based on whether the expense was for Goods or Services.
      • For Goods, use the date the goods were received.
      • For Services, use the date the service occurred (for multi-day services, use the first date). I.e. for flights, use the departure date.
    • Quantity: This field will only appear for mileage expenses. Enter the number of miles driven. The system will apply the current rate and calculate the total.
    • Memo: Enter a description/reason for the expense.
    • Worktags: Ensure the correct Grant, Project, or other required Worktags are assigned to the expense line.
      • Fund, Cost Center, and Function are ALWAYS required.
      • See Worktag Overview for more detailed Worktag information
      • See Activity Codes for more detailed information on optional Activity Code usage and tracking
  6. Once all lines are complete and accurate, click Submit.
    • An error message will display if a required field is left empty or has a logic error. Select the error message to view the details, make the required changes, and select Submit again.

Back to top

What Happens Next

Approval Process

  • After submission, the expense report is automatically routed for approval. It is sent to the designated manager(s) for the Worktag(s) used on the report.
  • Approvers will receive a notification in their My Tasks list.
  • Approvers have the option to Approve, Send Back for correction, or Deny the expense report.

Payment

Once the expense report is fully approved, any out-of-pocket expenses will be sent to Business Services for reimbursement via direct deposit. Payment will be issued during the next weekly check run.

Back to top