IEEE Industrial Electronics Society IEEE Industrial Electronics Society IEEE Industrial Electronics Society

Treasurer Information, FAQs

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 Frequently Asked Questions

 

 

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CONCUR

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I AM A SUBMITTER in Concur:

  • No time, have to submit my reimbursement request quickly. Help!
    1. Login to Concur.
    2. Go to "Start a report"
    3. Go to Profile -> Profiles Settings, Bank Information (provide an account for direct deposit) 
  • Do I need receipts for every expense? 
    • IEEE requires receipts for any expense above US$25.
    • The expense includes tips. For example, if the meal was $25.00 and the tip was $5.00, the total was $30.00, so the receipt will be required. On other hand, if the meal was purchased in a grocery store and ended up being $25.00 or less, and there was no tip, the receipt is not necessary. The meal expense includes the tip.
    • If you have lost the receipt, you will need to provide an affidavit. In the web browser, in your report go to Receipts ->missing Receipt Affidavit and certify that you have lost the receipt and that is a valid business expense. In an app, go to Receipt Viewer and click on "Missing Receipt Declaration".
  • I paid in local currency, but live in a country of different currency - my credit card shows the converted expense and conversion fee. How should I record my expense? 
    • All expenses must be recorded in the currency in which the transaction was incurred. Conversion fees should be recorded separately.
  • It's been a while since the trip, how long do I have to submit a reimbursement request?
    • The reasonable period of time for expenses paid in advance of an event (i.e. airfare) is defined as within 60 days after the date of travel or the date of the event. The IEEE is more strict about this towards the end of each year as the expense must be filed within the particular year's budget.
  • I leave outside of the US and have a Western Union account. Can I specify currency other than local currency to be reimbursed?
    •  Western Union allows the flexibility to select your desired reimbursement currency.  You can also select your bank account of choice. The volunteer is ultimately responsible for selecting the reimbursement currency and bank account in Western Union
  • I am not an IEEE member, can I still submit an expense reimbursement request through Concur?
    • Yes. You can create a basic IEEE email account for free from Concur registration page (i.e. non-IEEE members can be reimbursed for travel expenses). 
  • I am a member of a specific committee. How do I specify which account I am requesting reimbursement from?
    • For each request, you will be able to choose "Expense Report Purpose Level". The first two will typically be:
      • Expense Report Purpose Level 1: Technical ACtivities Societies
      • Expense Report Purpose Level 2: Industrial Electronic Societies
      • Expense Report Purpose Level 3: Choose according to your role.
        • For ex., choose "AdCom-Officer Travel" for Officer travel;  "AdCom- AdCom Travel"  for AdCom members, for SYPA student support "VP-Membership Student Activities", "President-Elect Awards" for approved travel to accept paper or society awards, etc.
        • You will find other options such are "Distinguished Lecturer Program", "Editor TII - Admin Support", "VP-Membership WiE", etc.
      • Expense Report Purpose Level 4: at this moment there seems to be only one option there. 
  • I'd like to add a new expense, but no existing type seems appropriate. What should I do? 
    • Expense types in Concur include 1. Travel Expenses, 02. Transportation, 03. Meals, 04. Office expenses, 06. Communications, 07. Fees, 08. Other. If none of these matches your expense (for example, visa expense), use Miscellaneous.
    • Concur team we periodically look at how much activity flows through the Miscellaneous category to determine if there are any specific expense types that happen frequently enough to need their own category. 
  • I have the approval to split my expenses between two budgets. How do I do that?
    • You can use different expense report purposes for different line items. For example,  if there is an item that is being split (i.e. airfare), you can create 2 line items for 50% each, attach the same receipt to both, and select different purposes for each line. The approval for splitting expenses must be obtained from IES President first. 
  •  I would like to submit meal & beverage expenses but am not sure what is allowable
    • Refer to IEEE Travel Guidelines here (Meals & Beverages, page 9). 
  • I lost the receipt. What should I do?
    • You can still submit your expense, but need to provide the missing receipts affidavit. The option is available in the RECEIPTS dropdown menu as a “Missing Receipts Affidavit” button (available in the web browser only for now, not in an app).
  • How do I put my banking information in Concur for direct deposit?
    • For the following countries, you will be able to provide your bank account information directly in Concur: US, Canada, EU countries (IEEE will be enabling this of 15 countries), India, Japan, and Singapore. Contact concurfeedback@ieee.org for details.
  • I live in a country outside of the USAand other than those listed above. How do I set up my bank account for reimbursement?
    • For many countries where Concur does not pay directly, IEEE has integrated Western Union as their payment processor. If you live in one of those countries, you will need to create a Western Union account where you will input your banking information. This is a one-time setup. From that point forward, all expense reports entered in Concur will automatically be paid through Western Union to your bank account electronically. Instruction WU setup here.
  • I live outside of the USA. How do I account for conversion fees?
    • You cannot adjust the conversion rate (it is tied to the date the expense occurred). But, you can submit an additional expense for "currency conversion fees" on your Concur expense reports if applicable. 
    • All expenses must be entered in the currency and amount that is indicated on the receipt.  It is not allowed to input currency to be reimbursed directly to claim your expenses.  If there are any currency conversion differences between the calculation made in Concur vs. the calculation made by your credit card company, you are permitted to enter a separate line item for Currency Exchange Fees to make you whole.  
  • I submitted my expense report to Concur. How can I see where it is in the approval chain?
    • If you select Expense Reports -> Active, the report will change its status: “Report Pending Approval” -> "Submitted and Pending Concur Audit Review" -> “Approved & In Accounting Review” -> "Approved" and "Payment Status Set To: Not Paid"-> "Approved" and "Payment Status Set To: Sent for Payment".
  • Other
    • IEEE does not reimburse the cash value of airline miles. Only true out-of-pocket expenses are eligible for reimbursement.
    • Proxies are permitted but have to be assigned. The Proxy needs first to apply for a Concur account. The person having a proxy has to add a proxy as an Expense Delegate. Then the Proxy can create/submit expense reports on behalf of the person having a proxy.  

  I AM APPROVER in Concur:

  • I am an approver in Concur. I wanted to provide a comment when approving. How do I do that?
    • Once you have verified all expense items, click "Approve" and a window with a text field for your comment will appear. There are no comment fields per expense item at this time.

 back to the treasurer page 

 

Treasurer, old forms

 

2018.02.25

Expense Reimbursement Procedure

  1. If authorization for travel not assumed, obtain approval from IES President first (use Travel Authorization Request form above). If travel part of existing budget line of specific committee, please obtain email from corresponding VP/Chair.
  2. Forward the approval email along with the expense report attached to the Treasurer Dr. Milos Manic. Please include two attachments: Excel spreadsheet and pdf document containing all receipts in a single file.
    • Sign the expense report electronically (type your name under "Originator’s Signature" and fill in the date).
    • Include your IEEE Member Number on the form.
    • If "Member of" is "Other". please clearly describe.
  3. If approved, Treasurer will copy you on his approval email to IEEE.

 

 

2018.02.01

History...

  • The forms from previous years here

 

Treasurer Information

To FAQs 

Travel Expense Reimbursement Summary

To expedite the travel reimbursement and to prevent accidental or erroneous expense report rejection please specify the purpose of your travel in the expense report title as instructed.  Use the comment field for more explanation as needed.

  1. Voting AdCom:  up to $3,000/year to attend AdCom meetings:
    • The hotel is allowed only for meeting days.
    • Non-author conference registration is allowed and does not count against the $3k limit.
    • Any over-the-limit expenses must be approved by IES President before the travel.
    • Submit your expense via Concur.  More here...
  2. Non-voting AdCom - requires the president's preapproval:
    • Submit Travel Authorization Request Form to the President before your trip.
    • Mandatory reporting to the IES Treasurer on the travel outcomes up to 250 words long and within 10 days of return and before filling the travel expense reimbursement request. Please submit in PDF, MS Word DOCX, or Libre Office ODF format.
    • Failure to report may result in the rejection of the reimbursement requests.
    • Submit your expense via Concur.  More here...
  3. Committee meeting travel - please contact your committee chair for approval if a budget was pre-allocated for such travel. Otherwise, you must secure the president’s pre-approval:
    • File the cost of that portion of the trip with that VP committee travel purpose level. (Do not use AdCom travel purpose level.)
  4. Travel outside of AdCom meetings - may require the related VP or president's preapproval:
    • If travel authorization was not previously approved or is part of previously budgeted activities, generally, any applicant should check within their IES reporting structure before going directly to the IES president to ask for funding. The list below is not complete and is provided only as an example:
      • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Women in Engineering, Student and Young Professionals, and IES Chapters are under VP Membership
      • Technical workshops, PlugFest, Standards, and Technical Committee-related activities are under VP Technical Activities
      • Industry Forum and other industrial activities are under VP Industry.
      • Representatives to Sister Societies, Councils, and Journals are under President.
      • Standing Committees without dedicated budgets are under President or President-elect depending on where they report.
      • Members of Standing Committees with dedicated budgets check with the committee chair. Chairs check depending on where they report.
      • VPs themselves, Secretary, and the Treasurer are under President.
      • For other activities that cannot be easily classified, or if the related VP budget does not allow it, please obtain approval directly from IES President before the travel or purchase.
    • If needed submit Travel Authorization Request Form to the President or related VP before your trip.
    • Mandatory reporting to the person who approved the funding and the IES Treasurer on the travel outcomes within 10 days of return and before filling the travel expense reimbursement request. Failure to report may result in the delay or rejection of the reimbursement request.
  5. Society Award recipients - follow the award specific $ limit; Non-author conference registration is allowed and does not count against the $ limit.
  6. SYPA travel assistance - limit is set per event. The conference registration fee, if submitted, counts against the $ travel assistance limit.
    • Presented in the SYPA activity session is required to qualify for travel reimbursement.
    • Common mistakes: 1) not using the correct travel "purpose level."  More here...
  7. Multiple purposes travel - fill in separate expense requests for each portion of the trip that relates to the corresponding activity.
  8. IT-related expenses, such as web hosting - please fill out the Purchase Order and IEEE will pay with a credit card.

If you already know how to create an expense report log in here.

IConcur is hereEEE has introduced Concur, a new volunteer expense reimbursement platform. Concur has been introduced in a multi-phased rollout beginning in late 2018. However, due to travel restrictions during the recent pandemic, you may not have had a chance to get familiar with it yet.

You can use Concur smartphone app to upload expenses as they occur (snap a photo), and the moment the last expense is recorded, submit your report for reimbursement, read More here...

Things change, some expenses may not be approved if specific rules are not followed

  • Post-pandemic related fine-print from IEEE (May 2022)
    Here is an incomplete summary:
    • All IEEE volunteer travel and associated meetings must adhere to appropriate guidance from cognizant local public health authorities.
    • Volunteers engaged in IEEE travel at this time voluntarily elect to participate in the activity with knowledge of the dangers involved. Volunteers should understand that IEEE will not indemnify them for any health risk or economic or other loss resulting from exposure to COVID-19 during travel.
    • IEEE will not reimburse costs associated with any known ahead mandatory or self-quarantine or isolation associated with IEEE volunteer travel.
      If there is a risk of quarantine on entering or departing an area, IEEE volunteers should instead plan to participate virtually using IEEE video and teleconferencing tools.
    • IEEE might reimburse costs incurred due to incidental quarantine resulting from an unexpected positive test.
    • Your health insurance is responsible for health coverage within your home country.

Never used it before? You need to create an account.

  • Feel like you need some training?
    • View a new platform overview, how to create Concur account, download an app, and contact Concur’s user support desk here.
    • View a brief informational video here or a comprehensive video tutorial here. Take training here. Learn more at concur.com.
    • For general questions, contact IEEE’s project team at concurfeedback@ieee.org.
  • To establish a Concur account, click on https://corporate.ieee.org/resources/travel,-medical-and-insurance/ieee-expense-report,
    then follow the registration buttons on the right side of the screen
  • Once you request Concur access you must wait at least 24 hours before your account becomes active.
  • Once the 24-hour period has elapsed, click the link here.
 More questions?
  • Please check out our FAQ page before contacting the finance committee.

Dr. Aleksander Malinowski, IES Treasurer

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  • Just for historical reasons (old pages)
  • Hello Zoom team. The requested pin code/ticket numbers are 16912798 and 16912801. Thank you.

 

Expense Reimbursement Procedures

  1. Download the appropriate Excel expense report from here. There are two forms for your use. One is for a single currency and the other is for reports that involve multiple currencies.
  2. Fill out the expense report and send via email as an attachment to the Treasurer Allen C. Chen at c.j.chen@ieee.org along with an electronic copy of your receipts (pdf format is preferred for the receipts).
  3. Electronically sign the expense report by typing in your name at the bottom, under "Originator’s Signature", and fill in the date.
  4. Don’t forget to include your IEEE Member Number on the form.
  5. I will copy you on my approval email to IEEE.