Claims

Employees file claims from the portal to be paid back for expenses they paid for the company. This guide shows how to approve a claim, record that it was paid, and how taxable claims reach the payroll.

Two kinds of claims

Each claim has a claim type, set up by your company (see Claim types):

• Reimbursement: a business expense with receipts in the company's name. It isn't compensation, so it isn't taxed, isn't part of contributions and doesn't appear on the 1601-C.
• Taxable: the amount is treated as pay. It is taxed in the payroll period that contains the date it was paid, without being paid again there.

Claims are always paid outside payroll, for example from petty cash or by fund transfer. Sahora only records the payment.

Who decides

• The employee's supervisor decides first, on My team in the portal, under Claims to approve.
• For employees without a supervisor, an Owner / Management user, a payroll officer or a payroll approver decides on the Claims page.
• Nobody decides on their own claim or on one they filed.
• Only Owner / Management users and payroll officers record payments.

Approve or reject a claim

1. Open Claims. The card Waiting for approval lists each claim with the employee, the expense date, the claim type, the amount, and whether it is a reimbursement or taxable.
2. Open the receipts and check them. Business expense reimbursements should have official receipts in the company's name.
3. Type a note if you like, then click Approve or Reject.

Record the payment

After you pay the employee:

1. On Claims, find the claim under Approved, to be paid.
2. Enter the date it was paid and, if you have one, the reference (voucher or transfer number).
3. Click Mark paid.

The claim moves to Paid in the last 60 days, with its date and reference. A taxable claim is then included in the payroll of the period that contains the payment date.

If an approved claim won't be paid after all, click Cancel approval.

What can go wrong

• "The payroll for … is already approved; its tax can't be added there. Use a later payment date." A taxable claim can't be dated in a pay period whose payroll is already approved. Pay it in a period that is still open and record that date.
• "Someone else must decide on this claim." You filed it, or it is your own. Ask another approver.
• "Only approved claims can be marked paid." Approve the claim first.

Good to know

• An approver limited to some branches or departments decides only for employees in their scope.
• Employees see their claims and the decisions in the portal. See Filing a claim.