Approvals

How do Approvals Work in Concur?

Regarding approvals in Concur, there are two different layers:

• First layer = Direct Supervisor.  Non-negotiable.  Determined by the HR system and called 'reports_to'

• Second layer = Up to 3 levels of designated approvers, as set up in the DOA Module, by Dept ID and Function ID [TR vs TE].

This is how the TR and TE designations are defined:

• TR = All Concur Requests* [R for request]

• TE = All Concur Expense Reports [E for expense]

Concur does not differentiate between travel reimbursements, non-travel reimbursements, and Procard statement reconciliation.  In the Concur system, they are all expense reports. 

There is no separate workflow for ProCards versus Travel. Instead, we have two workflows for the DOA Approvers:

• 1. TR Concur Requests

     • All Requests [Authorizations, or pre-approvals] go through the TR workflow. *Hospitality requests are the exception, as they are auto-approved.

  2. TE Concur Expenses

     • All Expense Reports [Reimbursements, ProCard statements] go through the TE workflow.

The DOA approvers are where a department can have the most control.  However, it cannot be different for travel and procard.  Whatever structure you choose will apply to all Requests [TR] and Expense Reports [TE] in the system.

To request additions or updates to the DOA for Concur - reach out to your college or division DRO or equivalent for assistance.

If an employee's 'reports_to' is blank, or their 'reports_to' needs to be changed - submit the Position Management Action Form in DocuSign that is linked from the Position & Job Reporting Structure Report webpage under People and Culture [formerly UP].

Note: SJSU is not utilizing the "default approvers" that are listed in the User Concur Profiles.

How to Review Expense Details on Expense Report or ProCard Statement

When viewing the main/summary screen, the Summary tab will appear on the right, where you can find links to Requests. 

Selecting an expense line on the report will switch to the Expense level view on the right.

• The Expense tab showing the expense-level details. 

• Toggle to the Receipt Image tab to see the uploaded documentation.

• The Summary tab for an expense refers back to the associated request (if one is linked).

To view the chartfields and allocation summary on an expense report, navigate to Details > Allocations in the report header, and then click Summary.

This view allows you to review the chartfield breakdown for all expense lines in the report. 

You can also navigate to Print > Email > REPORT TYPE Printed Reports, which provides a summary view of the entire report, including the details of each expense. 

What do the icons on my Approvals screen signify?

In the Concur Approver View / Queue, the icons displayed in the left-hand status column provide quick visual indicators regarding the state, priority, and source of an item. The primary icons include:

1. Document & Transaction Source Icons

• Document / Page Sheet: Represents a standard Expense Report or Travel Request submitted for review.

• Credit Card / Plastic Card: Indicates the report or entry contains Corporate Card / P-Card / Universal Card transactions requiring reconciliation review.

• Plane / Globe: Identifies an item containing Travel Reservations or International Travel pre-authorizations.

• Person / User Silhouette: Indicates a Non-Employee Expense Report or guest travel reimbursement.

2. Status & Routing Icons

• Orange Circle with Arrow:

  • On the Queue Dashboard: Indicates a Resubmitted, Recalled, or Returned report that has re-entered your queue for review.

  • Within the Approval Flow: Marks an Ad Hoc / User-Inserted Step added manually via Send to Approver.

• Yellow Alert Triangle / Red Exclamation Circle:

  • Yellow Triangle: Warns of an Audit Rule Exception / Hard or Soft Warning (e.g., lodging rate over $333, missing itemization, or missing required field).

  • Red Circle: Indicates a Hard Stop / Policy Violation that prevents approval until resolved or accompanied by an exception override.

• Green Circle with Checkmark: Marks a step or item that has been Successfully Approved or verified.

• Clock / Hourglass: Indicates a pending step currently Awaiting Approval or an item approaching an expiration/timeout threshold (e.g., 10-day approval window).

• Paperclip: Signals that Receipts or Supporting Attachments (e.g., hotel folios, event rosters, or exception memos) are attached to the item.

What is the Orange Circle with Arrow icon, and does it go away?

On the main Approver Dashboard / Approver Queue list (before opening the specific approval flow), the orange circle with an arrow next to a report or request indicates a Recalled, Returned, or Resubmitted item:

• Returned / Resubmitted Status: It signifies that the item was previously recalled by the traveler or returned by an approver/processor, and has now been resubmitted back into the approval queue.

• Action Required: The arrow icon highlights that the item has re-entered your pending queue and requires a fresh review/approval action.

• Audit Visual Indicator: Concur uses this visual badge on the dashboard list to differentiate newly submitted initial reports from items that have undergone a recall/resubmission cycle or an ad-hoc re-routing.

Yes, the Orange Circle with Arrow icon will go away once the specific condition triggering it is completed:

1. On the Approver Dashboard / Queue List:

   • It remains visible while the report is actively sitting in your queue as a resubmitted/recalled item.

   • Once you approve, return, or reject the expense report, the item is processed out of your active pending list, and the icon disappears from your view.

2. Within the Approval Flow Timeline:

   • While the report is waiting for an ad hoc or resubmitted approval step to be completed, the icon stays orange.

   • Once that step is acted upon by the designated approver, the icon updates to a Green Circle with a Checkmark in the completed audit trail history.