Chrome River requires Trip Authorization (TA) for all IU-sponsored domestic (destination is outside Indiana) and international (destination is outside the United States) trips. TA allows Fiscal Officers and their delegates to review and approve projected travel costs for upcoming trips before funds are spent.
Trip Authorization reports awaiting approval display in the Approvals ribbon on your Chrome River dashboard. Click Trip Authorizations to view TA reports pending review.
In the example below, there are 6 Trip Authorizations awaiting review.
Pending Trip Authorization reports appear in the left pane. Limited details are shown. Click a report, then click the Open button to access the full report.
A list of projected expenses opens in the left pane. The header level, or summary, of the report is displayed in the right pane. Scroll to the bottom of the report to review the Allocation field, as well as the Comments & Attachments section.
The Allocation field reflects the account and sub-account the traveler expects to fund the trip. The Comments & Attachments section may contain additional approval information, or details about the trip.
Next, click each individual expense in the left pane to review the Description fields/notes entered by the report submitter, as well as Project Code and Organization Reference Id information. A complete fiscal review involves review and assessment of each individual expense.
In the example below, we selected the Hotel expense. In the right pane, we see that the traveler noted that they will be covering the cost of the hotel using personal funds to take advantage of a conference rate. This also tells us that they will seek reimbursement for this expense after the trip.
Always review Conference Registration expenses when they appear on a TA. Conference Registration should only be included on a TA if it is paid for by the traveler with personal funds and will be reimbursed.
In the example below, there’s a note stating that conference registration was paid for using the P-Card. This expense should not be included on the TA. The report should be returned to the submitter, the charge removed, and the TA resubmitted. Visit the Return a Report page to learn how to return a report.
Finally, always review Other expenses. The Other tile is used to capture any kind of expense that does not have a specific tile on the TA report. This means it could be anything. Report submitters are required to enter details about the Other expense when it is added to the TA.
In the example below, the $20 Other expense is related to airfare and will cover the baggage fee.
If additional individuals need to review and approve the TA, visit the Reassign a Report page to learn how to log your approval and reassign the report to another approver.
Reports containing unallowable expenses or incorrect account information must be returned, corrected, and resubmitted by the expense owner or their delegate. Visit the Return a Report page to learn how. There is not an option to reject a report in Chrome River.
Trip Authorizations that have been entered correctly and contain allowable expenses can be approved by clicking Approve in the left pane at the bottom of the report.
Chrome River prompts you to click Approve a second time in the right pane.
A pop-up confirms the report has been approved, and your list of pending TA approvals opens automatically on the left. As an approver, you will no longer have access to this report unless you are a delegate for that traveler.
