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Introducing the Basics of Payment Manager

Objectives

After completing this lesson, you will be able to:

Provide an overview of Payment Manager.
Access the Payment Manager page.

Course Overview and Outline

Welcome to the Working with the Payment Manager and Processing Expense Reports in Concur Expense (Standard Edition) course.

This course is tailored for administrators using the Standard Edition of Concur Expense. This comprehensive learning experience is designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to efficiently navigate and utilize Payment Manager and processor tools within your organization. By the end of this course, you will be proficient in managing expense reports and integrating payment systems with financial systems.

You will explore the following:

Navigating the Payment Manager

In this unit, you will explore the functionalities of the Payment Manager feature in Concur Expense. By the end of the unit, you will have the skills to:

Manage batches of expense reports - Efficiently handle multiple expense reports simultaneously, ensuring timely processing.
Create and download transaction files - Generate and retrieve transaction files for seamless integration with other systems.
Handle exceptional cases - Address unique scenarios such as negative payment demands effectively.
Integrate SAP Concur with your financial system - Ensure smooth synchronization between SAP Concur and your financial systems.
Troubleshoot common issues - Resolve frequent problems to maintain a smooth workflow.

Processing Expense Reports

In this unit, you will learn to manage expense reports on the Process Reports page. By the end of the unit, you will have the skills to:

Find and view expense reports - Easily locate and review expense reports for processing.
Verify and approve expense reports - Ensure the accuracy and validity of expense submissions.
Handle exceptions - Manage discrepancies to maintain accurate reports.
Customize queries and reports views - Develop and manage queries to extract specific data and tailor report views to meet specific needs and preferences.
Export report data - Export data for in-depth analysis and reporting.
Verify and manage receipts - Confirm the legitimacy of receipts attached to expense reports.

This course will empower you with the knowledge and tools to enhance your proficiency in managing expenses using SAP Concur, ensuring a more efficient and accurate expense management process.

Let's get started!

Unit Overview

Now that we've introduced the course overview and outline, let's begin with the first unit: Navigating Payment Manager.

This unit is designed for administrators looking to explore the Payment Manager feature in SAP Concur.

After completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Manage batches of expense reports.
Create and download transaction files.
Handle special cases such as negative payment demands.
Integrate SAP Concur with your financial system.
Access references.

Basics of Payment Manager

The image shows a Payment Manager interface where users can view batches of approved expenses and download transaction files. The interface includes two tabs: View Batches and View Funding. An advanced search option is available to filter results by Batch ID, Type, Funding Account Name, and Closed Date range. A search button is present to execute the search. The bottom of the interface has navigation controls for paging through the list and an option to Send to Excel.

The Payment Manager is an essential tool for managing and overseeing batches of expense reports ready for reimbursement. This feature allows you to efficiently view, manage, and close batches, ensuring all approved expenses are processed promptly. Once a batch is closed, a transaction file is generated and available for downloading, which can then be imported into a financial system to facilitate payments.

Key Features

Detailed Audit Trails and Summaries
Each batch's detailed audit trails and summaries ensure transparency and accountability in the expense management process.
Flexible File Formats
The Payment Manager supports various file formats, including CSV, QuickBooks IIF, and ADP EPIP, catering to different financial systems. This flexibility ensures seamless integration with your organization's financial infrastructure.
Note
The file format is set in the Expense File Export, General Settings tab. For details and steps to set the file format, refer to the course Setting Up Optional Configurations in Concur Expense (Standard Edition).
Financial Integration
For administrators, the Payment Manager page is a critical interface for sending data from SAP Concur into accounting software, streamlining financial operations. This feature is applicable to certain ERP systems, enhancing the efficiency and accuracy of financial data integration.
Expense Pay Reimbursement
For Expense Pay users, this page is where administrators initiate reimbursement, marking the final step in the expense report lifecycle.

Caution

Closing a batch of expense reports marks the payment status as Paid, which is an irreversible action. This ensures that the expense reports are definitively marked as processed, maintaining the integrity and accuracy of financial records.

Overall, the Payment Manager enhances efficiency, accuracy, and integration in managing expense report reimbursements, making it an invaluable tool for financial administrators.

Essential Payment Manager Terms

The table below outlines and explains the essential terms used in the Payment Manager feature:

Term	Description
Batch	A batch is a group of processed expenses. In Payment Manager, you can view and manage batches of expense reports ready for reimbursement. Each batch remains open until you decide to close it. Once closed, a transaction file listing the approved expenses can be downloaded and imported into a financial system for payment.
Payment Demand	A payment demand is the collection of all payment requests for a single payee, such as an employee, for a report. For example, a report with five expenses would have a single payment demand for the expenses. Payment demands are crucial for ensuring all expenses are accounted for and reimbursed correctly. You can use the audit trail of a payment demand to review its history and ensure accuracy.
Payment Service	A payment service is an external service used to reimburse employees. This service ensures that employees receive their payments promptly and efficiently. Payment services can vary depending on the financial system connected to SAP Concur. Refer to the SAP Concur setup guide for more information on configuring and using payment services at Expense Payment Manager.
Batch Status	The status of a batch indicates its current state in the payment process. Common statuses include: Open, Completed, Processing, and Sent. Each status will be covered in detail in the next lesson Managing Expense Report Batches.
Transaction File	A transaction file lists all the approved expenses in a batch. It can be downloaded and imported into a financial system to facilitate payments to employees or company cards. Depending on the configuration, different formats such as CSV, QuickBooks (.IIF), or ADP (EPIP) files may be available.
Audit Trail	An audit trail records all actions taken on a payment demand or report. It allows administrators to review the history of a payment demand to ensure accuracy and compliance. The audit trail includes details such as who made changes, what changes were made, and when. You can access the audit trail from the Payment Demands tab by selecting the Payment Demand ID or Report ID.

Path to Access the Payment Manager Page

To access the Payment Manager page, you must be assigned the Can Administer permission on the User Account.

The Payment Manager page allows you to view and manage batches of expense reports ready for reimbursement. Each batch stays open until either manually closed or during scheduled close. All expenses approved and processed are assigned to the open batch and visible for review. When the batch closes, the extract file is available to download. The extract file is then imported into the customers financial system for recording and reimbursement.

To access the Payment Manager page, navigate to the Administration section of your SAP Concur account. From here, under the Company menu, select Tools. Then, choose Payment Manager to navigate to the Payment Manager page.

The image shows the SAP Concur home screen with the Home tab dropdown list. The list displays several option where a few items are highlighted: Home, Administration, Company and Tools.

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