TRAVEL EXPENSE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
A method for generating an expense report, comprising: receiving an itinerary for travel, generating a description and a cost for one or more travel elements of the itinerary; and generating projected expenses that are expected to be incurred based on historical data associated with the itinerary
1 . A method for generating an expense report, comprising:
receiving an itinerary for travel;
generating a description and a cost for one or more travel elements of the itinerary; and
generating projected expenses that are expected to be incurred based on historical data associated with the itinerary.
2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the historical data are based on a previous travel to a destination inside the itinerary.
3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the historical data are based on one or more previous travels of one or more travelers to a destination inside the itinerary.
4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising approving the itinerary for purchase based on the projected expenses.
5 . A method for validating an expense item in an expense report, comprising:
receiving an expense item;
reconciling the expense item with a receipt for the expense item;
determining a corporate policy for the expense item; and
determining whether the expense item is valid based on the corporate policy.
6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising sending the expense item to a billing system.
7 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising:
determining that the expense item is not valid; and
requesting an approval for an expense corresponding to the expense item.
8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
receiving the approval; and
sending the expense to a billing system.
9 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the expense item is an out of pocket expense.
10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the expense item is a charge to a corporate credit card.
11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reconciling the receipt is obtained through a credit card feed from a bank.
12 . The method of claim 5 , wherein reconciling the receipt is obtained through an image capture technology or an optical character recognition.
13 . A computer-readable medium comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the computer to:
receive an expense item;
reconcile the expense item with a receipt for the expense item;
determine a corporate policy for the expense item;
determine whether the expense item is valid based on the corporate policy; and
if the expense item is not valid, request an approval for an expense corresponding to the expense item.
14 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the computer to:
receive the approval; and
send the expense to a billing system.
15 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the computer to determine that the expense item is valid.
16 . The computer-readable medium of claim 17 , further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the computer to send the expense item to a billing system in response to determining that the expense item is valid.
17 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the expense item is an out of pocket expense.
18 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the expense item is a charge to a corporate credit card.
19 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the expense item is reconciled with the receipt through a credit card feed from a bank.
20 . The computer-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the expense item is reconciled with the receipt through an image capture technology or an optical character recognition.