The way you file your travel and other expense claims is changing for Queen’s faculty and staff as Queen’s moves from a paper-based process to a fully electronic system, enabling a return of per diems for non-Ontario government funded research travel.

The new online expense reimbursement system (ERS) went live for all staff and faculty on May 4, making the reimbursement process faster and more transparent. It is accessible through the MyQueen’sU portal under the “My Applications” tab.  The system will be released to students over the summer. 

In accordance with the revised travel and expense policy and procedures that came into effect in January, use of the ERS is not mandatory, but it is required should travellers wish to claim per-diems or request advances.  

“There are many benefits to the new system, including reduced processing times, the ability to see exactly where your claim is in the approval process, and access to your claims from your mobile device,” says Caroline Davis, Vice-Principal (Finance and Administration). “The ERS will create a streamlined and more efficient process for staff and faculty who submit expense claims, as well as for claim administrators and approvers.”

The launch of the ERS comes after months of consultation and collaboration by Financial Services with staff and faculty across the university, as well as a successful pilot in two departments. Financial Services is offering extensive support to help employees become comfortable with the new system.

“We will be offering classroom training sessions for everyone who is interested throughout May, and ongoing support for anyone who needs assistance. We want to ensure that everyone is able to take advantage of the many features in the ERS.”

- Heather Woermke, Controller 

“We’ve been working with departments for months and have already trained more than 170 staff and faculty members on the new ERS,” says Heather Woermke, Controller. “We will be offering classroom training sessions for everyone who is interested throughout May, and ongoing support for anyone who needs assistance. We want to ensure that everyone is able to take advantage of the many features in the ERS.”

To learn more about the ERS, register now for one of the in-person training sessions for users, administrators and claim approvers. You can also visit the ERS website, read the user guide, or contact the ERS project office by email or telephone at ext. 75099.

The new expense system is provided by Concur, a leading ERS provider already being used at a number of Canadian universities. Concur was selected after a thorough request for proposals process and its implementation was partially funded by the Government of Ontario through a productivity and innovation fund grant.