concur

SAP Concur

This skill enforces correct Concur implementation practices, ensuring that audit rules are configured before go-live, expense policies are fully defined for all categories, and integration posting to FI is validated with every expense type — because an expense report that posts incorrectly to the general ledger is worse than one that does not post at all.

Content Routing

Topic	Section
Concur Expense	Concur Expense
Concur Travel	Concur Travel
Concur Invoice	Concur Invoice
Concur Request (pre-approval)	Concur Request
Expense policy configuration	Expense Policy Configuration
Receipt management	Receipt Management
Approval workflows	Approval Workflows
Integration with S/4HANA FI	Integration with S/4HANA
Audit rules and compliance	Audit Rules and Compliance
Concur APIs	Concur APIs

Iron Laws

1. ALWAYS CONFIGURE AUDIT RULES BEFORE GO-LIVE. Audit rules are the automated policy enforcement layer. Going live without audit rules means every expense is trusted at face value. Configure duplicate detection, receipt requirement thresholds, per diem limits, and policy violation flags before the first expense report is submitted.
2. NEVER SKIP POLICY CONFIGURATION FOR EXPENSE CATEGORIES. Every expense type (meals, lodging, mileage, airfare, ground transport, entertainment) needs explicit policy limits, receipt requirements, and approval routing. An undefined expense category is an uncontrolled spending category.
3. ALWAYS TEST INTEGRATION POSTING TO FI WITH ALL EXPENSE TYPES. Each expense type maps to a different GL account, cost center, and possibly WBS element or internal order. Test every expense type end-to-end: expense creation -> approval -> extraction -> SAE posting -> FI document verification. One missing mapping means that expense type fails in production.
4. NEVER ALLOW EXPENSE SUBMISSION WITHOUT RECEIPT FOR AMOUNTS ABOVE THRESHOLD. Receipt-less expense claims above the configured threshold (commonly $25-$75 per jurisdiction) are audit red flags. Configure receipt-required thresholds per expense type and enforce them with hard stops, not warnings.
5. ALWAYS CONFIGURE DELEGATION RULES FOR APPROVERS. Approvers travel, get sick, and go on vacation. Without delegation rules, expense reports queue indefinitely. Configure delegation, escalation timeouts, and backup approvers for every approval step.

Concur Expense

Core Capabilities

Feature	Description
Expense entry	Manual entry, receipt capture (OCR), credit card import
Receipt management	ExpenseIt OCR, e-receipts from vendors, receipt store
Policy enforcement	Real-time policy checks on entry, warnings and hard stops
Approval routing	Manager approval, finance review, compliance audit
Reimbursement	Payment via payroll, direct deposit, or check
Reporting	Spend analytics, compliance dashboards, trend analysis

Expense Report Flow

Expense Creation (manual/OCR/card import)
  → Itemization (detail breakdowns for lodging, meals)
  → Allocation (cost center, project, WBS element)
  → Submission (employee submits)
    → Approval (manager + additional approvers per policy)
      → Audit (automated rules + manual sampling)
        → Extraction (Standard Accounting Extract - SAE)
          → FI Posting (via integration to S/4HANA)
            → Reimbursement (payment processing)

Expense Types Configuration

Type	Typical Policy	GL Account Example
Airfare	Advance booking requirement, class restrictions	6300xx — Travel Air
Lodging	Per diem or actual with cap per city	6301xx — Travel Lodging
Meals	Per diem by location or actual with daily cap	6302xx — Meals & Entertainment
Mileage	IRS rate / HMRC rate, distance calculation	6303xx — Mileage
Car Rental	Pre-approval required, size restrictions	6304xx — Car Rental
Entertainment	Attendee list required, client name mandatory	6310xx — Entertainment
Parking/Tolls	Receipt required above threshold	6305xx — Parking
Internet/Phone	Business justification required	6320xx — Communication

Concur Travel

Booking Capabilities

Channel	Description
Online booking tool	Concur-embedded booking for air, hotel, car, rail
Travel agent	GDS-connected agency for complex itineraries
TripLink	Captures bookings made outside Concur (direct with vendor)
Mobile	Full booking capability on Concur mobile app

Travel Policy Enforcement

• Fare class restrictions (economy for domestic, business for 6+ hour flights)
• Hotel rate caps by city tier
• Advance booking requirements (14-day, 21-day advance purchase savings)
• Preferred vendor steering (negotiated corporate rates)
• Out-of-policy justification and approval requirements

Travel Configuration

• Define travel policies per employee group (executive, staff, intern)
• Configure preferred vendor lists and corporate rate programs
• Set up pre-trip approval rules (Concur Request integration)
• Enable TripLink for capturing out-of-channel bookings

Concur Request

Pre-Approval Process

Concur Request enables pre-trip or pre-purchase approval before expenses are incurred.

Use Cases

• Travel pre-approval (required for international travel, executive travel)
• Conference attendance approval
• Large purchase pre-authorization
• Budget availability check before commitment

Request Flow

1. Employee creates request with estimated costs, dates, purpose
2. System checks budget availability (if integrated)
3. Approval workflow routes based on amount, category, destination
4. Approved request links to subsequent expense report for reconciliation

Concur Invoice

AP Automation

Concur Invoice (formerly Invoice Professional) automates the accounts payable process for non-PO invoices and payment requests.

Key Features

Feature	Description
Invoice capture	OCR/AI extraction from email, scan, or supplier portal
Coding	GL account, cost center, project allocation
Approval routing	Amount-based and category-based workflows
Payment	Pay via Concur Pay (check, ACH, virtual card)
Vendor management	Vendor profile, bank details, tax ID (W-9/W-8)

Invoice vs. Expense

Aspect	Concur Expense	Concur Invoice
Payer	Employee (reimbursed)	Company (direct payment)
Use case	T&E spending	Vendor invoices, subscriptions
Receipts	Employee captures	Supplier submits
Approval	Manager + policy	Budget owner + AP

Receipt Management

ExpenseIt (OCR)

• Employee photographs receipt with mobile app
• AI/OCR extracts: vendor name, date, amount, currency, expense type
• Auto-creates expense entry with extracted data
• Employee reviews and submits (correction if needed)

E-Receipts

Direct electronic receipt from vendors (airlines, hotels, car rental, ride-share). Automatically matched to credit card transactions. No manual entry or paper receipt needed.

Receipt Store

Cloud storage for all receipts. Linked to expense entries. Audit trail with timestamp and source (photo, email, e-receipt). Configurable retention period.

Approval Workflows

Approval Chain Configuration

Level	Approver	Logic
Level 1	Direct manager	Employee's reporting hierarchy
Level 2	Cost center owner	When expense allocated to different cost center
Level 3	Finance reviewer	Amount threshold trigger (e.g., >$5,000)
Level 4	Compliance audit	Random sampling + rule-triggered review

Workflow Rules

• Amount-based: Additional approval above threshold
• Category-based: Entertainment requires department head
• Exception-based: Out-of-policy items route to additional approver
• Delegation: Configurable absence delegation with time boundaries
• Escalation: Auto-escalation if approval pending beyond SLA (e.g., 5 business days)

Expense Policy Configuration

Policy Elements

Element	Description
Expense types	Define categories with GL mapping, receipt rules, limits
Spending limits	Per-transaction and per-day caps by category and location
Receipt requirements	Threshold amounts requiring receipt attachment
Per diem rates	Location-based daily allowances (GSA/HMRC rates)
Mileage rates	Per-mile/km rates with annual updates
Attendee rules	Entertainment requires attendee list with names and business purpose
Cash advance	Rules for advance request, reconciliation, and return
Personal car usage	Mileage rates, distance calculation method (Google Maps)

Multi-Country Considerations

• Per diem rates vary by country and city (GSA for US, HMRC for UK, custom for others)
• Tax reclaim rules (VAT recovery in EU requires itemized receipts)
• Currency handling (exchange rate source, conversion date)
• Local compliance requirements (Nota Fiscal in Brazil, Fapiao in China)

Audit Rules and Compliance

Automated Audit Rules

Rule	Description
Duplicate detection	Same amount, date, vendor across expense reports
Receipt required	Flag entries above threshold without receipt
Per diem exceeded	Amount exceeds location-based per diem rate
Weekend/holiday	Expenses claimed on non-business days
Policy limit exceeded	Amount exceeds category spending cap
Itemization required	Hotel folios must be itemized (room, tax, incidentals)
Attendee required	Entertainment without attendee list
Circular distance	Mileage claim end point same as start point

Compliance Monitoring

• Random audit sampling (configurable percentage)
• Risk-based audit targeting (employees with prior violations)
• Compliance dashboard for finance team visibility
• Exception reports with aging (unresolved violations)

Integration with S/4HANA

Standard Accounting Extract (SAE)

The SAE is the standard extract format that moves approved expense data from Concur to the ERP for posting.

Integration Architecture

Component	Description
SAE Extract	Scheduled extract of approved reports from Concur
Integration middleware	CPI/BTP or Concur connector for S/4HANA
FI Posting	Create FI documents (vendor invoice or GL posting)
Cost allocation	Cost center, internal order, WBS element from expense coding
Employee mapping	Concur user -> S/4HANA employee/vendor number
Payment	Reimbursement via S/4HANA FI-AP payment run or payroll

Key Mapping Requirements

• Expense type -> GL account determination
• Concur policy -> S/4HANA company code
• Cost center/project codes -> S/4HANA cost objects
• Tax codes -> S/4HANA tax code for input tax reclaim
• Currency -> Exchange rate type and conversion logic
• Employee -> S/4HANA vendor master (employee vendor type CPD or named)

Integration Testing Checklist

1. Test every expense type posts to correct GL account
2. Test multi-currency reports with exchange rate conversion
3. Test cost allocation split across multiple cost centers
4. Test tax code mapping for VAT-eligible expenses
5. Test cash advance reconciliation and clearing
6. Test rejection and return flows (reversed postings)
7. Test with realistic report volumes (batch performance)

Concur APIs

Key APIs

API	Use Case
Expense v4	Create, read, update expense reports and entries
Request v4	Pre-approval request management
Invoice v3	Invoice capture and processing
User v1	User provisioning and profile management
List v4	Manage custom lists (cost centers, projects)
Travel Profile v2	Travel preferences and loyalty programs

Authentication

OAuth 2.0 with Company JWT and User JWT. Scopes control API access level. Rate limits apply per API endpoint.

Best Practices

1. Configure audit rules before go-live — first batch of expense reports will establish behavioral norms
2. Use ExpenseIt — OCR reduces manual entry errors and accelerates submission
3. Integrate credit card feeds — auto-match transactions reduce duplicate claims
4. Set up e-receipts — hotel chains, airlines, and ride-share provide automatic receipts
5. Review per diem rates annually — rates change; outdated rates create policy violations
6. Train employees on mobile app — real-time receipt capture prevents lost receipt claims

Anti-Patterns

• Going live without audit rules (first 90 days establish spending behavior patterns)
• Configuring expense types without GL account mapping (extraction fails for unmapped types)
• Allowing receipt-optional for all categories (weakens compliance posture)
• Skipping multi-currency testing (exchange rate issues surface only with international expenses)
• Implementing Concur without delegation rules (approver absence blocks reimbursement)

Verification

This skill is complete ONLY when ALL of the following are true:

• [ ] Correct Concur module identified (Expense, Travel, Invoice, Request)
• [ ] Expense policy rules defined for all relevant categories
• [ ] Audit rules configured (duplicate detection, receipt requirements, limits)
• [ ] Approval workflow validated (routing, delegation, escalation)
• [ ] Integration with S/4HANA FI mapped (GL accounts, cost objects, tax codes, payment)
• [ ] Multi-country requirements addressed if applicable (per diem, VAT, currency)

Evidence required: Specific policy rules, audit rule configurations, GL account mappings, and integration test scenarios — not generic T&E descriptions.

Next Skill

After completing this skill, invoke:

• fi — When GL account mapping, payment processing, or tax code configuration is the focus
• integration-suite — When CPI middleware for Concur-S/4HANA integration is needed
• co — When cost center allocation or internal order posting from expenses is the focus

Cross-References

• fi — GL account determination, accounts payable, payment runs
• co — Cost center accounting, internal orders, WBS element allocation
• integration-suite — CPI for Concur integration middleware
• sf — Employee data synchronization for user provisioning
• ariba — Complementary: Ariba for procurement, Concur for T&E