Creating an Expense with a Future Date (update)

Step #1

You can create a new expense from any screen by clicking the blue plus sign at the top of the page

Chose if this is:

1. A "DIRECT" payment between parents.  This is defined as a payment that occurs directly between the parents - Child Support, Alimony, Additional Support, etc.
2. A "REIMBURSEMENT" for a payment made to a merchant.  This is defined as a payment made to a merchant or 3rd Party, that one parent has already paid for - Child Care, Medical, Education, Sports etc.
3. Click the green "Next" button (for this example, we are using the "Reimbursement" for a payment made to a merchant)

Step 2: Expense Details

1. PAID BY - This is where you enter who paid the transaction. Via the drop-down menu, you will select either you "Me" or the other parent
2. THIS ITEM IS - (Optional) Choose if the expense should be
• Personal: If this is chosen the item will not be submitted or shared with the other parent
• Tax Deductible: Items may include alimony/family support payments, medical expenses or child care expenses. Of course, any item can be tracked and marked as tax-deductible
3. CHILD -  Choose which child the expense is for. The expense can be for an individual child or for all children
4. MERCHANT - This is where the expense was incurred, typically the location of the expense. If the merchant is not listed in the drop-down menu, you will need to add a merchant by clicking the add icon "+".   Once the merchant is added to the system it will be available as an option for all future expenses that are entered.
5. CATEGORY - This is the type of expense that was entered. Depending on how the merchant was entered this field will automatically populate with the category associated with the merchant. However, this can be overridden by choosing a different category than the one that is pre-populated.
   • Note: If the merchant or category you want is not currently in the drop-down list, you can create it via the add icon "+" or in the Merchants/Categories page via the side task-bar.  Instructions can be found by clicking here.
6. RECURRING - If the item is a recurring expense, click the Recurring box, you will then see an option to choose the frequency of the payment
7. EXPENSE DATE - This is the date that the item was incurred.  Also known as the transaction date. For example, if the item was purchased on Dec 10, 2018, then this is the date that should be entered in this field. (NOTE: If you are creating an expense with a future date, you would enter it here.)
8. DUE DATE - This is the date that the item is due. By default, the other parent is given 30 days from the day the item is entered to make a payment. However, this can be changed by choosing another date.
9.  Click the green "Next" button     

Step #3: Expense Amount

1. TOTAL - Enter the total amount of the expense.
   • The system will automatically calculate based on a 50/50 split.  If the split is different,  you can enter, either, the percentage for one parent or the dollar amount.  The system will then automatically calculate the amount and percentage for the other parent.
2. Click on the green "Next" button. 

Step #4: Receipt & Payment

ATTACH RECEIPT - In order to submit the expense to the other parent, You must attach a receipt or submit a reason for no receipt in order to submit the expense. The reason for this is to provide transparency to both parents on how the money is spent and to show the other parent that the money was spent on the item entered. By providing this information, the other parent is much more likely to make a payment on the item.

1. If you HAVE a receipt - Upload it by dragging & dropping the receipt in the "upload" box or by clicking in the "upload" box and selecting the receipt.  (You can add more than one receipt for each item.  You may attach as many receipts or documents as you would like)
2. If you DO NOT HAVE a receipt available, click the "RECEIPT UNAVAILABLE" box. 
   • The upload box will change to a text box where you can then provide a written reason for not having a receipt
3. EXPENSE ALREADY REIMBURSED - Check this box if the expense has already been paid.  Once checked, two new fields will open for you to fill out.
   1. Payment method - choose from the drop-down menu
   2. Date Paid - Enter the date the expense was paid.
4. SUBMITTING, EDITING, SAVING, & DELETING
   1. If you are ready to submit the expense to the other parent, click "Submit"
   2. If you want to edit the expense, click "Back" 
   3. If you want to save a draft of the expense, click "Save"
   4. If you want to delete the expense, click "Cancel"