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Expense assistant guide

Overview

The assistant feature enables users to prepare and submit expenses on behalf of the user delegating them as an assistant. It does not require a specific role (i.e., any user can be an assistant to any other user), and only grants access to specific, low-risk actions within Expenses. It does not transfer any access outside of Expenses, and certain higher-sensitivity actions (e.g., entering bank details) within Expenses cannot be performed by assistants.

This feature is currently in beta and will become generally available for all customers by the end of April. Please contact support@airwallex.com or your Account Manager if you’d like early access!

This article includes:

What can Assistants do?

Assistants can do the following on behalf of their delegator:

  • View, edit, submit, and recall card expenses
  • View, create, edit, submit and recall reimbursement reports

Note: Assistants can view and manage historical expenses, including those from before they were delegated as your assistant

 

Assistants cannot

  • Enter bank details for reimbursements on a delegator. This one-time step must be completed by the delegator before Assistants can submit reimbursements on your behalf.
  • Approve card expenses or reimbursements on behalf of a delegator.
  • View or action anything outside of Expenses. This feature does not transfer the delegator’s existing permissions to the assistant – it solely enables assistants to prepare and submit expenses on their behalf

Users may have multiple assistants, and assistants may also assist multiple delegators

Assigning assistants to yourself

Step 1: Navigate to your user profile in the top right corner

Step 2: Select the “Assistants” tab

Step 3: Add your desired Assistants

Newly assigned assistants will receive an email notification.

Assigning assistants to other users (admin only)

Step 1: Navigate to user management

Step 2: Locate your desired assistant

Step 3: At the bottom of the user’s drawer, select “Make user an assistant” and specify the users they will assist

Alternatively, you may locate the desired delegator in user management and add assistants using the “edit users’ hypertext.

Newly assigned assistants will receive an email notification.

As an assistant, how do I manage my delegator’s expenses?

Step 1: Switch into assistant mode using the top-left switcher. If you’re not seeing your delegator, double check that they have made you their assistant.

Step 2: View and manage all expenses. Your left-hand navigation will change to a light purple colour to indicate that you are managing expenses on behalf of another user. 

Step 3: Once you’re done, switch back to your personal view using the top-left switcher

Assistant notifications

Assistants will receive reminders to submit their delegator’s expenses as part of their daily task summary.