What is affidavit?

📄 From a travel expense management perspective, an affidavit is a written, sworn statement made by an employee to verify the authenticity of a claim or document when original receipts or supporting documentation are missing or unavailable. This statement is typically used as a last resort to substantiate an expense claim and ensure compliance with company policies and auditing requirements.

🔑 Key Points:

1. Purpose💡 : To provide a legally binding declaration to support an expense claim when original documentation is lost or unavailable.

2. Content 🛂 : Includes details of the expense, such as the date, amount, nature of the expense, and an explanation of why the original documentation is missing.

3. Legal Status🧑‍⚖️ : It is a sworn statement, meaning the employee declares the information is true to the best of their knowledge under penalty of perjury.

4. Approval👌 : Subject to review and approval by the company’s finance or compliance department to ensure it meets policy requirements.

5. Usage 🗃️: Typically used sparingly and only in cases where no other documentation is available.

Example:

🧾 An employee loses a receipt for a business meal. They submit an affidavit detailing the expense, including the date, amount, purpose of the meal, and attendees, explaining that the receipt was misplaced.

Benefits:

• Accountability: Ensures employees are accountable for the expenses they claim.

• Compliance: Helps maintain compliance with internal policies and external regulations.

• Integrity: Provides a method to validate expenses even when documentation is missing, reducing the risk of fraudulent claims.

If you wish to take advantage of this functionality, we encourage you to reach out to your Company Administrator for the Mobilexpense application :mxp: within your organization. 🙂