Resolving common issues

Every expense needs to be backed up by enough information to prove that it support your Collective's charitable purpose. Sometimes, we may need you to attach additional documents. There's two ways to do this:

Adding an attachment

1. Click the pencil icon () next to Expense Details.

2. Use the Additional Attachments section to upload one or more files.

1. Click Save to finalise your attachment.

Attaching an image

1. Scroll down to the comments section, near the bottom of the expense page.

2. Click the picture icon () and select an image file.

1. If you don't want the Collective's admins to see your comment, tick the box to Post as a private note.

1. Click Post reply to finalise your comment.

The person or entity under Pay To and the person or entity under Payout Method always need to match. For example, this is incorrect:

If you control/represent the entity being paid:

1. Go to opencollective.com/signup/organization and create an organisation.

2. Return to the expense page, refresh it, and click the pencil icon () next to Pay To.

3. Select An account I administer, then select your new organisation.

4. Select or add a payment method for your organisation, then click Save.

If you do not control or represent the entity being paid:

1. Email [email protected] with the legal name of the entity, its contact details, and a document confirming its bank details.

2. Our team will create a Vendor for the entity, and will tell you when it's ready.

3. Return to the expense page, and click the pencil icon () next to Pay To.

4. Select A vendor, search for the vendor created by our team, select it, and click Save.

Every expense needs to show its connection to your Collective's charitable purpose.

Sometimes, this is just a matter of a few words:

Koha is a valid expense, as long as your Collective can justify why it is being paid. Some things to note:

• If koha is being given in cash: get an ATM receipt, sign it, and submit a scan or photo of the signed receipt.

• If you wish to pay someone a koha by bank transfer without having to have them submit an expense, email [email protected] with their contact information and confirmation of their bank details, and ask us to set them up as a vendor.

If you're submitting a separate PDF invoice, or if you're submitting receipts and being reimbursed, the amounts you're claiming need to match the amounts on the documentation.

If they don't match (for example, your receipt includes both a personal purchase and a purchase for your Collective, but you're only claiming the latter), you'll need to tell us in the expense notes, or in a comment.

If you need to submit multiple documents for a single item, do not add additional line items. Instead, add an attachment or a comment.

For example, this is incorrect:

This is correct:

If you're being reimbursed for an expense you've paid out of pocket, we need proof that you've actually spent the money. An invoice addressed to you isn't enough - we need a receipt.

• If you paid in-person, for example at a supermarket, a photo or scan of your receipt is fine.

• If you paid online with a credit/debit card, a copy of your digital/email receipt from the supplier is fine.

• If you don't have a physical or digital receipt, submit a screenshot from your online banking showing the date, amount, and payee.

• If you paid with cash and did not get a receipt, email [email protected], and we will tell you what information you will need to provide.

In addition to the expense amount itself, each expense incurs a payment processing fee ($1.38 NZD, or more for international payments), which is charged to us by Wise and debited from the same account (Collective, Project, or Event) as the expense.

For example, to pay a $100 expense to a New Zealand bank account, the account must have a balance of at least $101.38 NZD.

If you have funds in another account (Collective, Project, or Event), you can make a transfer between accounts:

1. Go to your Collective's Dashboard, by clicking Dashboard on your main profile page, or by navigating to opencollective.com/dashboard/your-collective.

1. Select Accounts, then select New internal transfer.

1. Choose the sending and receiving accounts, enter the amount to transfer, and click Transfer.

If you are unable to move or add funds, we can deduct the payment processing fee from the amount the payee receives - just leave a comment authorising us to do so.