Overview
This feature allows admins to issue or employees to request funds that multiple employees can spend from. Whether it's for events, software purchases, or any team-related expenditure, shared funds ensure that all authorized employees can spend from the same pool of funds while allowing the funds owner to have visibility and control over who is spending what. This feature is available on both web and mobile.
Jump to:
- Overview
- Use cases
- Key features
- How to issue, edit, and use shared funds as an Admin
- How to request, edit, and use shared funds as an Employee
- Frequently Asked Questions
Use cases
Below are a few sample opportunities to use shared funds:
- Events and projects: I'm the Head of Marketing, and I have allocated $20k to plan an event. I want my Marketing Events Managers to be able to access this budget amount to spend on the event.
- Software: I want anyone who is a vendor owner on the Data team to be able to spend from our software budget for the quarter.
- Executive Assistants: I want my EA to be able to spend on my behalf.
Key features
- Requesting/issuing/approving shared funds: A simple checkbox during the funds request/issue process will turn a funds request into a shared funds limit with the requestor as the owner. Approvals remain the same based on the policy, which can be viewed in the Funds tab and in the individual funds.
- Adding participants: Funds owners can add individuals or departments to the shared funds during and after the initial setup. An admin may add or remove individuals from any shared funds. Members who have had the funds shared with them are unable to add or remove others–only the funds owners, admins, and managers of the funds owners can make these adjustments.
- Spend visibility: All members of a shared funds can see each other’s expenses. However, only admins will be able to click on another member’s expense for more details. If you are an employee clicking on your own expense, you'll be able to see more details.
- Notifications and locking: Notifications, missing items, and funds locking apply only to the person who made the purchase using the shared funds. The overall funds will not be affected if one person doesn't submit missing items and has their funds locked.
- Visibility on Ramp: Shared funds are clearly marked, making it easy to distinguish them from individual funds.
- Funds details: If members choose to generate a unique card number, each member will have their own card number associated with the shared funds. No member will have the same card number.
How to issue, edit, and use shared funds as an Admin
To issue shared funds as an admin or manager, you may do so by issuing in the regular funds issuing flow. Spend programs can also issue shared funds.
- In your "Home" tab, click "Issue funds"
- Select "General expenses" for funds or pick a spend program that issues shared funds
- Enter the names of the funds owners. Each person listed here will receive distinct shared funds that they can add additional members to.
- Under "Advanced," click on “Sharing” or under the Pre-spend Controls for Spend Programs, toggle on the sharing functionality.
- Follow the funds or program creation flow as usual, the fund locking and approval flow processes for funds, transactions, and reimbursements remain the same.
- Once the funds have been issued and shared with other members, each member will be responsible for their missing items and only the member's funds in question will lock if their items are not submitted in time.
To turn sharing on or off for existing funds, you may click on the funds or program. Turning off shared funds terminates every member's funds except the funds owner.
- Click “Edit.”
- Under “Sharing,” toggle the functionality on or off again
- Click “Save” to confirm your changes
To view spending on shared funds, you may navigate to the funds in question.
- Click on the funds and open the “Overview” tab
- Scroll down to the most recent activity
- As an admin, you may click on any transaction or view funds details for any member of the shared funds
To add or remove members of shared funds: The admin and funds owner (or their manager) may add or remove members from the shared funds by visiting the fund page:
- Click on the funds and open the “Sharing” tab
- Here you may add or remove members and view the percentage of spend from each member
To change the owner of the shared funds, admins can do so from the funds in question.
Only admins will have the ability to change the owner of the shared funds.
- Click on the funds you would like to change the owner for and click “Edit”
- In the owner field, select the name of the new owner
How to request, edit, and use a new shared funds as an Employee
To request a shared funds as an employee, you may do so by requesting a new funds or by requesting funds from a spend program that allows sharing.
- Click the "Request funds" button in your homepage
- Select "General expenses" or a Spend Program (if it is a program with sharing enabled)
- Enter the relevant funds details
- Under "Advanced" > “Sharing,” toggle on the sharing functionality
- Following the funds request flow as usual. Funds locking and approval flow processes for funds, transactions, and reimbursements remain the same.
To turn sharing on or off for existing funds, you may click on the funds or program
- Click “Edit”
- Under “Sharing,” toggle the functionality on or off again
- Click “Request Edits.” The funds approval flow will follow the same logic
To view spending on shared funds, you may navigate to the funds in question.
- Click on the funds and open the “Overview” tab
- Scroll down to the most recent activity
- As an employee, you may view any transaction or reimbursement from other members of the shared funds, but you won't have access to click in and view details
To add or remove members of the shared funds: The admin and funds owner (or their manager) may add or remove members from the shared funds by visiting the funds page. Other funds members may not add or remove other members.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Will guests be able to access a shared funds? Yes, they can be added as members to funds or own one if provided with funds that has sharing functionality.
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Will guests be able to see other spend activity on the funds? Yes, however, they can only click into and view the details of their own spend.
- Can any user role be a shared funds owner? Yes, any user role can be an owner. If you can be issued funds, you can be the owner of it
- Can there be multiple shared funds owners? Funds can only have one owner. Only the funds owner or a Ramp admin may add or remove members.
- Will each member be using the same card number or a different card number? Each member will have their own card number.
- What happens when I turn off the sharing function? The other members' funds will be terminated, however, the owner's funds will remain unaffected. If you want to invite the same members to the shared funds after turning it off, they will be issued a new card number.
- Does deleting shared funds behave the same way as deleting a normal funds? Yes, it does. You will have access to the expense history of deleted funds.
- If an employee requests for their existing funds to become shared funds, does this default them to being the shared funds owner? Yes, the original funds owner will become the owner of funds that turn into shared funds.
- What happens if one of the members of the shared funds doesn’t submit missing items within the auto-lock date? Only that member’s funds will lock. The overall shared funds won't be affected, and other users will still be able to access their shared funds card numbers. Admins and managers can unlock funds by dismissing requirements.
- What happens when a manager locks a shared funds? The shared funds will only lock for their direct report. The other members' funds won't lock.