Shared limits for tracking group spend

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Overview

This feature allows admins to issue or employees to request limits that multiple employees spend towards for a specific purpose with their cards. Whether it's for events, software purchases, or any team-related expenditure, shared limits ensures that all authorized employees can spend from the same pool of funds while allowing the spend limit 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 a shared limit as an Admin
• How to request, edit, and use a new shared limit as an Employee
• Frequently Asked Questions 

Use cases

Below are a few sample opportunities to use shared limits:

1. 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.
2. Software: I want anyone who is a vendor owner on the Data team to be able to spend towards our software budget for the quarter.
3. Executive Assistants: I want my EA to be able to spend on my behalf. 

Key features

1. Requesting/issuing/approving shared limits: A simple checkbox during the spend limit request/issue process will turn a spend limit requested into a shared spend limit with the requestor as the owner. Approvals remain the same based on the policy, which can be viewed in the Cards tab and in the individual card.
2. Adding participants: Limit owners can add individuals or departments to the shared limit during and after the initial setup. An admin may add or remove individuals from any shared limit. Members who have had the limit shared with them are unable to add or remove others–only the limit owners, admins, and managers of the limit owners can make these adjustments. 
3. Spend visibility: All members of a shared limit 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.
4. Visibility on Ramp: Shared limits are clearly marked, making it easy to distinguish them from individual limits. 

How to issue, edit, and use a shared limit as an Admin

To issue a shared limit as an admin or manager, you may do so by issuing a virtual card or issuing a spend program.

1. Click the Issue Spend button in the Card tab
2. Select Virtual Card or Spend Program
3. Enter the names of the card owners. Each person listed here will receive their own shared limit that they can add additional members to.
4. Under “Sharing” for Virtual Cards or under the Pre-spend Controls for Spend Programs, toggle on the sharing functionality.
5. Following the card or program creation flow as usual. Card locking and approval flow processes for cards, transactions, and reimbursements remain the same. Transaction missing items, notifications, and card locking apply to each member of the card rather than to the card overall. See below for an image of setting up shared limits for spend programs.
6. Once the cards have been issued and shared with other members, each member will have their virtual card number associated with the shared limit. Each member will be responsible for their missing items and only the member's card in question will lock if their items are not submitted in time.

To turn sharing on or off for existing cards, you may click on the card or program. Turning off shared limits terminates every member's card except the card owner.

1. Click “Edit.” 
2. Under “Sharing,” toggle the functionality on or off again 
3. Click “Save” to confirm your changes

To view spending on each shared card, you may navigate to the card in question.

1. Click on the card and open the “Overview” tab
2. Scroll down to the most recent activity
3. As an admin, you may click on any transaction or view card details for any member of the shared limit

To add or remove members of the shared card: The admin and limit owner (or their manager) may add or remove members from the shared limit by visiting the card page:

1. Click on the card and open the “Sharing” tab
2. Here you may add or remove members and view the percentage of spend from each member

To change the owner of the shared limit, admins can do so from the card in question.

Only admins will have the ability to change the owner of the shared limit.

1. Click on the card you would like to change the owner for and click “Edit”
2. In the owner field, select the name of the new owner 

How to request, edit, and use a new shared limit as an Employee

To request a shared limit as an employee, you may do so by requesting a new virtual card or by requesting a card from a spend program that allows sharing.

1. Click the Request Spend button in your homepage 
2. Select Virtual Card or Spend Program (if it is a program with sharing enabled)
3. Enter the relevant card details
4. Under “Sharing,” toggle on the sharing functionality
5. Following the card request flow as usual. Card locking and approval flow processes for cards, transactions, and reimbursements remain the same.

To turn sharing on or off for existing cards, you may click on the card or program 

1. Click “Edit”
2. Under “Sharing,” toggle the functionality on or off again
3. Click “Request Edits.” The card approval flow will follow the same logic

To view spend on each shared card, you may navigate to the card in question.

4. Click on the card and open the “Overview” tab
5. Scroll down to the most recent activity
6. As an employee, you may view any transaction or reimbursement from other members of the shared limit, but you won't have access to click in and view details 

To add or remove members of the shared card: The admin and limit owner (or their manager) may add or remove members from the shared limit by visiting the card page. Other card members may not add or remove other members.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Will guests be able to access a shared limit? Yes, they can be added as members to a limit or own one if provided with a card that has sharing functionality.

• Will guests be able to see other spend activity on the card? Yes, however, they can only click into and view the details of their own spend.

• Can any user role be a shared limits owner? Yes, any user role can be an owner. If you can be issued a card, you can be the owner of it
• Can there be multiple shared limit owners? A card can only have one owner. Only the card 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' cards will be terminated, however, the owner's card will remain unaffected. If you want to invite the same members to the shared limit after turning it off, they will be issued a new card number.
• Does deleting a shared limit behave the same way as deleting a normal virtual card? Yes, it does. You will have access to the expense history of deleted cards.
• If an employee requests for their existing card to become a shared card, does this default them to being the shared limit owner? Yes, the original cardholder will become the owner of a card that turns into a shared limit.
• What happens if one of the members of the shared limit doesn’t submit missing items within the auto-lock date? Only that member’s limit will lock. The overall shared limit won't be affected, and other users will still be able to access their shared limit card numbers. Admins and managers can unlock this card by dismissing requirements.
• What happens when a manager locks a shared limit? The shared limit will only lock for their direct report. The other members of the shared limit's cards won't lock.