Do you offer reimbursements, subsidies, or other benefits that users need to apply for? Requests help you manage these applications in one place, from collecting the required information and receipts to reviewing submissions and communicating decisions.
Use Requests for a variety of programs, such as reimbursing bike repairs, covering business travel expenses, or managing other organization-specific benefits. For example, if your organization offers up to $100 per year for bike repairs and accessories, users can submit a request with a receipt and a short comment. As an Admin or Manager, you can review the submission, approve or reject it, and keep track of the decision in the Management Dashboard.
Requests can be configured to fit different programs, including their eligibility rules, submission limits, approval processes, and notification settings.
Getting started with Requests
The Requests feature is available in the New Management Dashboard, but it must be configured before your users can start applying for benefits.
To get started, contact your CommuteHub Customer Success Manager or CommuteHub Support and explain what type of request you want to offer. Our team will help configure the request form and its settings.
When setting up a request type, you need to define details such as:
- What users can request: For example, bike repair reimbursements, business travel expenses, or other benefits.
- Required information: The fields, comments, receipts, or other attachments users must provide.
- Submission limits: How often users can apply and how many requests they can submit.
- Eligibility and schedule: Which users can apply and when submissions are accepted.
- Review process: Whether requests require manual review or use configured automatic approval.
- Financial settings: Applicable reimbursement amounts, limits, and other financial rules.
- Notifications: Which notifications users receive at different stages of the process.
Once your request types are configured, you can find them in the Requests section of the left sidebar.
Important: Enabling Requests does not automatically create a reimbursement program. Your request types, eligibility rules, submission limits, review process, and notifications must be configured for your organization.
Viewing and managing requests
1. Open Requests
In the Management Dashboard, select Requests in the left sidebar.
You can use the Worklist to review submissions across the request types you have access to. By default, the Worklist filters out requests in their configured final states, helping you focus on requests that still need attention.
You can also select an individual request type to view its submissions. For example, selecting Bike Repair Reimbursement opens a list of requests submitted for that benefit.
Use the available filters and sorting options to find specific requests. You can adjust the Worklist filters to include completed requests when needed.
2. Review a submission
Select a request to open its details.
Depending on the request form, you can review information such as:
- The user who submitted the request
- The submission date
- The requested amount
- The current status
- The user's comments and submitted information
- Attached files, such as receipts or photos
Review the information provided before making a decision. For a bike repair reimbursement, for example, you might check the receipt, the amount requested, and whether the expense meets your organization's reimbursement rules.
3. Add comments or internal notes
You can add information to a request in two ways:
- Visible comments: These can be read by the user and are useful for explaining a decision or requesting clarification.
- Internal notes: These are visible only to authorized staff and can be used for internal documentation or follow-up.
Users cannot reply directly to comments within Requests. If you need additional information, explain what is needed in a visible comment and contact the user through your usual communication channels if necessary.
When a visible comment is added, a notification may be triggered through the configured Public comments journey.
4. Change the request status
To update a request's status, select the status control in the upper-left area of the request details and choose the appropriate option from the dropdown.
Depending on the request type and its configuration, available statuses may include pending, approved, rejected, or canceled.
Before confirming a decision, make sure you have selected the correct status.
Important: Approval and rejection decisions cannot always be reversed. In particular, once a request has been approved or rejected, you cannot simply change it back to its previous state. Additional restrictions may apply after financial processing or export.
If the user needs to submit the request again, explain the situation in a visible comment or by email. The user's email address is available in the request information.
Changing a status can trigger a notification through the configured journey. The exact notifications depend on your request type's settings.
☝️ Keep in mind: Approving a request does not necessarily mean that the user has received the money or benefit. Reimbursement or benefit delivery depends on the configured export and any required external processing.
Understanding the request history
Each request includes a History tab that records changes made to that specific submission.
You can use it to check:
- When the request was created
- When its status changed
- Which comments and internal notes were added
- Which submitted fields were changed
- Who made each recorded change and when
This is useful for reviewing a decision, checking what happened to a request, or keeping records for internal documentation.
To find a user's other or older requests, return to the submitted-request lists or use the relevant Worklist filters. The History tab covers the selected request, not all requests submitted by that user.
Exporting request information
You can export request information for reporting, reconciliation, or documentation purposes.
- Open the Worklist or the relevant request-type list.
- Apply any filters you need.
- Select the download icon in the top toolbar.
- Choose the available export format, such as Excel or CSV.
You can also export the history of an individual request from its History tab, where the export option is available.
Before exporting, check your filters to make sure the data includes the requests you need.
Managing request types and access
Authorized staff can manage existing request types under Requests → Configuration → select the request type.
Depending on your permissions, you may be able to review settings, manage the submission schedule, and control which networks have management access.
Keep these two settings separate:
- Audience determines which users are eligible to submit a request.
- Management access determines which managers can view and manage that request type and its submissions.
Sharing a request type with a manager gives them access to all submissions for that request type. It does not automatically limit their view to submissions from users in their own network.
Admins and CommuteHub Support can manage request types across the site. Managers can access request types shared with networks covered by their Manager role. A Program Coordinator role alone does not grant access to Requests.
If another team member needs to manage requests, they must have the appropriate Manager role and the request type must be shared with a network covered by that role.
Frequently asked questions
Can users submit a request at any time?
Not necessarily. Submission depends on the request type's configuration, including the user's eligibility, any submission window, and the applicable submission limit.
How often can users apply?
This depends on the request type. Some allow a limited number of submissions, while recurring request types may allow one submission per monthly or annual period. Rejected or canceled requests do not automatically free up another submission for the same period.
Can users edit or cancel a request after submitting it?
Editing and cancellation depend on the request type and the request's current state. Some recurring requests can be edited while the submission window remains open, provided the request is still in its initial submitted state and financial processing has not started. One-off requests do not support participant editing.
Will users receive a notification when their request is approved or rejected?
Notifications are supported, but they depend on the request type's configured journeys and notification settings. Approval and rejection notifications can be configured, and public comments use a separate journey. Submission confirmations and fulfillment messages are not automatically sent at every stage.
Can I create a new request type directly in the dashboard?
No. CommuteHub Support must arrange the initial setup of a new request type. Once it exists, authorized admins and managers can manage the available settings under Requests → Configuration.
Does approval automatically pay the user?
No. Approval records the decision, but payment or benefit delivery may require an export and additional processing outside the Requests feature.
What else can I use Requests for?
How you use the system is up to you. For example, users could report broken lights or barriers by submitting a request with a photo and a short comment, essentially using it as a "request for repair." The flexible format supports a wide variety of custom use cases.
Need help setting up Requests?
Contact your CommuteHub Customer Success Manager or CommuteHub Support to discuss your organization's requirements and configure your request types.