[Due for payment 2026-04-07] [$250] Reports - Per diem expense does not appear on Reports after creating per diem expense

[nlemma]

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Version Number: 9.3.44-0
Reproducible in staging?: Yes
Reproducible in production?: Yes
If this was caught during regression testing, add the test name, ID and link from BrowserStack: #86048
Email or phone of affected tester (no customers): sdjoisnjdoisjnoij@gmail.com
Issue reported by: Applause Internal Team
Bug source: Pull Request QA execution
Device used: Mac 26.2 / Chrome
App Component: Money Requests

Action Performed:

Precondition:

• Workspace has per diem rates.

1. Go to staging.new.expensify.com
2. Go to Reports > Expenses.
3. Click FAB > Create expense > Per diem.
4. Create a per diem expense.

Expected Result:

Per diem expense will show up on Reports > Expenses.

Actual Result:

Per diem expense does not show up on Reports > Expenses.

Workaround:

Unknown

Platforms:

• Android: App
• Android: mWeb Chrome
• iOS: App
• iOS: mWeb Safari
• iOS: mWeb Chrome
• Windows: Chrome
• MacOS: Chrome / Safari

Screenshots/Videos

Bug7113021_1774455958480.3.mp4

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Issue Owner

Current Issue Owner: @mallenexpensify

Upwork Automation - Do Not Edit

• Upwork Job URL: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022036878196758778077
• Upwork Job ID: 2036878196758778077
• Last Price Increase: 2026-03-25

[MelvinBot]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

After creating a per diem expense from the FAB on Reports > Expenses, the newly created per diem expense does not appear in the expense list. Other expense types (manual, distance, invoice) appear correctly.

What is the root cause of that problem?

When a per diem expense is created, getPerDiemExpenseInformation() in src/libs/actions/IOU/PerDiem.ts:515 calls buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() without passing the participant parameter.

Inside buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest, the function getSearchOnyxUpdate() is called to build optimistic search snapshot data so the new expense appears immediately in the search results. However, getSearchOnyxUpdate extracts toAccountID from participant?.accountID (line 11921), and the guard at line 11925 (if (currentSearchQueryJSON && toAccountID != null && fromAccountID != null)) fails because toAccountID is undefined. This means no optimistic search snapshot data is created for per diem expenses.

In contrast, the regular expense flow at index.ts:3569 does pass participant to buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest, so the optimistic snapshot is correctly updated and the expense appears immediately.

When the user is navigated back to the Search > Expenses page after creating a per diem, the search snapshot doesn't contain the new expense, and if the user was already on that page, the navigation may not trigger a data refetch from the API — so the expense never appears.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

Pass the participant parameter to buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() in getPerDiemExpenseInformation() at src/libs/actions/IOU/PerDiem.ts:515. The participant variable is already available in the function (destructured at line 321 from participantParams) and is used elsewhere in the function — it was simply omitted from the buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest call.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

An alternative would be to make getSearchOnyxUpdate work without participant by extracting toAccountID from the IOU report's managerID or ownerAccountID instead. However, this would be a larger change with broader impact. Simply passing the already-available participant is the minimal and correct fix.

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Next Steps for Contributor+ team: Reply with @MelvinBot implement this to create a draft PR, @MelvinBot <your feedback> to refine this analysis, or explain why you are rejecting Melvin's proposal.

[melvin-bot]

Triggered auto assignment to Contributor-plus team member for initial proposal review - @jjcoffee (External)

[melvin-bot]

Job added to Upwork: https://www.upwork.com/jobs/~022036878196758778077

[trasnake87]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

After creating a per diem expense from the FAB on Reports > Expenses, the newly created expense does not appear in the expense list.

What is the root cause of that problem?

The root cause is in getSearchOnyxUpdate() at src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts#L11970, which exclusively derives toAccountID from participant?.accountID and silently bails out at the guard on line 11974 when it's undefined. The function already receives iouReport (which carries managerID — set by buildOptimisticExpenseReport at line 6912 or buildOptimisticIOUReport at line 6674), but never uses it as a fallback. This makes the function fragile: any caller that omits participant (as the per diem flow does) produces no optimistic search snapshot, so the expense is invisible until a manual refresh.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

In getSearchOnyxUpdate (src/libs/actions/IOU/index.ts), fall back to iouReport?.managerID when participant is not provided, and resolve the personal details from Onyx for the snapshot entry:

const toAccountID = participant?.accountID ?? iouReport?.managerID;
const toPersonalDetails = participant ?? getPersonalDetailsForAccountID(toAccountID ?? CONST.DEFAULT_NUMBER_ID);

Then use toPersonalDetails.displayName / toPersonalDetails.login in the snapshot data block at lines 12001-12005 instead of participant?.displayName / participant?.login. This is safe because getPersonalDetailsForAccountID is already used elsewhere in the module (e.g. line 8107) and the snapshot is purely optimistic — the server replaces it on the next search refresh.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

Passing participant from the per diem call site fixes only per diem; hardening getSearchOnyxUpdate with the iouReport.managerID fallback is a single-line change that prevents the same class of bug for any future expense type.

[abelhailefen]

Proposal

Please re-state the problem that we are trying to solve in this issue.

When a user creates a Per Diem expense via the global action menu on the Expenses search page, the new expense does not immediately appear in the list. Unlike manual or distance expenses, the user is left wondering if the creation was successful until the page is refreshed or updated.

What is the root cause of that problem?

For a newly created expense to appear instantly in the UI without waiting for a server response, the app generates temporary "optimistic" search data. To correctly place this new expense into the search results, the app requires the recipient's account details.

During the specific flow for creating a Per Diem expense, the function responsible for building this optimistic data is called, but it completely omits the participant (recipient) information. Later in the process, when the search indexing logic attempts to read the recipient's account ID to update the search view, it finds a missing value. Because of this missing data, the app safely aborts generating the optimistic search snapshot. Without this snapshot, the Per Diem expense cannot render instantly on the current screen.

What changes do you think we should make in order to solve the problem?

We need to supply the missing participant details to the function that constructs the optimistic data for Per Diem requests.

The participant information is already initialized and available earlier in the Per Diem creation logic. We simply need to pass this existing participant variable down into the data-building helper function. This aligns the Per Diem flow with the standard manual and distance expense flows, ensuring the correct search data is generated and the expense appears immediately in the user's list.

What alternative solutions did you explore? (Optional)

We considered updating the underlying search data generator to automatically fall back to using the workspace manager's ID or the report owner's ID whenever participant details are missing. However, modifying the core search indexing logic for a single edge case introduces unnecessary complexity and broad risk. Passing the already-available participant data at the source is the safest, most direct, and most reliable fix.

[surafeal-dev]

Proposal: Ensure per diem expenses appear immediately in Expenses search (optimistic snapshot fix)

Problem

• Symptom: After creating a per diem expense from the FAB on Reports → Expenses, the newly created per diem expense does not appear in the expense list or search snapshot immediately. Other expense types (manual, distance, invoice) appear correctly with optimistic snapshots.
• Surface: Creating per diem expenses from Reports → Expenses (web/mobile) — newly created per diem is missing from search results until a refresh or backend sync.

Root cause

• When a per diem expense is created, getPerDiemExpenseInformation() in src/libs/actions/IOU/PerDiem.ts builds optimistic Onyx updates via buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() but omits passing the participant parameter.
• buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() internally calls getSearchOnyxUpdate() to create optimistic search snapshot data for the new expense. getSearchOnyxUpdate() extracts toAccountID from participant?.accountID and only builds the optimistic snapshot when toAccountID and fromAccountID are present.
• Because the per diem flow didn't pass participant, toAccountID is undefined and the search-snapshot branch is not created. The optimistic snapshot that would show the new expense in the search results is therefore missing for per diem expenses.
• The regular expense flow correctly passes participant to buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest, so optimistic search snapshots appear immediately for those expenses.
• Consequence: When the user returns to Search → Expenses after creating a per diem (or stays on that page), the search snapshot lacks the new per diem entry and may not re-fetch immediately, causing the per diem to be invisible until a full refresh or server update.

Proposed change

• Minimal, correct fix: In src/libs/actions/IOU/PerDiem.ts, pass the existing participant variable into the buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() call.

Alternatives considered (and why not chosen)

• Change getSearchOnyxUpdate() to derive toAccountID from the IOU report (e.g., managerID/ownerAccountID) when participant is missing. Rejected because it is broader in scope, risks incorrect account attribution, and touches core search snapshot logic.
• Force a search refresh after per-diem creation (e.g., trigger an API refetch). Rejected because it adds extra network work and is unnecessary when an optimistic snapshot can be built correctly.
• Create a coordinator that ensures participant is always present at higher layers. Rejected as overkill; the minimal fix is to pass the available participant value which is already in scope.

Acceptance criteria

• Creating a per diem expense from Reports → Expenses results in an optimistic search snapshot that makes the new expense immediately visible in the expense list (no manual refresh required).
• No change in behavior for other expense types.
• Tests added to guard against regression.

Distinguishing from a similar proposal

• This proposal is intentionally focused and minimal: it changes one call site in getPerDiemExpenseInformation() to pass an already-available participant variable into buildOnyxDataForMoneyRequest() so the existing optimistic search-snapshot logic runs for per-diem flows. See src/libs/actions/IOU/PerDiem.ts for context.

[shaheerhassan1]

Hi @nlemma,
I reviewed the issue and can help fix it so per diem expenses show up immediately in Reports > Expenses.

The problem happens because the local data that updates the expense list doesn’t have the participant info. Without it, the UI doesn’t know how to display the new expense right away. Other expense types work fine because they already pass this info.

My solution:
Update the per diem creation function to pass the participant variable when building the local expense snapshot.
This is simple, safe, and ensures the new expense appears instantly.
I will test it on all platforms (iOS, Android, web) to make sure it works consistently.

I’ve worked on similar React Native fixes before, handling optimistic updates and cross-platform UI issues. This fix is minimal but makes a big difference for users, ensuring a smooth experience without requiring a manual refresh.

Once accepted, I can fork, implement, and submit a PR with screenshots and verification.
Thanks for considering my proposal!

Best,
Shaheer Hassan

[melvin-bot]

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