What is a cost center?
A cost center represents a specific team, business unit, or project. It has:
A manager who supervises budgets, expenses, and cards.
Members who can submit and monitor expenses related to that cost center.
The possibility to link multiple cost centers to one user as a manager.
How to create and edit a cost center?
You must have the right permissions to create and edit cost centers.
Go to your Settings or Administration area (depending on your setup).
Select Cost Centers.
Click Create cost center, fill in the name, choose the manager, and add the members.
Save (click on add) to finalize.
If you remove a cost center, all the budgets associated with it will be deleted too.
How to set up budgets for cost centers?
Ensure you have the permission Create budgets.
From your Budgets section, click Add Budget.
Choose the cost center, set the time period, and define the total budget amount.
(Optional) Add sub-budgets for specific expense categories.
Confirm to create your budget.
You can create multiple budgets (in different periods) for the same cost center. Each sub-budget amount adds up to the total cost center budget automatically.
How to track budgets in the Dashboard?
In the Dashboard (APA section), you only see current budgets by default.
As a cost center manager, you see the budgets linked to any cost centers you manage.
If you have the See all budgets permission, you can view every budget in the entity.
Documents like supplier invoices, purchase orders, and card receipts impact each budget based on cost center and expense category.
If an expense lacks a matching expense category while sub-budgets exist, you’ll see its amount highlighted in red next to the cost center name.
How to manage cost center scope and permissions?
A cost center manager can:
View and verify expenses of their center(s).
Check and manage budgets for their center(s).
View and manage cards if they have the Spend module activated.
Users with Create budgets can add or edit any budget.
Users with See all budgets can see all cost centers’ budgets.
💡 Tips
Use sub-budgets to track and control detailed expenses (e.g., “Marketing Ads,” “Software Licenses”).
Group together related expenses to keep an eye on spending against predefined limits.
Revisit your budgets regularly to spot overspending or reallocate resources when necessary.
FAQ ❓
What if I need more than one budget for the same cost center?
You can create new budgets for different time periods, but only one budget can be active per cost center in a single period.
Can I manage multiple cost centers at once?
Yes, you can be assigned as manager to multiple cost centers. You’ll see budgets and expenses for all centers you manage in the same dashboard.
Can I have sub-budgets without a main budget?
Every sub-budget is part of an overall cost center budget. Any sub-budget you create automatically updates the cost center’s total budget.
Can I create budgets for past or future dates?
Yes, you can define budgets for any time period, including past or upcoming months or years.
What happens if I remove a cost center?
All budgets related to that cost center are also removed, so be sure you don’t need the data before deleting it.