Book a Purchase by Percentage
For organizations that use accounting keys, Expense supports percentage-based allocations, making it easy to split a purchase across multiple accounts, cost centers, projects, or other internal dimensions. Instead of manually entering amounts for each allocation, you can distribute costs using percentages, ensuring more flexible and accurate bookkeeping. This functionality is available to both administrators and end users, including within the Expense app.
Allocate a Purchase by Percentage
Open the Purchase
- Navigate to the relevant expense report in Expense.
- Open the transaction you want to book or review.
✅ The accounting view is displayed.
Enable Percentage Allocation
- In the booking view, select:
Use Percentage
✅ Expense switches from amount-based allocation to percentage-based allocation.
Enter Percentage Values
- Define how the purchase should be split.
- Enter the percentage for each account or allocation.
Example:
| Account | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Marketing | 60% |
| Sales | 40% |
✅ The purchase amount is automatically distributed according to the percentages entered.
Allocate Across Accounts and Internal Dimensions
You can distribute percentages across:
- 📊 Accounts
- 📁 Cost Centers
- 📂 Projects
- 🏢 Departments
- Other Internal Accounts
Example:
- Project A = 50%
- Project B = 30%
- Project C = 20%
✅ Expense calculates the allocation automatically.
Complete the Allocation
- Ensure the total allocation equals 100%.
- Save the booking.
- Continue to the next transaction if necessary.
✅ The purchase is now correctly distributed.
Percentage Allocation for Representation
Enable Distribution of Representation Expenses
If you want to distribute representation costs using percentages:
- Navigate to:
Administration
- Enable:
Distribute Representation
✅ Representation expenses can now be allocated proportionally across accounts and internal dimensions.
Common Use Cases
Allocate Costs Between Departments
Example:
- Marketing: 50%
- Sales: 50%
Split a Project Expense
Example:
- Project Alpha: 70%
- Project Beta: 30%
Allocate Representation Costs
Example:
- Customer Event: 60%
- Internal Event Budget: 40%
✅ Flexible allocation improves reporting accuracy.
Benefits of Percentage Allocation
More Accurate Cost Distribution
Allocate costs according to actual usage or budget ownership.
Reduced Manual Calculations
Expense calculates the distributed amounts automatically.
Improved Reporting
Track expenses across projects, departments, and business units.
Greater Flexibility
Manage complex accounting requirements with minimal effort.
Availability
Percentage-based allocation is available for:
- ✅ End Users
- ✅ Approvers
- ✅ Administrators
- ✅ Expense App
- ✅ Expense Web Portal
💡 Best Practice Tips
- ✅ Ensure percentages total 100% before saving.
- ✅ Align allocations with company accounting policies.
- ✅ Use accounting keys where possible for consistency.
- ✅ Review representation allocations carefully before submission.
- ✅ Test your setup before rolling out percentage allocation company-wide.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can I split a purchase between multiple cost centers?
Yes. Percentage allocation supports cost centers, projects, departments, and other internal accounts.
Do percentages need to equal 100%?
Yes. The full purchase amount must be allocated before the transaction can be completed.
Can representation expenses be allocated by percentage?
Yes. Enable Distribute Representation under Administration.
Is this available in the mobile app?
Yes. Percentage-based booking is available in both the Expense app and the web portal.
Can end users use percentage allocations?
Yes. The functionality is available to both users and administrators, depending on your organization's settings.
Summary
- 📊 Allocate purchases using percentages instead of fixed amounts
- ✅ Enable Use Percentage when booking a transaction
- 📁 Split costs across accounts, projects, and cost centers
- 🍽️ Enable Distribute Representation to allocate representation expenses proportionally
- 📱 Available in both the Expense app and web portal
- 🚀 Improve flexibility, accuracy, and reporting with percentage-based cost allocation