Expense Allocations


Audience: Accounting Managers

ERPs Supported: NetSuite, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Intacct, Great Plains

Summary: Reviews how to create allocation templates and apply them to invoices.

In this article:

 

Create an Allocation Template

To use allocations, you must create templates that can be applied to invoices. To create a template, navigate to the Company Profile by clicking on your initials on the top right. 

From there, you'll see the Allocations section. Click on "Manage Allocation Templates" to create a new template or edit an existing template.

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If you have existing templates, select the three dots to the right of a template to edit it.

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To create a new template, click on the Create button.

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When you create an allocation template, you will have the option to choose various attributes depending on your accounting system. 

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The Allocation Name is an important identifier when applying the template to an invoice, so be sure that you name it something you can easily recognize. 

The Allocate By field allows you to select one of three options: Percentage, Headcount, and Square Footage. Once you select one, you should enter the Value of that allocation. You can add up to 100 lines.

If you choose Percentage as the way you want to allocate, be sure that all of your lines add up to 100%. Values can include up to two decimal places.

If you choose Headcount or Square Footage, MineralTree calculates percentages for you using weighted values. For example, 4 lines each with a value of 1 will be allocated 25% to each line.

  • Headcount and Square Footage do not support decimal places. To eliminate decimal places, multiply them out. For example, if a value has 4 decimal places, multiply every value by a factor of 10,000 to eliminate decimals on all lines.

When you are finished filling out your template, click Create. Be sure to fill out the mandatory (asterisked) fields. 

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Apply an Allocation Template

To apply an allocation template, select the checkbox on the expense line to which you would like to apply the allocation. Click the dropdown for Line Actions and select Allocate Lines. Please note that allocation templates can only be applied to draft invoices. In addition, allocation templates can only be applied to expense lines (not items).

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When you select the Allocate Lines option, you'll have the ability to select a template. From the Allocate Expenses dropdown, select one of your predefined allocation templates.

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Select the template you want to apply, then choose Apply. If you want to keep any existing coding for fields that are not included in the template, be sure to select that option before applying.

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From there, your template will be applied and any attributes from that template will populate. Note: Expense lines are in "Collapse All" view in the screenshot below.

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If an attribute is not included in the template, MineralTree fills it from the vendor’s Default Invoice Preferences (if any) only when the Keep existing coding option is selected.

Please note that only one allocation template can be applied to an invoice. 

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