Managing cost accounts in ShipAccel

Cost accounts can help you track how you spend your postage funds by allowing you to assign shipping labels and postage refills to an account.

In this article:

• Enabling or requiring cost accounts
• Adding a top-level cost account
• Adding a sub account or sub sub account
• Editing a cost account
• Deleting a cost account
• Importing cost accounts
• Exporting cost accounts

Enabling or requiring cost accounts

Cost accounts allow you to assign shipping labels and postage refills to an account. This can help you track how you spend your postage funds.

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select Settings.
3. Select Use Cost Accounting.
4. Under Manage Cost Accounts for Your Locations, if you want these settings to apply only to some locations, select the desired locations. If you want these settings to apply to the entire Enterprise, do not select any locations.
5. From the options, choose when you want cost accounts to be required.
6. These additional options may be available depending upon your subscription:
   • Show Cost Account Hierarchy allows users to select sub-accounts when assigning cost accounts. Without this setting, users can only select parent accounts.
     • Require Cost Account Hierarchy requires users to select the lowest available level of sub sub account (child account) when assigning cost accounts
   • Require Cost Accounts Budget Restriction prevents users from charging labels and stamps to a cost account in excess of its budget threshold.
7. Select Update.

Adding a top-level cost account

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select +Add Account.
3. Enter the Account Name (maximum 75 characters), Code (maximum 75 characters), and Description (optional). Leave the Status set to Active.
4. To make the account billable, select Billable.
5. To protect the account with a password, select Password and enter the password. This allows you to control whether users can assign charges to the account.
6. To restrict the account to a division, select Division, then select the desired division from the menu.
7. To restrict the account to one or more locations, select Locations, then select the desired locations from the menu.
8. To set a budget for this account, select Set Budget Amount and Notifications.This feature provides notifications when the budget threshold is nearing or reached. It does not stop you or your users from shipping or mailing, it only notifies you. Select the desired budgeting options:
   • Time Period: Monthly, Quarterly, or Yearly
   • Budget Amount: The amount that is allocated to this cost account for the specified time period.
   • Fiscal Year Begins: Select the calendar icon to choose the date on which your fiscal year begins.
   • Notification Threshold: The amount at which you want the notifications to be sent.
   • Emails: If you want email notifications sent when the budget is reached, enter the email addresses here (up to 5).
   • Show an alert to users when this threshold has been reached: Select this if you want users to see a notification in the system when the label or stamp they're trying to print would exceed the budget of the account they're using.
9. Select Save and Close.

Adding a sub account or sub sub account

Sub accounts and sub sub accounts provide extra levels of detailed cost accounting.

Here is an example where the enterprise is a town government, and it uses cost accounts to track postage.

• Cost account: School District
  • Sub account: High School
    • Sub sub account: Athletics Department

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select the Add Sub Account icon next to the cost account under you wish to add the sub account.
   
3. Enter the Name (maximum 75 characters), Code (maximum 75 characters), and Description (optional). Leave the Status set to Active
4. Select other options as needed.
5. Select Add and Close.

Editing a cost account

If you need to update the settings of a cost account, you can edit it.

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select the Edit Account icon next to the cost account you wish to edit.
   
3. Make the necessary changes. Note that once a cost account has been created, the name and code cannot be changed. To change the name or code, create a new account and delete the old one.
4. Select Save and Close.

Deleting a cost account

If you no longer need a cost account, you can delete it. A cost account can only be deleted if no transactions have been associated with it.

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select the Delete Account icon next to the cost account you wish to delete.
   
3. Select Delete.

Importing cost accounts

You can import a CSV file of cost accounts.

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select Import.
3. (Optional) To use a template to create your import file, select Download a .csv template. The file sample-cost-accounts-import.csv will be downloaded. You can insert your cost accounts into this template, or copy the headers (first row) from this template into your own cost account file.
4. Select Choose File, select the CSV file that contains the cost accounts you wish to import, and select Open.
5. Select Continue.
6. In the Import Cost Accounts window, match your CSV file fields in the Your CSV Fields column with the fields in the Cost Account Fields column.
7. Select Import.

Exporting cost accounts

You can export a .csv file of your cost accounts.

1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
2. Select Export.
3. Follow your web browser's prompts to save the file. (The exact steps will vary depending on your browser settings.)

If the import file is large, it may take some time to process. You can use the Job ID to check on the status of the export:

1. Click the Copy Job ID icon or highlight and copy the job ID.
2. Click Close to close the Export window.
3. Click the Jobs Status button and select Export History.
4. When the processing is complete, a download icon will appear next to it. Select the download icon to download the file.
   

Related topics

• Cost account format specifications
• Importing cost accounts

The features and options you see may vary depending upon your role and subscription. If you have any questions regarding your permissions, please contact your administrator.