Managing cost accounts in PitneyShip

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.

Products affected: PitneyShip®

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

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. 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 this account your default cost account, select Make this my default Cost Account.
  5. 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.
    Add Sub Account icon
  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.
    Edit icon
  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.
    Delete icon
  3. Select Delete.

Setting the default cost account

The system admin can choose which account is selected by default. This setting will apply to all users.

  1. Select Settings > Cost Accounts.
  2. Select the edit icon next to the desired Cost Account.
    Edit icon
  3. Select Make this my default Cost Account.
  4. Select Save and Close.

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. To check on the status of the export:

  1. Select the Jobs Status button and choose Export History.
  2. When the processing is complete, a download icon will appear next to it. Select the download icon to download the file.
    User export - Import/Export Status window

Related topics

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.

UPDATED: January 13, 2026