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Expenses Technical Reference

The Expenses module tracks the operational costs incurred to run the business or fulfill specific client orders. It is the primary driver of the system's Operating Expense (OPEX) and Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) metrics, and provides project-specific profitability analysis.

1. Identification & Project Linking

  • Vendor [Input]: The supplier or service provider associated with the cost. This field is required.

  • Expense Number [Input/System]: The unique identifier for the document.

    • Logic: Defaults to the E-YYQSSSV format (Year, Quarter, Sequence, Checksum), but allows manual override for custom numbering schemes.

  • Link to Client (Optional) [Input]: Associates the cost with a specific client account.

    • Ripple: Selecting a Client filters the available Purchase Orders for that client.
  • Link to PO (Optional) [Input]: Associates the cost with a specific Purchase Order.
    • Ripple: Selecting a PO automatically prefills the Client and Order Registry (CDX) links.
  • Link to Invoice (Optional) [Input]: Associates the cost with a specific Invoice event.
    • Ripple: Selecting an Invoice automatically prefills the Client, PO, and Order Registry (CDX) links, ensuring a high-integrity connection between revenue and cost.
  • Order Registry (CDX) [System]: The permanent anchor for the order's history and metrics.
    • Logic: Inherited from the linked PO or Invoice. This link is required for the expense to appear in the "Total Linked Expenses" metric within the Order History.

2. Categorization & Lifecycle

  • Expense Category [Input]: The categorical classification of the cost (e.g., Office Supplies, Materials, Travel).
    • Ripple: The is_cogs flag assigned to the category in Settings determines whether this expense reduces Gross Profit (COGS) or only Net Income (OPEX) in financial reports.
  • Expense Date [Input]: The legal date the cost was incurred.
    • Ripple: This date determines which Monthly Statement and Performance Trend the cost is attributed to.
  • Status [Input/System]: Defines the accounting state of the expense:
    • Draft: Work-in-progress. Items do not yet count toward any financial reports.
    • Open: The cost is committed or a Vendor PO has been issued. Recognized in Accrual Basis reports.
    • Completed: The expense has been paid. This is the only status recognized in Cash Basis reports.

3. Financial Logic

  • Summary (Optional) [Input]: A brief overview of the expense (e.g., "Software Subscription").
    • Logic: If left blank on save, the system automatically populates this field with the description of the first line item.
  • Total Amount [System]: The raw mathematical sum of all item lines (recorded in cents).
    • Visual: Displayed in Red for positive costs (Standard) or Green for negative costs (Refunds/Credits).

4. Line Item Details (Sub-form)

Unlike Sales documents which use a fixed Product Catalog, Expenses use flexible text-entry rows to accommodate unique vendor descriptions.

  • Catalog Number [Input]: The vendor's specific SKU or part number.
  • Item Name [Input]: The primary name of a product or service.
  • Description [Input]: Supporting details or specifications for the line item.
  • Quantity [Input]: The number of units purchased.
  • Unit Price [Input]: The cost per unit in cents.
  • Line Total [System]: Quantity * Unit Price.

5. Metadata & Accountability

  • Internal Note [Input]: Private comments for internal use. Not visible on the printed PDF.
  • Terms & Notes [Input]: Instructions or terms included in the PDF footer. Defaults to global system terms on creation but is editable.
  • Attachments [Input/System]: Standard file upload for receipts or vendor invoices, and system-generated PDFs during the "Issue" process.
  • Version Counter [System]: Increments every time the document is "Issued." Used to track the version of issued PDFs in the attachment zone.
  • Activity Log [System]: Displays the chronological record of every change made to the expense, including user identity and the modified fields.