# Expenses
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**Difficulty:** ๐ข Beginner ยท **Reading time:** \~10 min
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**Open this page in your dashboard:** [**Go to Expenses โ**](https://dashboard.sellermagnet.com/dashboard/expenses)
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The **Expenses** page lets you record and manage all business costs that fall outside of Amazon fees and COGS (Cost of Goods Sold). This includes advertising costs, software subscriptions, shipping supplies, warehouse rent, VA salaries, and any other operational expense. By tracking these costs in SellerMagnet, your profit calculations reflect your true net profitability.
> Amazon fees and COGS are tracked automatically through the Transactions and Product Batches systems. The Expenses page is specifically for **non-Amazon costs** that you enter manually.
***
## ๐ฅ Video Walkthrough
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**Video tutorial coming soon.** A full guided walkthrough of this feature will be available here shortly.
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***
## ๐๏ธ Page Structure
| Section | Purpose |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Analytics Chart** | Visual breakdown of expense distribution and cash flow trends |
| **Summary Statistics** | Six stat cards showing totals, averages, and counts |
| **Expense Table** | Full list of all expenses with filters, search, and actions |
| **Add/Edit Modal** | Form for creating or modifying expense records |
| **Import Modal** | Bulk CSV import for expense data |
| **Export Modal** | Download expense data as CSV |
***
## Analytics Chart
The top section features an interactive chart with two visualization modes:
### Distribution View
A **donut/pie chart** showing your expense breakdown by category. Hover over any segment to see:
* Category name
* Total amount spent
* Percentage of total expenses
### Cash Flow View
A **timeline bar chart** showing your monthly expense trend over the last 12 months. This helps you:
* Identify months with unusually high spending
* Track whether total expenses are trending up or down
* Plan budgets based on historical patterns
Toggle between views using the **Distribution** and **Cash Flow** buttons above the chart.
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**Pro Tip:** Check the Cash Flow view monthly to compare actual expenses against your budget. If you see a sudden spike in a specific month, click into that month's expenses in the table to identify the cause.
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***
## Summary Statistics
Six stat cards provide a quick overview of your expense data:
| Stat Card | Description | Example Value |
| ------------------- | ----------------------------------------------- | ------------- |
| **Total Expenses** | Sum of all expenses in the selected period | EUR 4,287.50 |
| **This Month** | Expenses for the current calendar month | EUR 892.30 |
| **Average Monthly** | Average monthly expense over the last 12 months | EUR 714.58 |
| **Expense Count** | Total number of individual expense records | 47 |
| **Recurring Total** | Sum of all active recurring expenses per month | EUR 623.00 |
| **Largest Expense** | Single highest expense amount in the period | EUR 1,200.00 |
***
## Expense Table
The main table lists all expense records with the following columns:
| Column | Description | Sortable |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| **Date** | Date the expense was incurred | Yes |
| **Description** | Name or description of the expense | Yes |
| **Category** | Expense category (e.g., Advertising, Software, Shipping) | Yes |
| **Amount** | Expense amount in your base currency | Yes |
| **Recurring** | Indicator showing if this is a recurring expense | Yes |
| **Marketplace** | Associated marketplace (if applicable) | Yes |
| **Actions** | Edit, duplicate, and delete buttons | No |
### Filtering Options
| Filter | Description |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------ |
| **Category Dropdown** | Filter by a specific expense category |
| **Search Bar** | Search by description text |
| **Date Range** | (Inherited from page-level date selection) |
### Export
Click the **Export** button (file export icon) in the table header to download all expenses matching your current filters as a CSV file.
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The exported CSV includes all table columns plus any additional metadata. This file is formatted for easy import into accounting software like Xero, QuickBooks, or DATEV.
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***
## ๐ฃ Step-by-Step: Adding a New Expense
1. Click the **"+ Add Expense"** button (blue button in the table header area).
2. The **Add Expense modal** opens.
3. Fill in the form fields:
| Field | Required | Description | Example |
| --------------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| **Description** | Yes | What this expense is for | "SellerMagnet Monthly Subscription" |
| **Amount** | Yes | Cost in your base currency | 97.00 |
| **Currency** | Yes | Currency of the expense (auto-set to base) | EUR |
| **Category** | Yes | Select from predefined categories | Software & Tools |
| **Date** | Yes | Date the expense was incurred | 2026-04-01 |
| **Marketplace** | No | Associate with a specific marketplace | Amazon.de |
| **Recurring** | No | Toggle on if this repeats monthly | On |
| **Notes** | No | Additional context | "Annual plan, monthly billing" |
4. Click **"Save"** to create the expense.
5. The expense appears in the table, and profit calculations update across all dashboards.
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When adding recurring expenses, SellerMagnet automatically creates future entries each month. Make sure the amount is the **monthly** cost, not the annual total. For example, a EUR 1,164/year subscription should be entered as EUR 97/month recurring.
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***
## ๐ฃ Step-by-Step: Bulk Importing Expenses
For sellers migrating from spreadsheets or other tools, the CSV import feature allows bulk data entry:
1. Click the **"Import"** button in the table header.
2. The Import Expenses modal opens.
3. **Download the template** CSV file to see the required column format.
4. Fill in your expense data in the template:
| Column | Format | Required |
| ----------- | -------------------------------- | -------- |
| date | YYYY-MM-DD | Yes |
| description | Text | Yes |
| amount | Decimal number | Yes |
| currency | ISO code (EUR, USD, GBP) | Yes |
| category | Must match predefined categories | Yes |
| marketplace | Marketplace identifier | No |
| recurring | true/false | No |
| notes | Text | No |
5. Upload the completed CSV file.
6. Review the import preview showing parsed rows.
7. Click **"Import"** to create all expense records.
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The import process creates all records immediately. There is no bulk undo. Carefully review the import preview before confirming. If you make a mistake, you will need to delete individual records manually.
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***
## Expense Categories
SellerMagnet provides predefined expense categories to help organize your spending:
| Category | Typical Expenses |
| ------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Advertising** | PPC campaigns, sponsored display, external ads |
| **Software & Tools** | SellerMagnet, keyword tools, analytics platforms, repricers |
| **Shipping & Logistics** | Inbound shipping, prep center fees, packaging |
| **Warehouse & Storage** | Warehouse rent, 3PL fees (non-Amazon) |
| **Personnel** | VA salaries, freelancer payments, employee costs |
| **Professional Services** | Accounting, legal, photography, design |
| **Office & Admin** | Office supplies, internet, phone, insurance |
| **Taxes & Compliance** | VAT registration fees, compliance services |
| **Returns & Disposal** | Return processing, disposal fees |
| **Other** | Any expense not fitting above categories |
***
## Recurring Expenses
Recurring expenses automatically generate a new entry each month. This is ideal for:
* Monthly software subscriptions
* Warehouse rent
* VA salaries
* Fixed advertising budgets
### Managing Recurring Expenses
| Action | How To |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create** | Toggle "Recurring" on when adding a new expense |
| **Pause** | Edit the expense and toggle "Recurring" off |
| **Change amount** | Edit the expense; future entries use the new amount |
| **Stop permanently** | Delete the expense or toggle recurring off |
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**Pro Tip:** At the start of each month, review the Summary Statistics "Recurring Total" card. This is your fixed monthly cost baseline. Subtract this from your expected monthly profit to see your minimum required margin.
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***
## ๐ฏ Real-World Scenario: Monthly Expense Audit
**Situation:** Your monthly profit dropped from EUR 5,200 to EUR 3,800 despite stable sales. You suspect expenses increased.
| Step | Action | Finding |
| ---- | -------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| 1 | Check the **Summary Statistics** "This Month" card | EUR 1,420 (up from EUR 780 last month) |
| 2 | Switch the chart to **Cash Flow** view | Clear spike in the current month |
| 3 | Switch chart to **Distribution** view | "Advertising" category dominates at 55% |
| 4 | Filter the table by **Advertising** category | New PPC campaign added at EUR 500/month |
| 5 | Filter by **Software & Tools** | New tool subscription at EUR 140/month |
| 6 | Calculate total new expenses | EUR 640/month in new recurring costs |
**Before:** "Profit dropped by EUR 1,400 and I do not know why." **After:** "EUR 640 comes from two new recurring expenses. The remaining EUR 760 drop requires investigation in COGS or Amazon fees."
***
## How Expenses Affect Profit Calculations
Expenses are factored into profit at the **per-order level** across the dashboard:
```
Profit = Revenue - Amazon Fees - COGS - (General Expenses / Total Orders)
```
The "General Expense per Order" metric distributes your total expenses evenly across all orders in the period. This means:
| Monthly Expenses | Monthly Orders | Expense per Order |
| ---------------- | -------------- | ----------------- |
| EUR 600 | 300 | EUR 2.00 |
| EUR 600 | 150 | EUR 4.00 |
| EUR 1,200 | 300 | EUR 4.00 |
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If your order volume drops significantly (e.g., during a slow season), the per-order expense allocation increases, which can dramatically reduce per-order profit even if individual order economics remain the same.
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***
โ ๏ธ Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Impact | Better Approach |
| -------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Not tracking any expenses | Profit numbers are overstated by the full expense amount | Enter at least your major recurring costs |
| Double-counting Amazon fees | Amazon fees are already tracked in Transactions | Only add non-Amazon expenses here |
| Entering annual costs as monthly | 12x overstated monthly expense impact | Enter the monthly amount; use notes for annual reference |
| Forgetting to update recurring amounts | Old prices persist indefinitely | Audit recurring expenses quarterly |
| Not categorizing expenses | Analytics chart and reports are useless | Always select the correct category |
| Entering amounts in wrong currency | Expense calculations use wrong conversion rates | Always verify the currency matches your base currency |
\## โ
Best Practices
1. **Enter expenses within 48 hours** of incurring them to maintain accurate monthly records.
2. **Use recurring for all subscriptions** so they are automatically tracked each month.
3. **Review the Distribution chart monthly** to understand your cost structure.
4. **Compare Cash Flow** trends quarter-over-quarter to identify cost creep.
5. **Export data quarterly** for your accountant and for tax preparation.
6. **Categorize accurately:** this makes tax deduction categorization much easier.
7. **Include marketplace association** when an expense is specific to one market (e.g., UK VAT compliance service).
***
## โ FAQ
Are Amazon fees automatically tracked as expenses?
No. Amazon fees (referral fees, FBA fees, etc.) are tracked separately in the **Transactions** section. The Expenses page is only for costs you manually enter, business expenses outside of Amazon's fee structure.
Can I set up different recurring frequencies (weekly, quarterly)?
Currently, recurring expenses operate on a monthly cycle. For quarterly expenses, you can enter the quarterly amount divided by three as a monthly recurring expense, or add individual entries each quarter.
How are expenses allocated to individual orders?
Expenses are distributed evenly across all orders in the selected time period. SellerMagnet divides total expenses by total order count to calculate the "general expense per order" value shown on the dashboard.
Can I import expenses from my bank statement?
You can import expenses via CSV using the Import function. You would need to format your bank statement data into the template format first. Direct bank integration is not currently available.
What happens if I delete a recurring expense?
The existing historical entries remain in the system. Only future automatic entries are stopped. If you want to remove historical entries as well, you must delete them individually.
Can multiple team members add expenses?
Expense management follows your account's user permission settings. Check **Settings > Team** to configure which team members have access to add, edit, or delete expenses.
Is there a limit to how many expenses I can track?
There is no hard limit on the number of expense records. However, for optimal performance, we recommend keeping the active table view filtered to a manageable date range (e.g., the current month or quarter).
***
## โก๏ธ What's Next?
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[Transactions](/dashboard-and-analytics/dashboard-overview/transactions.md)
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[Dashboard Overview](/dashboard-and-analytics/dashboard-overview.md)
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