> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.sellermagnet.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.sellermagnet.com/dashboard-and-analytics/dashboard-overview/expenses.md).
# Expenses
Track every business expense to achieve true net profit visibility. Add one-time or recurring expenses, categorize spending, visualize cash flow trends, and export data for tax preparation.
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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** | Distribution donut and Cash Flow timeline, with a history/forecast range toggle and an insight banner |
| **KPI Cards** | Six key metrics - four of them clickable to drill into the expenses behind the number |
| **Toolbar & Banners** | Date-range toolbar and presets, mixed-currency and one-time notices, and the burn-reconciliation checksum bar |
| **Expense Table** | Full list of all expenses with filters, search, header actions, and bulk delete |
| **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 or Excel |
***
## 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 chart** of your monthly spend across both **past and projected** months, so recurring costs, amortised spend, and flat fees are plotted forward as well as back. This helps you:
* Identify months with unusually high spending
* Track whether total expenses are trending up or down
* Plan budgets based on historical patterns and forward projections
Toggle between views using the **Distribution** and **Cash Flow** buttons above the chart.
#### Cash Flow range toggle
When the **Cash Flow** view is active, a second toggle appears next to the view switcher to control how far the timeline reaches:
| Range | Shows |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **-6 / +6** (default) | Six months of history plus six months of forecast |
| **History** | The last 12 months only |
| **Forecast** | The next 12 months only |
### Insight banner
Above the chart, a light-bulb **insight banner** may appear with an automatically generated observation about your spend (for example, a category that dominates the period or a month that stands out). It is contextual and only shows when there is something worth flagging.
{% hint style="success" icon="rocket" %}
**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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***
## KPI Cards
Six KPI cards provide a quick overview of your expense data. **Four of them are clickable** (wallet, recurring, burn, and yearly) and open a **KPI drill-down modal** listing every expense contributing to that number.
| KPI Card | Description | Clickable |
| --------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- |
| **Active** | Count of active (non-ended) expenses | Yes - lists active expenses |
| **Recurring** | Count of recurring expenses (weekly, monthly, or yearly cadence) | Yes - lists recurring expenses |
| **Monthly Burn** | Total of all active expenses for the current month, with weekly and yearly costs converted to their monthly equivalent | Yes - lists this month's contributors |
| **Yearly Proj.** | Projected spend over the next 12 months | Yes - lists projected contributors |
| **OpEx % of revenue** | Normalized monthly operating spend as a percentage of net revenue | No |
| **Top Category** | The category with the highest spend in the period | No |
### KPI drill-down modal
Clicking **Active**, **Recurring**, **Monthly Burn**, or **Yearly Proj.** opens a modal titled **Contributing expenses**. It lists each expense behind that KPI with its **Name**, **Category**, **Duration Type**, and **Contribution**, plus a total row - so you can see exactly which records drive the headline number.
{% hint style="info" %}
**Monthly Burn** normalizes everything to a monthly figure: a EUR 1,164/year subscription is counted as EUR 97/month, and a weekly cost is multiplied up to its monthly equivalent. The same monthly-equivalent logic feeds the **OpEx % of revenue** card.
{% endhint %}
***
## Toolbar, Date Range & Banners
Between the KPI cards and the table sits a toolbar and a set of contextual banners.
### Date-range toolbar
Set a **From** and **To** date (with a clear button) or use a preset:
| Preset | Range |
| ------------ | ------------------ |
| **Last 30d** | The last 30 days |
| **MTD** | Month to date |
| **Last 6m** | The last 6 months |
| **Last 12m** | The last 12 months |
| **YTD** | Year to date |
The same toolbar carries the **Hide SellerMagnet subscription** checkbox (see [Your SellerMagnet Subscription](#your-sellermagnet-subscription) below).
### Contextual banners
| Banner | When it appears | What it tells you |
| ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Mixed-currency notice** | Your expenses span more than one currency | Totals on this page are **face-value sums per currency, not FX-converted** - a EUR row and a USD row are added as-is |
| **One-time analytics note** | You have one-time expenses | One-time costs can be excluded from run-rate analytics unless they are amortised |
| **Burn-reconciliation checksum bar** | The current-month ledger loads | A **scale** status line that reconciles the JS-computed Monthly Burn against the server ledger, showing **In sync** or the exact **Drift** amount if they disagree |
***
## Expense Table
The main table lists all expense records with the following columns:
| Column | Description |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **(checkbox)** | Select the row for bulk delete; the header checkbox selects every visible row |
| **Name** | Name of the expense |
| **Category** | Expense category (one of the nine below) |
| **Marketplace** | Associated marketplace (if scoped to one) |
| **Duration** | The expense's duration type (one-time, recurring, or flat fee) |
| **Starting Date** | The date the expense starts |
| **Amount** | Expense amount in its own currency |
| **Action** | Edit and delete buttons |
### Header actions
The table header carries the page's action buttons:
| Button | What it does |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **+ Add Expense** | Opens the Add Expense modal |
| **Import** | Opens the CSV bulk-import modal |
| **Export** | Opens the CSV / Excel export menu |
| **Refresh** | Re-fetches the expense ledger |
| **View in P\&L** | Jumps to Reports with these expenses aggregated into your P\&L |
| **Analytics** | Opens the Analytics dashboard to see net profit with these expenses applied |
| **Manage Plan** | Opens your plan page (your plan price is auto-imported as a recurring expense) |
| **Delete Selected** | Appears in red once one or more rows are checked |
### Filtering Options
| Filter | Description |
| --------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Category Dropdown** | Filter by a specific expense category (All Categories by default) |
| **Search Bar** | Search by expense name |
| **Date Range** | Set from the date-range toolbar above the table |
### Export
Click the **Export** button (file export icon) in the table header to open a menu with two formats, then download all expenses matching your current filters:
| Format | Best For |
| --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **CSV** | Importing into accounting software or re-importing via the Import modal |
| **Excel** | Opening directly in a spreadsheet with formatting preserved |
{% hint style="info" %}
The export includes all table columns plus any additional metadata. The CSV file is formatted for easy import into accounting software like Xero, QuickBooks, or DATEV.
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### Bulk Actions
Each row in the table has a checkbox, and the header checkbox selects every visible row at once. When one or more rows are selected, a red **Delete Selected** button appears in the table header.
| Action | How To |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Select rows** | Tick individual row checkboxes, or the header checkbox to select all |
| **Bulk delete** | With rows selected, click **Delete Selected** and confirm in the dialog |
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Bulk delete permanently removes every selected expense. A confirmation dialog shows how many records will be deleted - review the count before confirming, as there is no undo.
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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 |
| ------------------------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| **Name** | Yes | What this expense is for | "SellerMagnet Monthly Subscription" |
| **Category** | Yes | Select from the nine predefined categories | Software & Subscriptions |
| **Duration Type** | Yes | How the cost repeats: one-time, recurring (weekly/monthly/yearly), or flat fee (per order / per unit) | recurring-monthly |
| **Amount** | Yes | The cost (a per-unit/per-order rate for flat fees) | 97.00 |
| **Currency** | Yes | Currency of the expense | EUR |
| **Starting Date** | Yes | The date the expense starts | 2026-04-01 |
| **Ending Date** | No | Optional date the expense stops | 2027-03-31 |
| **Amortisation** | No | Spread a one-time cost over months: None, over 12 months from start, or a custom number of months (1-600) | Custom - 32 |
| **Allocation target** | No | Where the expense is counted (see below - **not yet applied**) | Reports only |
| **Marketplace scope** | No | All marketplaces, a specific marketplace, split by revenue, or split equally | All marketplaces |
| **Connection** | Yes | The Amazon connection this expense belongs to | (your seller account) |
| **Amazon Marketplace ID** | Yes | The marketplace this expense is tied to | Amazon.de |
4. Click **"Save"** to create the expense.
5. The expense appears in the table, and profit calculations update across all dashboards.
{% hint style="warning" %}
For a **recurring** expense, enter the amount for a **single cycle**, not the annual total. For example, a EUR 1,164/year subscription should be entered as EUR 97 with a **recurring-monthly** duration type (or EUR 1,164 with **recurring-yearly**).
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Some advanced controls (such as the allocation target and any "easy mode" shortcuts) may be **flag-gated** and only appear on accounts where the feature is enabled.
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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 |
| ----------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- |
| expense\_starting\_date | YYYY-MM-DD | Yes |
| expense\_name | Text | Yes |
| expense\_amount | Decimal number | Yes |
| expense\_category | Must match one of the nine categories | Yes |
| expense\_duration\_type | one-time, recurring-weekly, recurring-monthly, recurring-yearly | Yes |
| amazon\_marketplace\_id | Marketplace identifier (optional) | No |
5. Upload the completed CSV file.
6. Review the import preview - each row shows its **Date**, **Name**, **Amount**, **Category**, **Duration**, and a validity **Status**. Click a row to edit it, or select rows to **bulk-edit** or delete them. Duplicate rows are skipped automatically.
7. Click **"Import Expenses"** to create all valid 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 **nine** predefined expense categories to help organize your spending. The same nine are used everywhere - the add/edit modal, the category filter, bulk edit, and the CSV import:
| Category | Typical Expenses |
| ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Advertising** | PPC campaigns, sponsored display, external ads, product photos |
| **FBA Fees** | Non-automated FBA-related costs you enter by hand |
| **Shipping & Fulfillment** | Inbound shipping, prep center fees, packaging |
| **Storage Fees** | Warehouse rent, 3PL storage, off-Amazon storage |
| **Software & Subscriptions** | SellerMagnet, keyword tools, analytics platforms, repricers |
| **Office Expenses** | Office supplies, internet, phone, insurance |
| **Travel & Entertainment** | Trade shows, travel, client entertainment |
| **Utilities & Rent** | Electricity, water, office or warehouse rent |
| **Miscellaneous** | Any expense not fitting the categories above |
***
## Expense Duration Types
Besides a category, every expense has a **duration type** that controls how its cost is spread over time and how it flows into your profit numbers:
| Duration Type | How it is counted |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **One-Time** | The full amount lands in its start month (unless you amortise it, see below) |
| **Weekly / Monthly / Yearly** | Recurring: repeats automatically on that cycle |
| **Flat fee / order** | A rate multiplied by the number of orders in the period |
| **Flat fee / unit** | A rate multiplied by the number of units sold in the period |
### Flat fees (per-order and per-unit)
A **flat fee** is not a fixed monthly figure, it is a **rate x volume** cost. SellerMagnet's server ledger computes each month's value as your rate multiplied by that month's order or unit count.
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Flat fees are inherently per-order costs, so they are **always counted in both Orders and Reports** (you cannot switch them to Reports-only). Because they depend on real order and unit counts, they cannot be projected into future months, only months with actual volume show a flat-fee amount.
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For example, a EUR 0.30 "flat fee / unit" prep cost across a month with 400 units sold contributes EUR 120 that month.
### Amortising a one-time cost
A large one-time cost (for example, a year of software paid upfront, or product photography) can be **amortised**, spread evenly across several months instead of hitting a single month. The monthly figure is simply:
```
Monthly amount = Total amount / Number of months
```
You can amortise across **12 months from the start month** or a **custom number of months** (1 to 600). Example: a EUR 2,000 license amortised over 32 months shows as EUR 62.50/month of burn.
### Allocation target
Each expense also has an **allocation target** that is *intended* to decide where it is counted:
| Allocation target | Intended effect |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Reports only** (default) | Counted in Reports and P\&L, but leaves your per-order breakdown untouched |
| **Per-order AND reports** | Counted in Reports and P\&L *and* spread across orders (lowers per-order profit) |
| **Per-order only** | Spread across orders, but excluded from Reports and P\&L |
{% hint style="warning" %}
**Not applied yet.** Your choice here is **saved with the expense but does not change any number today**. All expenses currently follow **Settings > General costs per order**. This control will take effect with the upcoming per-category allocation update - the modal itself notes this on the field.
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***
## Recurring Expenses
**Recurring is a Duration Type, not a toggle.** In the Add/Edit modal you set an expense's **Duration Type** to one of three recurring cadences - **recurring-weekly**, **recurring-monthly**, or **recurring-yearly** - and SellerMagnet keeps counting it on that cycle until you set an ending date or delete it. There is no separate "Recurring" switch and no "Recurring" column in the table; the cadence is shown in the **Duration** column. This is ideal for:
* Weekly, monthly, or yearly software subscriptions
* Warehouse rent
* VA salaries
* Fixed advertising budgets
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**Mid-month starts are pro-rated.** A monthly recurring expense is charged by **active days**, so if it starts (or ends) partway through a month, that month shows only the partial amount. Example: a EUR 300/month expense starting on the 16th of a 30-day month counts EUR 150 that first month, then the full EUR 300 each month after.
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### Managing Recurring Expenses
| Action | How To |
| -------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Create** | Pick a recurring Duration Type (weekly, monthly, or yearly) when adding an expense |
| **Change amount** | Edit the expense; the new amount applies going forward |
| **Stop on a date** | Edit the expense and set an **Ending Date** |
| **Stop permanently** | Delete the expense |
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**Pro Tip:** At the start of each month, review the **Recurring** and **Monthly Burn** KPI cards. Monthly Burn is your fixed monthly cost baseline. Subtract it from your expected monthly profit to see your minimum required margin.
{% endhint %}
***
## Your SellerMagnet Subscription
Your SellerMagnet plan price is **automatically added as a recurring expense** so your operating costs reflect the true cost of running your business, not just the costs you enter by hand. You do not need to create this entry yourself, and its amount stays in sync with your current plan. Use the **Manage Plan** button in the table header to review or change the plan that drives this figure.
### Hiding the subscription from analytics
Some sellers prefer to measure only the operational spend they control and exclude the software cost of SellerMagnet itself. The toolbar includes a **"Hide SellerMagnet subscription"** checkbox for exactly this:
* When ticked, the auto-imported subscription is removed from the analytics totals, the chart, and the **OpEx % of revenue** stat, so it does not skew your real operating-cost ratio.
* The expense still exists and is still counted in Reports and P\&L - the toggle only affects how the analytics on this page are displayed.
{% hint style="info" %}
The **OpEx % of revenue** stat uses the same monthly-equivalent logic as the analytics cards, so a yearly plan is normalized to its monthly cost - and is included unless you hide it with this toggle.
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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 **Monthly Burn** KPI card, then click it to drill in | 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 & Subscriptions** | 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 |
{% hint style="warning" %}
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.
{% endhint %}
***
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 |
| Mismatching amount and cadence | Over- or under-stated monthly burn | Match the amount to the Duration Type - a monthly amount with recurring-monthly, or the full yearly amount with recurring-yearly |
| 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)?
Recurring expenses support **weekly, monthly, and yearly** cadences - pick the one you need in the **Duration Type** field. There is no dedicated quarterly cadence: for a quarterly cost, enter the quarterly amount divided by three as a monthly recurring expense, or add individual one-time 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?
Deleting the expense removes it entirely, so it no longer counts in any past or future month. If you only want it to stop counting from a certain point onward, edit it and set an **Ending Date** instead of deleting it.
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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{% content-ref url="/pages/gEHjN0IlyP0zjQ7jBbK4" %}
[Dashboard Overview](/dashboard-and-analytics/dashboard-overview.md)
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