Step 2: Create and configure internal accounts

🏢 What are internal accounts?

Internal accounts are dimensions that users choose when they do the accounting for an expense, for example:

🏢 Cost centers or departments
📊 Projects or assignments
📍 Geographical units or other objects

At start-up there are two internal accounts that you can change, deactivate or build on.

👉 Applies to: administrators. This is step 2 in Checklist: get started as an administrator.

🤔 Do you use internal accounts?

Answer	Do this
✅ Yes	Follow steps 1–5 below.
❌ No	Go to Administrate > Internal Accounts and deactivate the default accounts. Then go to Administrate > Settings, clear Use internal accounts and save.

⚙️ Step 1 – Activate internal accounts (activated by default when your account is set up)

Go to Administrate > Settings.
Select Use internal accounts.
Click Save.

✅ The Internal Accounts menu appears.

➕ Step 2 – Create an internal account

Go to Administrate > Internal Accounts.
Click New internal account.
Enter a name, for example Cost center, Project or Employee.
Choose a dimension type.
Select mandatory if it must be on all purchases. (If it is only needed on some accounts, go to the relation to chart of accounts tab and choose which accounts need it.)
If needed, select Do not export to accounting.
Click Save.

👉 With Do not export to accounting, the account is only used internally in Expense, for example for approval rules, and is not included in the accounting file.

🔢 Step 3 – Add account codes

Open the internal account.
Go to the Account Codes tab.
Add a code and a description for each value.
Click Save.

✅ The values can now be selected in the accounting.

📄 Step 4 – Import many values (optional)

Go to Administrate > Internal Accounts and click the three dots.
Export the existing structure and use the file as a template.
Edit it in Excel and save it as a tab-separated text file.
Import the file.

📏 Step 5 – Set rules and export

Setting	Where	What it does
Mandatory input	On the internal account	The user must choose a value
Relation to chart of accounts	On the internal account	Controls per accounting account whether the internal account is mandatory, optional or not used
Dimension number in export	On the internal account	Controls where the account appears in the export file, for example in SIE

✅ Click Save after each change.

🎥 Watch the instruction video

💡 Tips for best results

✅ Keep the structure simple and match it to your accounting system
🧪 Test with a few expenses and a test export before launch
📢 Tell users how to choose
🔄 Update the structure when the organization changes

❓ Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

Do we have to use internal accounts?
No, but they are recommended if you want to follow up costs per unit or project.

Can I import many values at once?
Yes, by exporting and importing a tab-separated text file.

Can internal accounts be mandatory?
Yes, with Mandatory input, or per accounting account via Relation to chart of accounts.

What is the dimension type Other used for?
For internal needs that should not be linked to the accounting, for example approval rules.

✅ Summary

⚙️ Activate internal accounts – or turn them off if you do not need them
➕ Create internal accounts and account codes
📄 Import many values by file
📏 Set requirements, the link to the chart of accounts and the export order