Record a portfolio expense and review report scope
Record a shared business cost once, then review unassigned amounts and optional allocation in the matching report.
On this page
Identify whether the cost belongs to one rental or to the business as a whole. Keep the receipt, payment date and reviewed category; a shared cost is not automatically tax-deductible.
Sign in with access to the intended accounting portfolio. Check the original bank withdrawal and existing expenses before adding another entry. Follow any access or plan message shown.
A portfolio expense is a cost recorded without a particular property assignment. Shared bookkeeping services, business software or office costs may need this treatment after review. A cost for one rental should use that rental’s property instead.
Whole portfolio in the expense form saves an unassigned scope. Full portfolio in a report includes the portfolio being reviewed. Neither choice creates a copy of the expense for every property.
Step 1: Check the original cost
Choose Open Expenses below and review the existing activity. If the withdrawal is already in Import feed, inspect its existing booking rather than adding a manual duplicate. Otherwise choose Add expense for a payment you need to record. Check the payment date, amount, description and supporting receipt.
Step 2: Use Whole portfolio for a shared expense
In Add expense, choose the expense Account and the money account under Paid from. Under Portfolio or property, use Whole portfolio only when no single property should own the cost. Review Amount, Date and Description. Open Notes and receipt if needed, then use Save expense when the entry is correct.
Step 3: Find the amount in a report
Open Reports in the Accounting menu, then Advanced options. Under Report choose Profit and loss (P&L). Set Start date and End date, choose Full portfolio under Property, and keep Profit & loss view on By property. Review Report source, leave Shared portfolio transactions on Keep separate, choose Review on screen under Output, then Run report.
Step 4: Choose how the report shows shared costs
To review an equal allocation, return to Advanced options and change Shared portfolio transactions to Divide revenues and expenses evenly by property. This option applies to the By property P&L view and Schedule E. Review the selected Property, leave unsupported unit or book filters unset, then Run report. Use Keep separate when equal allocation is not the method you intend.
Step 5: Review the Schedule E choices
In Advanced options, choose Schedule E under Report. Set Year and Property, review Report source and Shared portfolio transactions, then choose the intended Schedule E mileage option. Review Schedule E business use (%) separately from the shared-cost allocation. Keep Output on Review on screen and choose Run report to inspect the result before any export.
Review an expense that looks missing
In Expenses, recheck Date range, Property and any other active filters. All properties is different from one selected property. The current expense list does not offer a separate No Property Assigned choice; use the matching property report and inspect the original record.
A property-only report can exclude a shared expense when allocation is kept separate. A book filter, payment-versus-recorded source, different dates or an unbooked import can also change the result. Do not add the cost again just to make two totals match.
After an uncertain save, inspect existing activity before retrying. Use the form’s offered retry for the same request rather than creating another copy. If the difference remains, contact support with the screen, period, source and filter choices, without bank credentials or unrelated private records.
Keep groups and saved splits distinct
A sub-portfolio groups properties for organization and available report filtering. It is not a direct transaction scope in the current Add expense form. Use only the choices the actual workflow offers.
A saved transaction split and a report-only equal allocation solve different problems. If the cost should be assigned to particular rentals or categories, review the split workflow and ensure its parts equal the original amount. Do not assign the same full cost to every property or duplicate a saved split with another expense.
Check the result
- The original expense is recorded once with its reviewed category, money account and intended property or shared scope.
- The report uses the intended period, source and allocation choices, and any difference is investigated against the original records.
FAQs
Can I put the same full cost on every property?
That can multiply the original cost. Use a reviewed saved split or the appropriate report allocation, and check that the total still represents the real expense.
Does report allocation change the saved expense?
No. The equal-allocation option changes the selected report view. It does not rewrite the transaction’s property assignment or establish the tax treatment of the cost.