Sub-Accounts are budget-only accounts that automatically roll up to a standard general ledger account. They are perfect for accounts where you want to build budgets from a selection of detail items. For example, you might have a Utilities account that includes Gas, Electricity and Water. Using Sub-Accounts allows you to budget for Gas, Electricity and Water while keeping the reporting and accounting simple with a single account.
Key Points: 💬
Use Sub-Accounts to split a budget into multiple items, this will help you estimate an account budget.
Sub-Accounts are a budget only tool.
Values on Sub-Accounts are not displayed on reports.
Values on Sub-Accounts are automatically rolled up to the Primary Account.
For more advanced requirements including reporting on budget values consider using Unlinked Accounts.
Add Sub-Accounts
Navigate to Budgets & Cashflow -> Budgets & Actuals
Note: The same options are available in Scenarios
Choose an appropriate view/layout as described in the Budget Views & Layouts help article
Click EDIT to open the Chart of Accounts dialog
Note: this is also accessible in the Chart of Accounts menu
Search or find the account to add sub accounts to and click the
icon
Rename and Reorder as required and SAVE CHANGES
Budgeting on Sub-Accounts
Budgets can be added to Sub-Accounts in the same way you add budgets to regular accounts. See the Edit Budget help article for more details about editing budgets. In the example below you can see figures are being entered at the Sub-Account level and totaling to the primary Utilities account.
Original account budget
If you add a Sub-Accounts to an account that already contains a budget, the values and any budget formulas from the original budget will be shown as Original account budget. This special sub-account will only be displayed while values exist. Remove the values and the Original account budget row will also be removed.
Budget Formulas on Sub-Accounts
Budget Formulas can be added to any Sub-Accounts. The primary account however is always equal to the sum of the Sub-Accounts, so Formulas cannot be added to the Primary Account.
Editing Values on the Primary Account
When editing values directly on the primary account, budgets will be added or amended on all of the Sub-Accounts proportionally according to the existing values. In the example below when editing the Utilities budget you can see Electricity, Gas & Water according to the existing proportions of the total.
Importing Budgets with Sub-Accounts
Importing budgets to Sub-Accounts is not currently supported. If you import budgets to an account that contains Sun-Accounts the result will be imported to the Primary accounts and allocated proportionally to the Sub-Accounts as described above when editing the Primary Account.
For details on importing budgets see the Import Budgets help article.
Budget Factory with Sub-Accounts
When using the Budget Factory Source data is used to populate a Destination budget. Sub-Accounts are handled in the following way.
The values on the Primary account from the Source data are used (not the Sub-Accounts)
These values are then applied to the Destination data Primary account
The values are then allocated proportionally to the Sub-Accounts using the existing Sub-Account values from the Destination to determine the proportions
If you are populating a Budget line that doesn't currently have values, for example a budget for the next year, then the Primary accounts will be updated with the value, which will then be divided equally between the Sub-Accounts.
The most common data source on the Budget Factory is Actuals, which do not contain Sub-Accounts so this behaviour is consistent with editing and importing to the primary account, however when using a budget as the Source you should be aware that the Sub-Accounts data will not be copied individually.
For details on using the Budget Factory see the Budget Factory help article.
Merging Accounts that Contain Sub-Accounts
Unlinked accounts (accounts not linked to your accounting system) can be merged in Calxa. During merge you have an option to keep the source budgets, keep the destination budgets or combine the budgets. In all cases the following will occur.
Source Sub-Accounts are deleted
Destination Sub-Accounts are retained
The values on the Primary account are allocated as per the chosen setting
The values are then allocated proportionally to the Sub-Accounts using the existing Sub-Account values from the Destination to determine the proportions
See the Manage Chart of Accounts help article for details.