Cost Codes are categories you can assign to each item you mail or ship so you can track your expenses. A Cost Code can be any words, numbers, or combination of them that have meaning for your specific business. Basically, it's a label you add to the transaction so you can report on different types of expenses.
To start using Cost Codes, you must first add them to your account (either manually or imported via CSV file). The number of cost codes allowed in your account will depend on your subscription plan. Once you have added cost codes to your account, they are available to assign when configuring your postage.
A few common use cases for Cost Codes include:
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Attornies, accountants, or other professionals who do regular client mailings can assign a Cost Code to each client to properly charge them for their mailing costs.
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Assign Cost Codes to individual departments, projects, or employees to track postage usage.
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In ecommerce businesses, assign one Cost Code for shipping to customers and another for correspondence to vendors.
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Create Cost Codes for different direct-mail campaigns to calculate the return on investment of each campaign.
Automatically receive monthly reports: If you use more than one Cost Code in a given month, we will automatically email you an end-of-month report showing the postage expenditure for each Cost Code.
Export Cost Code usage at any time: If you want to view Cost Code usage over a longer period or need a report in the moment, you can always export your postage print history and generate your own Cost Code usage report. The reports can be exported as plain text or in a CSV format.
Set user profiles to require Cost Code use: If you are on a multi-user plan, you can require user profiles to assign a Cost Code to each postage printing. This will help ensure your customers are billed the appropriate mailing and shipping expenses.
To manually add Cost Codes to your account:
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Open the username drop-down menu and choose Manage Account.
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Go to Account Settings and select Cost Codes.
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Click Add.
The Add Cost Code window will open, where you can manually enter your Cost Codes. To add multiple, separate them using commas.
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Click Add when you are done.
Your Cost Codes will then appear as a list and be available to add when preparing postage. You can always add more Cost Codes at any time.
To import a CSV or TXT file of your Cost Codes:
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Go to
Account Settings > Cost Codes. -
Choose Import.
The Import Cost Codes pop-up will open.
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Click Choose File and select the Cost Codes file to import. Then, click Import.
The imported Cost Codes will be displayed in a list for your review.
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Review the list and click Confirm, if correct.
Your Cost Codes will then appear as a list and be available to add when preparing postage. You can always add more Cost Codes at any time.
If your account is on an Enterprise or Multi-Location plan, Corporate Administrators can distribute Cost Codes to the various account locations. Corporate Administrators have two ways to do this:
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Send the cost codes in text file or CSV format to each location and have the Location Administrator for that location manually add them to the account. (This is the most common choice. Follow the steps in this section.)
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Add the cost codes directly to each location (either manually or with a text or CSV file import).
To manually add cost codes to a specific location:
Whether you are the corporate admin or the location admin, the steps to add cost codes are the same.