Accounting automation
This article refers to a feature that might not be available in your current Brex plan. If you'd like to learn more about this feature and how to unlock additional capabilities in Brex's upgraded plans, please have your account or card admin reach out to Brex Support by clicking on Support in your dashboard.
Overview
Automate accounting categorization with mappings by aligning Brex and your ERP fields, reducing manual coding time. Utilize custom rules to further streamline categorization, decreasing manual efforts when closing the books. Custom rules can auto-code transactions with two or more similar expense fields, providing advanced automation capabilities. By default, category mapping and merchant mapping will be enabled for GL accounts. Category mapping is the matching of Brex’s default 48 categories to a GL account in your accounting software. Merchant mapping allows you to specify a GL account assignment by merchant and will override category mapping. You can create both mapping rules and custom rules to help ensure that all of your transaction information carries over to your ERP at the time of export.
Mapping rules
Mappings can automate your accounting categorization and reduce your time spent manually coding. You can map your expense fields to the accounting fields in your ERP or even to custom fields you have in Brex.
Create mappings
Account admins, card admins, and bookkeepers can set mappings by following these steps: Step 1: Go to Accounting > Manage accounting fields > Fields & mappings. Step 2: Click on the Accounting field you want to auto-code, and scroll down to the mappings session. Step 3: Click Add mapping. Step 4: Select the expense field value you want to map in the dropdown on the left and set the auto-coded accounting field on the right.
Mappings will apply to all transactions that have not yet been exported. In the event of a conflict, any custom rules you have set up will override mappings.
Mapping suggestions
Based on our accounting data, we might suggest mappings for you to consider creating. For example, if you frequently assign certain GL accounts to transactions that have the same Brex category, we may suggest that mapping. Suggestions can be found at Accounting > Transactions to prepare by clicking Suggestions. In the details panel, you can review the mapping and either accept or reject it. You can also revise the suggested mapping before accepting it.
Custom rules
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Custom rules can help you auto-code your transactions and decrease the amount of manual categorizations you have to make when closing the books. They’re similar to mappings, which are used to auto-code transactions that share one similar expense field. Custom rules can go beyond simple one-to-one mappings–they can auto-code transactions that share two or more similar expense fields. Here’s an example of a custom rule that filters transactions with two expense fields in order to auto-code a GL account field: Brex category: Advertising & marketing + Merchant: Meta > GL account: 6010 Advertising Custom rules can be created by combining any expense field values, including these:
- Merchant
- Category
- Department
- Business entity
- Employee
- Budget
- Date range
- Expense amount
- Memos (text match)
- Custom fields
Create custom rules
Account admins, card admins, and bookkeepers can create custom rules by following these steps: Step 1: Go to Accounting > Manage custom rules and click New rule. Step 2: Fill out the two sections of the custom rule detail pane.
- For transactions that contain - Use these fields to filter the transactions you want to apply the rule to.
- Categorize these fields - Set the accounting field value you want to auto-code.
Step 3: Click Create and apply rule. Custom rules will apply to all transactions that have not yet been exported. In the event of a conflict between a custom rule and a mapping, custom rules will override mappings. In the event of a conflict between two custom rules, we’ll ask you to choose which rule to apply.
Edit custom rules
Step 1: Go to Accounting > Manage custom rules. Step 2: Click the three dots to the right of the specific rule and choose Edit custom rule. Step 3: In the details pane, make your desired changes to the custom rule. The date on the top right of the details pane tells you when the rule was last updated. Step 4: Click Save custom rule.
Delete custom rules
Step 1: Click Accounting on the left side of your Brex dashboard. Step 2: Under Accounting settings, click Manage custom rules. Step 3: Click the three dots to the right of the specific rule and choose Delete custom rule.
Custom rule suggestions
Based on our accounting data, we may suggest custom rules for you to consider creating. For example, if you frequently assign a certain GL account to transactions that share common expense fields, we may suggest that as a custom rule. Suggestions can be found at Accounting > Transactions to prepare by clicking Suggestions. In the details panel, you can review the custom rule and either accept or reject it. You can also revise the custom rule before accepting it.