How a Recurring Expense Is Spread Over Days
Updated October 2, 2026
A recurring expense is booked on calendar days. Its Billing Cycle and Distribution decide which days get an amount, and that decides what your dashboard shows for a date range.
- Where
- In the sidebar: Expenses > Operating. The two fields are in the Add Expense dialog.
- Who
- Anyone who wonders why a range shows more or less than the monthly amount.
Which Days Get an Amount#
What your dashboard shows for a date range is the sum of the amounts booked on the days in that range. Which days get an amount depends on Billing Cycle and Distribution:
| Billing Cycle | Full Amount | Daily Split |
|---|---|---|
| Daily | The amount on every day | Not offered |
| Weekly | The amount every 7 days, starting on the start date (so always on the same weekday) | Same as Full Amount: once a week |
| Monthly | The amount on the Billing Day | The amount ÷ the days of that month, on every day |
| Quarterly | The amount on the last day of the calendar quarter (31 March, 30 June, 30 September, 31 December) | The amount ÷ the days of that quarter, on every day |
| Yearly | The amount on 31 December | The amount ÷ 365, or 366 in a leap year, on every day |
Worked Example#
$300.00 a month with Daily Split. The daily amount is rounded to cents, and the last day of the month takes the rounding difference, so every full month adds up to exactly $300.00.
| Month | Days | Each day | Last day of the month | Month total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September | 30 | $300.00 ÷ 30 = $10.00 | $10.00 | $300.00 |
| October | 31 | $300.00 ÷ 31 = $9.68 | $300.00 − 30 × $9.68 = $9.60 | $300.00 |
| February (28 days) | 28 | $300.00 ÷ 28 = $10.71 | $300.00 − 27 × $10.71 = $10.83 | $300.00 |
A dashboard range of 1 to 15 September shows 15 × $10.00 = $150.00 for this expense. The range 1 to 15 October shows 15 × $9.68 = $145.20.
The same $300.00 with Full Amount. With Billing Day set to Last day, $300.00 is booked on 30 September and on 31 October. The range 1 to 15 September shows $0.00, the whole of September shows $300.00. With a billing day that a month does not have (for example 31 in September, or 30 in February), the amount is booked on the last day of that month.
A start date in the middle of a period. With Daily Split, only the days from the start date on get an amount: the bookkeeping expense starting on 16 September books 15 × $10.00 = $150.00 in September. With Full Amount, the first charge is the first billing day on or after the start date, in full: starting on 16 September with Last day, $300.00 is booked on 30 September.
Pick Daily Split for costs that you want to see in every day's profit, such as rent or salaries. Pick Full Amount if you prefer each bill on the day you pay it. Over a full month, quarter or year both give the same total.
Limits#
- Daily Split has no effect on a Weekly expense. It is booked once a week.
- Operating expenses are booked per day, not per order. They are not part of an order's costs or profit.
- With Daily Split, an end date inside a period books the amount for the remaining days of that period on the end date. See Edit, End, Pause or Delete an Expense.
Related articles
Was this article helpful?