> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.spacebaseapp.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Expense categories and accounts

> Group lease costs and set the account and cost center used for payments.

Expense categories describe what a charge is for. Expense accounts tell the Payments module which account number and cost center to use for that category.

For example, you might group cleaning charges under **Cleaning** and map that category to your organization's cleaning expense account.

## Add an expense category

1. Open **Company > Company Settings > Expense Categories**.
2. Check the custom and default categories for an existing match.
3. Click **Create Expense Category**.
4. Enter a name and choose its **Expense type**: **Rent**, **Operating Expenses**, or **Capital Expenses**.
5. Save, then select the category when recording the corresponding lease expenses.

The expense type supplies the broader grouping; the category supplies the specific label. Creating a category does not create charges or payment dates.

Select a custom category's row to edit it. Default categories are listed separately for reference, and custom categories must not duplicate their names.

## Set the company account mapping

Open **Expense Accounts**, select the category's row, and enter the **Account Number** and **Cost Center** your payments process expects. Save the mapping.

The Payments module uses a lease-specific expense account when one exists and falls back to the company mapping otherwise. For example, you can use the company default for cleaning costs across your portfolio and set a different cost center on one lease.

If an exported payment has an unexpected account or cost center, check the lease's **Expense Accounts** before changing the company default. See [Payments](/payments/overview) for the lease override workflow.

Use **Custom Expense Account Fields** for additional mapping information required by your process. See [Custom fields](/general/company-settings/custom-fields).

Lease accounting journal entries use the separate [Chart of accounts](/accounting/chart-of-accounts).