Cost center reports in Tally Prime provide valuable insights into the financial performance of different departments, projects, or activities within a business. This guide explains how to generate and analyze cost center reports step by step, using a practical example.
Step 1: Enable Cost Centers
Open Tally Prime.
Go to Gateway of Tally.
Navigate to F11: Features.
Under Accounting Features, set Maintain Cost Centers to Yes.
Press Ctrl+A to save the settings.
Step 2: Create Cost Centers
Ensure cost centers are set up to categorize transactions. For this example, we will assume two cost centers: Sales and Marketing.
Go to Gateway of Tally.
Select Create under Cost Centers.
Enter the name of the cost center, e.g., Sales.
Repeat the process to create another cost center, e.g., Marketing.
Press Ctrl+A to save.
Step 3: Allocate Transactions to Cost Centers
Ensure transactions are allocated to cost centers for meaningful reporting:
For an expense:
Go to Accounting Vouchers and select Payment Voucher.
Enter payment details, e.g., ₹50,000 for Advertisement Expenses.
Allocate the amount to the Marketing cost center.
For revenue:
Go to Accounting Vouchers and select Receipt Voucher.
Enter receipt details, e.g., ₹1,20,000 for Sales Income.
Allocate the amount to the Sales cost center.
Step 4: Generate Cost Center Reports
To view and analyze the cost center reports:
Go to Gateway of Tally.
Navigate to Display More Reports.
Under Statements of Accounts, select Cost Center.
Choose the type of report you wish to generate:
Ledger Break-up: Shows transactions allocated to each ledger within a cost center.
Cost Center Break-up: Displays detailed allocations across cost centers.
Select the desired cost center, e.g., Marketing or Sales.
View the detailed report showing all transactions allocated to the selected cost center.
Step 5: Export Cost Center Reports
To share or further analyze the reports:
While viewing the cost center report, press Ctrl+E to open the export options.
Choose the file format, e.g., Excel or PDF.
Specify the destination folder and save the report.
Example
Suppose a company allocated ₹50,000 for advertisement expenses to the Marketing cost center and ₹1,20,000 as revenue to the Sales cost center. By generating a cost center report, the company can:
Analyze the profitability of each department.
Identify areas of high expenditure or revenue generation.
Make informed decisions to optimize operations.
Conclusion
Generating cost center reports in Tally Prime is a straightforward process that provides detailed insights into the financial health of various business activities. By utilizing these reports, businesses can ensure better financial planning and decision-making.