Northwind — tools
Scheduling-tool seats assigned to the account, with cost and renewal dates.
Social agency finance · Per-account costs
Organize costs per managed social account
A social media agency runs many client accounts at once, and each one quietly accrues costs — a scheduling-tool seat, stock and video assets, boosted-post spend passed through, a contractor designer's invoice. When those aren't filed per account, you can't tell which clients are expensive to service. Cash Workspace lets you keep a folder per client account and record each cost as billable or overhead with the platform receipt attached.
The problem
Why per-account costs disappear
Costs are spread across scheduling tools, stock libraries, ad platforms, and contractors, and most are shared or pass-through. Without per-account folders, the spend behind a single client is invisible.
- A Buffer or Later seat is assigned to a client but the cost isn't filed to that account.
- Boosted-post spend is fronted on the agency card and never recorded as a client pass-through.
- Stock photos and video clips are bought ad hoc and not attributed to the account they were for.
- A contractor designer's invoice covers three clients with no split recorded.
- You suspect one account is unprofitable to service but have no cost record to check.
The workflow
File costs per client account
Open a folder per account, record each cost with a category, mark it billable or overhead, and attach the receipt.
- 1
Open an account folder
Create a folder per managed client account so all of its costs collect in one place.
- 2
Record tool seats
Record each scheduling-tool seat (Buffer, Later, Hootsuite) assigned to the account, with cost and renewal date.
- 3
Record content & ad costs
Record stock/video asset purchases and any boosted-post pass-through spend against the account.
- 4
Record contractor invoices
Record contractor designer or editor invoices, splitting across accounts where one invoice covers several.
- 5
Mark billable vs overhead
Tag each cost billable to the client or agency overhead, and attach the platform receipt.
Record structure
What to record per account
These fields make each client account's true cost-to-service visible.
- Client account
- The managed social account the cost belongs to, kept as a consistent tag.
- Cost type
- Tool seat, stock/video asset, boosted-post spend, or contractor invoice.
- Vendor or platform
- Buffer, Later, a stock library, the ad platform, or the contractor.
- Amount and date
- The cost and when it was incurred, for the account and fiscal year.
- Billable vs overhead
- Whether the cost is passed through to the client or is agency overhead.
- Seat renewal date
- For tool seats, when the seat renews so it's reviewed in time.
- Attached receipt
- The platform or contractor receipt attached to the record.
Example setup
An example per-account folder
One way to organize a managed account's costs inside the workspace.
Northwind — content & ads
Stock/video purchases and boosted-post pass-through spend, each with a receipt.
Northwind — contractors
Designer and editor invoices tagged to this account, with their share noted.
Billable vs overhead
A view separating pass-through client costs from shared agency overhead.
Common mistakes
Mistakes to avoid
- Fronting boosted-post spend and never recording it as a client pass-through.
- Buying stock assets without attributing them to the account they were for.
- Recording a multi-client contractor invoice as a single lump with no split.
- Forgetting to note seat renewal dates, so unused seats keep charging.
- Mixing billable client costs with agency overhead in one undifferentiated pile.
How it helps
How Cash Workspace helps
Per-account folders
Keep a folder per managed account so every tool, asset, and contractor cost files where it belongs.
Billable vs overhead tags
Mark each cost billable or overhead so you can review pass-through versus your own spend.
Receipts attached
Attach the platform or contractor receipt to each cost so proof stays with the record.
Related
Related agency finance workflows
Overhead vs billable
Separate pass-through costs from agency overhead.
Software stack records
Inventory every scheduling and content tool with renewals.
Subcontractor payments
Organize contractor designer and editor invoices.
Client folder template
Start each client account from a consistent folder layout.
All finance workflows
Browse the full Cash Workspace workflow library.
FAQ
Social agency finance FAQ
- Can I tell which client account costs the most to service?
- You can review each account's folder to see all recorded costs in one place. Cash Workspace organizes the records; it does not calculate profit or margin for you.
- How do I record boosted-post spend I front for a client?
- Record it as an expense tagged to that account and marked billable pass-through, then attach the ad-platform receipt so it's documented for reimbursement.
- Does it pull seat costs from my scheduling tools?
- No. You enter each seat's cost and renewal date yourself and attach the receipt. It does not sync with any tool or your bank.
Organizing help — not tax, accounting, or legal guidance
Cash Workspace is a free workspace for organizing invoices, expenses, receipts, clients, and documents. This page is organizing guidance only — not tax, accounting, legal, or bookkeeping guidance. Cash Workspace does not connect to your bank, does not scan or read your receipts for you, and does not move or collect payments. Whether an expense is deductible depends on your situation, so confirm it with a qualified accountant or tax professional.
See the cost behind every managed account
Start a free workspace and file each account's tools, content, and contractor costs as billable or overhead, so no client's spend is invisible.