## TL;DR

Coding decides where spend hits the P&L, so it needs rules, not guesses. Map vendors and categories to default GL accounts, derive cost centers from the requester or department, and require explicit coding confirmation above a threshold. Review coding accuracy in the close: miscoded spend is a close-delaying rework source.

## Steps

1. Maintain vendor-to-GL default mappings.
   Expected: Sensible defaults.
2. Derive cost center from requester or department.
   Expected: Automatic attribution.
3. Require confirmation above a coding threshold.
   Expected: Human judgment where it matters.
4. Validate account/cost-center combinations.
   Expected: No invalid combos post.
5. Review coding in the close checklist.
   Expected: Caught errors before close.

## When to use

- Non-PO invoices
- Expense coding
- Close preparation

## When not to use

- PO-matched lines
- Project accounting (different rules)
- Tax coding

## Compatibility

ERP-agnostic.

## Variant phrasings

### GL coding invoices

### cost center allocation AP

### invoice account coding

## Root cause

Miscoded spend misstates departmental results and creates close rework. Defaults plus validation get most invoices right with little effort.

## Edge cases

- New GL accounts need mapping updates before invoices arrive
- Shared costs need allocation rules, not single coding
- Coding changes after posting need journal entries, not edits

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_84bZLjIZFKYCIgBhA_uHIA