## TL;DR

Float requires a cost center on each expense line before submission. Open the expense, set the cost center (or department code) on every line that lacks one, and resubmit; ask your Float admin for the correct code if the dropdown is empty.

## Error

```text
Float: expense cannot be submitted: missing cost center
```

## Steps

1. Open the expense in Float and look for the cost-center field on each line. Expected: the lines missing a value are highlighted.
2. Select the correct cost center from the dropdown for each line. Expected: every line shows a cost-center value.
3. If the dropdown is empty or your code is missing, ask your Float admin to add it or grant you access. Expected: the code appears in the list.
4. Resubmit the expense. Expected: submission succeeds and the report moves to approval.
5. If you submit similar expenses often, set a default cost center on your Float profile. Expected: new expenses pre-fill the code.

## When to use

- Float blocks submission naming a missing cost center.
- The cost-center dropdown exists but you are unsure which code to pick.

## When not to use

- The code exists but was deactivated (see the deactivated cost-center skill).
- Float accepts the expense but the approver rejects it (approver-side issue).

## Tool compatibility

- Float Expense web app; cost centers managed by the Float admin.

## Variant phrasings

### Cost center is required to submit

Same validation, alternate wording.

### Please select a cost center

The inline field-level form of the same error.

## Why it happens

Cost centers drive Float's accounting export: without one, the expense cannot post to the right department in the general ledger, so submission is blocked at validation.

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_1TDaluCx1lq86H8B5QaBTw