> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.roivenue.com/roivenue-resources/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.roivenue.com/roivenue-resources/roivenue-training/roivenue-app/data/manual-costs.md).

# Manual Costs

Manual Costs let you add marketing costs that no connector downloads, such as agency fees or offline campaigns, so your cost-based metrics show the full picture.

Not every marketing cost comes from an advertising platform. Agency fees, freelancers, influencer collaborations, or offline campaigns have no connector, so Roivenue does not know about them. Manual Costs let you add these costs yourself and include them in your cost-based metrics.

Use Manual Costs when you want to:

* Add a cost that no connector downloads, for example, an agency fee.
* Add a cost that repeats every month, for example, a retainer.
* Assign a cost to a platform or channel, so it is reflected in that channel's results.

To open the page, go to **Data → Manual Costs** in the left navigation. The page lists all costs you have added. Click **Add New Cost** to add a new one.

***

### How to add a cost

Click **Add New Cost** and fill in the form:

<table data-search="false"><thead><tr><th>Field</th><th>What to enter</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Purpose of the expense</strong></td><td>A name for the cost, for example "Agency fee".</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Amount</strong></td><td>The amount in your account currency.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Expense allocated to date range</strong></td><td><strong>One Time Expense</strong> for a single cost, or <strong>Monthly Recurring Expense</strong> for a cost that repeats every month. Set the <strong>From Date</strong> and <strong>Till Date</strong>.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Sales Channel</strong></td><td>The sales channel the cost belongs to.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Apply to site</strong></td><td>The site the cost belongs to.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Chose a dimension</strong></td><td><strong>Global</strong> for a cost of the whole account, or <strong>Platform</strong> or <strong>Channel</strong> to assign it to specific values.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Values in selected dimension</strong></td><td>The platforms or channels the cost belongs to. Use <strong>Add another value</strong> to add more.</td></tr><tr><td><strong>Distribute based on</strong></td><td>The metric used to split the cost between the selected values: <strong>Clicks</strong>, <strong>Conversions</strong>, <strong>Cost</strong>, <strong>Gross Profit</strong>, <strong>Impressions</strong>, or <strong>Net Revenue</strong>.</td></tr></tbody></table>

Then click **Save**.

{% hint style="info" %}
**How the amount is spread:** Roivenue divides the amount evenly between the days of the date range you set. A cost of 3,000 EUR from 1 to 30 June adds 100 EUR to each day.
{% endhint %}

***

### How manual costs appear in your reports

* Manual costs are added to **Cost** and to all metrics calculated from it, such as **Return on Ad Spend** or **Cost of Sales**.
* They are included in exports by default. The name of the cost appears in the **Ad Campaign** dimension.
* To see only costs from your advertising platforms, filter out manual costs in the [Filter Panel](https://docs.roivenue.com/roivenue-resources/roivenue-training/roivenue-app/filter-panel). They are marked with the **Investment Type** value **Other Expense**.

***

### Manual Costs or Data Upload?

| Comparison       | Manual Costs                                | Data Upload                                                                      |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **What you add** | Individual costs, such as fees or retainers | Cost and performance data from a platform, such as impressions, clicks, and cost |
| **How**          | A form in Roivenue                          | An Excel template you upload                                                     |
| **Best for**     | Costs without their own campaign data       | Platforms with no connector that still report campaign results                   |

See [Data Upload](https://docs.roivenue.com/roivenue-resources/roivenue-training/roivenue-app/data/data-upload).

***

#### FAQ

<details>

<summary>1. Which costs should I add here?</summary>

It is up to you. Manual costs are not required for Roivenue to work, but they give you a more complete view of what your marketing costs. Typical examples are agency or maintenance fees for digital channels, influencer and paid promotions outside advertising platforms, and offline campaigns such as print, TV, or radio.

</details>

<details>

<summary>2. I added a cost, but I don't see it in my reports. Why?</summary>

Check that the date range in Roivenue covers the period of the cost. For example, a cost in January does not appear when you look at the last three months. Also check the filters in the Filter Panel.

</details>

<details>

<summary>3. Can I exclude manual costs from my results?</summary>

Yes. Manual costs are marked with the **Investment Type** value **Other Expense**. Filter them out in the Filter Panel to see only costs from your advertising platforms.

</details>

<details>

<summary>4. Are manual costs included in exports?</summary>

Yes, by default. The name of the cost appears in the **Ad Campaign** dimension. To exclude manual costs, use the filter in the export settings.

</details>

<details>

<summary>5. What does "Distribute based on" do?</summary>

When you assign a cost to more than one platform or channel, Roivenue splits it between them by the metric you choose. For example, with **Clicks**, a platform with more clicks gets a bigger part of the cost.

</details>

<details>

<summary>6. Why does the form say no value was found for the dimension?</summary>

Roivenue offers values that appeared in your data during the last year. If a platform or channel had no data in that time, it is not in the list.

</details>