Expenses Tracking
IZI records every revenue transaction in your club. Expense tracking is your side of the equation. Without it you have no P&L, no profitability insight, and no spending control. This page covers two layers: recording in-shift cash outflows directly in IZI CRM, and maintaining a full cost ledger for the whole club.
Expense categories for a gaming club
Section titled “Expense categories for a gaming club”Break your costs into two types before building any ledger.
Fixed costs — do not change with club utilization:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Rent | Premises, parking |
| Payroll | Admin staff, manager |
| Licenses and subscriptions | IZI, game platforms, antivirus |
| Internet | Primary and backup lines |
| Insurance | If applicable |
Variable costs — scale with how the club operates:
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Bar purchases | Drinks, snacks, consumables |
| Advertising | Targeted ads, print, promotions |
| Equipment repairs | Parts, service fees |
| Supplies | Receipt paper, peripherals, headsets |
| Utilities | Electricity — typically the largest variable line for a gaming club |
Recording a cash expense during a shift
Section titled “Recording a cash expense during a shift”For small cash outflows taken directly from the drawer, log them in IZI CRM in real time:
- Open the current shift: Shifts → current shift.
- Click Add expense.
- Fill in:
- Amount — cash taken from the drawer
- Category — e.g. Supplies, Maintenance, Other
- Description — be specific: “Bought cleaning supplies from store”
- Confirm.
The drawer’s expected balance drops by the expense amount and the entry appears in the Z-report at shift close.
Do not use expense entries for refunds. Use Transactions → Refund instead — refunds are tracked separately and affect a different part of the report.
What does not belong here: salary payments, cash deposited to the safe (record as a cash collection handover), or client refunds.
Set up expense categories in Settings → Finance → Expense categories to keep reporting consistent across shifts and admins.
Step 1 — Build your expense ledger
Section titled “Step 1 — Build your expense ledger”For costs that go through bank transfer, card, or invoice — not handled by CRM — maintain a simple ledger:
| Date | Category | Amount | Counterparty | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-01 | Rent | — | Landlord entity | May |
| 2026-05-03 | Bar purchases | — | Supplier | Invoice #123 |
| 2026-05-07 | Advertising | — | Ad platform | Targeted campaign |
Enter amounts in your local currency without the currency symbol — it simplifies formula-based summing.
Step 2 — Separate fixed from variable
Section titled “Step 2 — Separate fixed from variable”Add a “Type” column: fixed / variable. This lets you calculate break-even quickly:
Fixed costs ÷ Margin per session = minimum sessions per month to break even
Knowing this number is more actionable than a raw total.
Step 3 — Bar purchases: track cost of goods sold
Section titled “Step 3 — Bar purchases: track cost of goods sold”Summing invoices is not enough. To get accurate bar profitability you need realized COGS:
Bar COGS = Opening stock + Purchases during period − Closing stockTake a stock count at the start of each month. Without it your bar P&L will overstate or understate profit depending on whether stock built up or was drawn down.
Step 4 — Connect the ledger to IZI
Section titled “Step 4 — Connect the ledger to IZI”Once the expense ledger for a period is complete:
- Export revenue from IZI for the same period (see P&L by period)
- Add revenue rows to the sheet: gaming sessions, bar, combo packages
- Subtract expenses by category
- The result is operating profit
What to monitor regularly
Section titled “What to monitor regularly”Electricity — typically 15–25% of a club’s total costs. Track it monthly: a sudden spike means something is running continuously or the tariff changed.
Payroll-to-revenue ratio — a healthy ratio depends on local labor market conditions. Watch the trend: if it rises without revenue growth, you have a staffing or pricing problem.
Bar purchases-to-bar revenue ratio — if bar COGS exceeds bar revenue, the bar is losing money. Check sale prices or investigate losses (waste, theft, pricing errors).
No specialized software is required. A Google Sheet with a fixed category structure handles one or two locations comfortably. For a growing network, consider lightweight accounting software that can import supplier invoices and reduce manual entry.
See also
Section titled “See also”Frequently asked questions
Does IZI track club expenses?
IZI records all revenue-side transactions. Fixed costs like rent, payroll, and supplier invoices are entered separately in a spreadsheet or accounting tool, then combined with IZI revenue to produce P&L.
How do I account for bar purchases?
Log each delivery note: date, supplier, amount, items. To calculate bar cost of goods sold you need opening stock, closing stock, and all purchases during the period — not just the invoice total.
What should I use for expense logging if not IZI?
Google Sheets with a fixed category structure is sufficient for one or two locations. As the network grows, consider simple accounting software that can import supplier invoices.
How do I record a one-off cash outflow during a shift?
Open the current shift in CRM (Shifts → current shift), click Add expense, enter the amount, category, and a specific description, then confirm. The drawer's expected balance drops immediately and the entry appears in the Z-report.