# Sale Calculations

Url: https://dealersip.com/KnowledgeBase/Administration/Setup/Sale-Calculations-50319/
Last updated: 2026-09-30
Section: Administration > Sale Calculations

The **Sale Calculations** screen decides how the pricing part of a sale is worked out: the sale price, trade-in, discount, tax, customer charges such as an admin or documentation fee, and finally what the customer pays. Each dealership has two calculations: one for a **Dealer sale** (the dealership owns the vehicle) and one for a **Consignment sale** (the vehicle belongs to an owner and the dealership earns a commission). Dealersip picks the right one on the sale screen from the vehicle's purchase.

This screen is for **admin users**.

**Warning:** the calculation decides the accounting entry of every new sale: what is credited to sales revenue, to tax, and to each charge account. A wrong formula posts wrong figures. Make changes in a new version, check them, and consult your accountant if you are not sure how a charge or tax should be treated.

## Opening the screen

1. Expand the **Admin** sidebar and select **Setup**. 
2. In the header bar at the top of the Setup page, select the **Sale Calculations** tab. 

The tab lists each calculation of the current dealership, with one table of its versions underneath. Each row shows:

| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| (actions) | A **pencil** opens the version for editing. A version used in sales shows an **eye** instead, which opens it read-only. A **bin** deletes the version; it appears only on a version that is not in use and has no sales. |
| Version | The version number. |
| Status | **In use**: new sales use this version. **Not in use**: a draft or an older version. **Locked**: at least one sale was saved on it, so it cannot be changed. |
| Sales | How many sales use this version. |
| Created | The date the version was made. |
| Change Note | The note saved with the version. |

If the dealership has no calculation for a sale type yet (for example, a newly created dealership), a green **Create Dealer Sale Calculation** or **Create Consignment Sale Calculation** button appears above the tables. It creates the calculation as a copy of the one in use at another dealership. A charge that posted to one of that dealership's own accounts comes across without an account, so open it and pick the account again.

## Versions and locking

A calculation is kept in versions, so sales that were already saved never change when the calculation does.

- **A version is locked while any sale uses it.** It cannot be edited or deleted. If every sale on it is deleted, it can be edited again. 
- **A saved sale keeps its version.** Editing and saving an old sale later still uses the version it was saved with, even after another version is put in use. 
- **New sales use the version that is In use.** Only one version of a calculation is in use at a time. 
- **To change a locked version,** open it and press **New Version**. This makes an editable copy, numbered next. Change it, press **Save**, then press **Activate** so new sales use it. 

If you try to change a locked version, Dealersip refuses with *This calculation has been used in sales, hence cannot be changed. Create a new version instead.* A locked version cannot be deleted (*This calculation has been used in sales, hence cannot be deleted.*), and neither can the version in use (*The active version cannot be deleted. Activate another version first.*).

## Editing a version

Select the **pencil** on a version's row. The version opens in a side panel on the right, titled with the calculation and version number, for example *Dealer sale, version 2*.

At the top of the panel:

- **Change Note**: a short note on what this version changes. It shows in the version list. 
- **Sale price includes tax**: tick it when your sale prices already include tax. See [Sale price includes tax](#sale-price-includes-tax) below on this page. 

Below them is the list of **Lines**. Lines are worked out from top to bottom, in the order shown. Each line shows its number, its name, its type, and how it is worked out, for example *= Gross Total − Discount amount* or *Value entered manually, default 8*. Charges also show the account they post to.

Each line has these buttons on the right:

- **Up and down arrows** move the line. 
- The **pencil** opens the line's settings inside the list. Press it again (it turns into an up arrow) to close them. 
- The **bin** removes the line. A line that another line's formula uses cannot be removed until it is taken out of that formula: *'Trade in Value' is used in the formula of 'Gross Total'. Take it out of that formula first.* 

**To insert a line**, hover over the list where the line should go. A green **Insert Line** button appears on the top edge of the line under the pointer (and on the bottom edge of the last line). The new line is added exactly there, as a charge, with its settings open.

Changes are kept only when you press **Save** at the bottom of the panel. Until then, a changed line shows **Changed, not saved**, a new line shows **New, not saved**, and the footer shows **Changes not saved**. Closing the panel with unsaved changes asks first: *You have changes that are not saved. Close without saving?*

The footer buttons are:

- **Save**: checks the whole calculation and saves it. The checks are listed under [What Dealersip checks](#sale-calculation-checks) on this page. 
- **Activate**: makes this version the one new sales use. It is shown only on a version that is not in use. It asks for confirmation first, and runs the same checks as Save. 
- **New Version**: makes an editable copy of this version. 
- **Close**: closes the panel. 

## Line settings

Open a line with its **pencil** to see:

| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Name** | The label on the sale screen, and the name used in formulas. |
| **Show beside the line above** | Shows this line's box next to the line above on the sale screen, with no label of its own. Used for pairs such as *Discount* % and *Discount amount*, or *Tax* rate and *Tax amount*. |
| **Type** | What the line is. See [Line types](#sale-calculation-line-types) on this page. |
| **Post To Account** | Charges only. The account the charge is credited to. Type to search, or press **+** to create a new account in the [Chart of Accounts](https://dealersip.com/KnowledgeBase/ChartofAccounts-50264/); it is selected here once saved. |
| **How is it worked out?** | **Value entered manually**: typed in on the sale. **Calculated**: worked out from other lines by a formula. |
| **Default Value** | For a manual line, the amount a new sale starts with. Leave empty to start at 0. On the tax rate line this is the rate used when no tax code is picked. |
| **Must have a value** | The sale cannot be saved without this line. |
| **Cannot be changed on the sale** | The box is read-only on the sale screen. Calculated lines are normally read-only. |
| **Only admins can see it** | Hides the line from non-admin users, for example the buying price and margin. |

When you are finished with a line, press **Done**. It checks that the line has a name, that a charge has an account, and that a calculated line has a formula, then closes the line. The change is still kept only when you press **Save**.

## Line types

| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Sale price | The vehicle's selling price. Every calculation needs one. |
| Buying price or other amount | The dealer's buying price, filled from the purchase, or any other figure. |
| Margin | Sale price minus buying price. |
| Trade-in value | The value given for the customer's trade-in. |
| Gross total | Usually the sale price minus the trade-in. |
| Discount % | The discount rate. |
| Discount amount | The discount in money; posted as a discount in the sale's accounting entry. |
| Tax code and rate | On the sale, the user picks a tax code here and its rate fills the line. It never has a formula. |
| Tax amount | The tax, posted to the tax account. It never goes below zero, so a sale below cost is not charged negative tax. |
| Net sale price (customer pays) | What the customer pays. Every calculation needs one. |
| Commission (consignment) | The dealership's commission. A consignment calculation needs one. |
| Owner payable (consignment) | What is owed to the vehicle's owner. A consignment calculation needs one. |
| Charge to customer | A fee the customer pays, such as an admin or documentation fee. Credited to its own account; the dealership keeps it on a consignment sale too. |
| After-sale expense | A cost after the sale. It is saved with the sale but not posted to accounting and not added to what the customer pays. |
| Other | A working figure used by other formulas. |

Each type except Buying price or other amount, Charge to customer, After-sale expense and Other can appear only once in a calculation.

## Building a formula

Choose **Calculated** under **How is it worked out?**. The formula builder opens:

1. The dashed box at the top shows the formula, with each line as a green chip, for example *Gross Total − Discount amount*. 
2. Under **Lines above**, press a line's button to add it. Only lines above this one are offered, because lines are worked out from the top down. 
3. Under **Signs and numbers**, press **+**, **−**, **×**, **÷** or a bracket, or type a number in the **Number** box and press **Add** (or Enter). 
4. **Undo** removes the last piece; **Clear** empties the formula. 

Example: a discount amount worked out from a percentage is *Gross Total × Discount ÷ 100*.

## Adding a charge (for example, a documentation fee)

1. Open the version in use and press **New Version** (or open a version that is not in use and not locked). 
2. Hover over the list just above **Net Sale Price** and press **Insert Line**. 
3. Enter the **Name**, for example *Documentation Fee*. Leave **Type** as **Charge to customer**. 
4. Pick the **Post To Account**, or press **+** to create a new income account for it. 
5. Leave **Value entered manually**, and enter a **Default Value** such as *499* so every new sale starts with it. 
6. Press **Done**. 
7. Open **Net Sale Price** with its pencil and add **+ Documentation Fee** to its formula. If the fee is taxable, also add it to the formula of **Tax amount**. 
8. Press **Save**, then **Activate**. 

Step 7 matters: the charge is credited to its account, so the customer must pay it through the Net Sale Price. Save refuses a charge that is left out (see [What Dealersip checks](#sale-calculation-checks) on this page).

## Sale price includes tax

This tick does not change any figure on the sale screen; the formulas do that. It changes how the sale is posted to accounting:

- **Not ticked** (tax on top of the price): the whole sale price is credited to vehicle sales revenue, and the tax to the tax account on top of it. 
- **Ticked** (tax included in the price): the tax is taken out of the sale price, and only the rest is credited to revenue. 

For a sale price of 20,000 with tax of 2,300:

|  | Not ticked | Ticked |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle sales revenue | 20,000 | 17,700 |
| Tax account | 2,300 | 2,300 |

The formulas must agree with the tick. When it is ticked, Net Sale Price must not add the tax again, and the tax formula takes the tax out of the price, for example *Sale Price × Tax ÷ (100 + Tax)*. When it is not ticked, Net Sale Price adds Tax amount once.

Save and Activate check this by working out a sample sale (sale price 10,000, every other entered value 0) with a 13% rate and with 0%. If Net Sale Price does not behave as the tick says, the save is refused (the messages are listed below). The check cannot tell whether the tax is worked out on the right base, for example the price or the margin, so review the tax formula itself.

## What Dealersip checks

Save and Activate refuse a calculation, and say why, when:

| Problem | Message |
|---|---|
| No sale price or net sale price line | *The calculation needs a line of type Sale price.* (or *Net sale price (customer pays)*) |
| A consignment calculation without commission or owner payable | *The calculation needs a line of type Commission (consignment).* (or *Owner payable (consignment)*) |
| A type that can appear only once appears twice | *There can be only one Tax amount line.* |
| A line without a name | *Line 5 has no name.* |
| A charge without an account | *Charge 'Documentation Fee' needs an account to post to.* |
| A formula uses a line that is worked out below it | *'Discount amount' uses 'Gross Total', which is worked out below it. Move 'Discount amount' below 'Gross Total'.* |
| An unfinished formula | *The formula of 'Tax amount' is not complete. Check for a missing amount, sign or bracket.* |
| A charge not included in what the customer pays | *Charge 'Documentation Fee' is not added to 'Net Sale Price'. Open the formula of 'Net Sale Price' and add it.* |
| Ticked, but the tax is added on top | *'Sale price includes tax' is ticked, but 'Net Sale Price' goes up when tax is added, so the tax would be counted twice. Untick it if tax is added on top of the price, or take 'Tax amount' out of the formula of 'Net Sale Price'.* |
| Not ticked, but the tax is not added | *'Sale price includes tax' is not ticked, but 'Net Sale Price' does not include 'Tax amount'. Tick it if your prices already include tax, or add 'Tax amount' to the formula of 'Net Sale Price'.* |
| Not ticked, and the tax is added more than once | *'Sale price includes tax' is not ticked, but 'Net Sale Price' does not go up by exactly 'Tax amount' when tax is added. Check that 'Tax amount' is added once to the formula of 'Net Sale Price'.* |
| Activating a version with no lines | *This version has no lines. Add its lines and save it before activating it.* |

## Ask Bella

On a version that is not locked, the **Ask Bella** button next to **Lines** opens Bella in a window you can move aside. Tell her what to change in plain words, for example:

- *Add a documentation fee of 499 that is taxable.* 
- *Our prices include tax. Fix the tax.* 
- *How is the tax worked out?* 

Bella puts her changes straight into the editor as unsaved changes (marked **New, not saved** or **Changed, not saved**) and says what she changed. Review them, open any line to adjust it, then press **Save**. Save runs every check above, so nothing Bella proposes is stored unchecked. If a charge's account is unclear, the line shows **No account** and you pick it before saving. When a request is unclear, Bella asks a question instead of guessing. Each version has its own conversation; previous chats are in Bella's history. To use Bella on a locked version, press **New Version** first. See [Bella Virtual Assistant](https://dealersip.com/KnowledgeBase/BellaVirtualAssistant-50076/) for Bella in general.

## What happens on the sale screen

- The sale screen shows the lines of the version in use, in order. An existing sale shows the version it was saved with. 
- Each **Charge to customer** is credited to its account in the sale's accounting entry. If a charge has an amount but no account, the sale is not saved: *Charge 'Documentation Fee' has no account to post to. Set its account in the sale calculation.* 
- If the lines do not add up (for example a charge not included in Net Sale Price in a version saved before the checks above), the sale is not saved: *This sale does not balance by 499.00. The Net Sale Price formula of the sale calculation must include every charge.* 
- **After-sale expenses** are saved with the sale but not posted. 

For the default accounts the sale entry uses, see [Accounting Settings](https://dealersip.com/KnowledgeBase/AccountingSettings-50262/). For the tax fields on the sale screen, see [Tax Calculations](https://dealersip.com/KnowledgeBase/ManagingSaleEntry-50086/#tax-calculations).

## Frequently Asked Questions



### What is "Show beside the line above"?

Ticking "show beside the line above" puts that line on the same row as the line directly above it on the sale screen, instead of on its own row. It is normally used to pair a rate with its amount, like your Discount and Discount amount, or Tax and Tax amount. It only changes the layout, never the maths, and the line still needs its own name.