---
title: "Exact cost unit not allowed for Administrators - Payhawk Help Center"
slug: "failed-to-export-into-exact-online-the-selected-cost-unit-is-not-allowed-with-the-selected-category"
description: "Resolve Exact Online G/L account errors in Payhawk by adjusting cost unit settings for successful expense exports. Get your integration back on track."
updated: 2026-10-21T10:25:26Z
published: 2026-10-21T10:25:26Z
canonical: "payhawk.com/failed-to-export-into-exact-online-the-selected-cost-unit-is-not-allowed-with-the-selected-category"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://payhawk.com/help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Failed to export into Exact Online. The selected Cost Unit is not allowed with the selected category.

## Error message

```plaintext
The selected Cost Unit is not allowed with the selected category. Please check the G/L account Cost analysis in Exact Online.
```

## Affected ERP integrations

- Exact Online

## Cause

This error occurs when the General Ledger (G/L) account mapped to your expense category in Payhawk has specific restrictions on which cost units can be used with it in Exact Online. If the selected cost unit in your Payhawk expense is not part of the allowed list for that G/L account, as defined in its Cost analysis settings, Exact Online will reject the export.

## Solution

To resolve this issue:

1. Log in to your Exact Online account.
2. Navigate to **Master Data** > **Financial** > **G/L Accounts**.
3. Locate the G/L account that is mapped to your expense category in Payhawk.
4. Click on the G/L account to view its details, and then go to the **Cost analysis** section.
5. Review the settings for **Cost unit**.
  1. Check if a mandatory set of cost units is specified.
  2. Verify that the cost unit selected in your Payhawk expense is included in the **Available** property for that G/L account. If the selected cost unit is not allowed, you will need to either:
    - Adjust the G/L account's Cost analysis settings in Exact Online to include the desired cost unit.
    - Select a different, permissible cost unit in Payhawk for the expense.
    - Select a different expense category in Payhawk that maps to a G/L account allowing the desired cost unit.

![Cost analysis section highlighting mandatory cost unit selection in a user interface.](https://cdn.payhawk.com/Adm%3AIntegrations%3AError%20messages/exact_online_cost%20unit.png)
6. Click **Save**.
7. Return to Payhawk and attempt to export the expense again. The export must now be successful.