Understanding Prerequisites and configuration for Intercompany Billing for Cross- Company Cost Accounting Postings

Objective

After completing this lesson, you will be able to complete prerequisites for intercompany billing

Prerequisites

Setting Up Business Partners

App: Maintain Business Partner

For intercompany billing purposes, a customer number must be assigned to each sales organization in the configuration step Sales Organizations. By doing so, you are identifying the sales organization as an internal customer that can be billed by other companies in the same corporate group.

To be able to assign a customer number to the sales organization, you first need to create a business partner for all company codes (ordering companies) involved in intercompany business, including the required business partner roles needed for Financial Accounting and Purchasing, as well as sales area data.

Business partners 10401010 representing company code 1010 (Germany) and 17401710 representing company code 1710 (USA) must be setup as a prerequisite for the intercompany setup between them.

SAP Display Organization interface for Configuration Step: Sales Organizations
SAP Display Organization interface for Configuration Step: Sales Organizations (Customer Number for Intercompany Billing)

Setting Up Internal Cost Rates

App: Manage Cost Rates - Services

With the Manage Cost Rates - Professional Services app, you can define internal cost rates for activity allocations to projects. This app enables you to set cost rates based not just on cost centers and activity types but also on a variety of other criteria, such as service cost levels and individual employees.

For intercompany activity allocations, only cost rates marked as ICO rates are used. Rates with a receiving company, that is the company for which the service is provided (ordering company), take priority over rates with no receiving company. Intercompany cost rates can be maintained in the currency of the ordering company, which enables this company to be charged at a fixed rate independently of currency fluctuations.

SAP Manage Cost Rates Interface highlighting Receiving Company data.

Configuration

Configuration Summary

Intercompany Billing - Configuration Summary Table

SSCUI IDNameDescription
105970Maintain Sales OrganizationsMaintain internal customer numbers for sales organizations.
100424Configure Intercompany Billing Communication

During an intercompany sales process, the supplying company generates an intercompany invoice made out to the ordering company.

You can use this app to generate the SAP Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) configuration that the system uses to post this invoice to the ordering company code. From the perspective of the supplying company, the intercompany invoice is a customer invoice. From the perspective of the ordering company, it is a supplier invoice.

The system uses IDocs to automatically generate the corresponding payables in the ordering company's accounts.

102455Define account determination groupsAccount determination groups define the settings for posting intercompany accounts payable documents. For a ordering company code, define which account determination group should be used when the products or services are issued from a certain supplying sales organization. This determination is required for EDI invoice receiving company codes.
102462Make Settings for PostingFor each combination of receiving company code with account determination group, make the relevant settings for posting, such as the tax code for tax-exempt transactions and the invoice document type. This is required for EDI invoice process.
102463Assign G/L Accounts

Assign the G/L account for posting expenses in different scenarios. Different combinations of receiving company code, account determination group, valuation class, surcharge or discount, and condition type constitute different scenarios. The more values a scenario includes, the more specific it is. If there are multiple scenarios for the same receiving company code, a more specific scenario overrides a more generic one.

Assign G/L accounts to the Accounts Posting document for EDI invoice

102464Assign Tax Codes

Assign a tax code for the receiving company code for each combination of tax supplying country/region, tax code, and ordering country/region.

Assign tax code for EDI invoice process. Contact a tax expert to determine the right codes.

103637Maintain Billing ProfileMaterial determination for billing. Billing profile for intercompany allows custom-defined selection of billing materials.
AppOutput Parameter DeterminationSet allowed channels for billing document

Maintain Sales Organizations

The business partners created in prerequisites are assigned to sales organizations in this configuration step.

SAP Maintain Sales Organizations: Change Details displaying Sales Organization information for 1010 Dom.Sales Org DE
SAP Maintain Sales Organizations: Change Details displaying Sales Organization information for 1710 Dom.Sales Org US

Configure Intercompany Billing Communication

You can now use configuration step Configure Intercompany Billing Communication to enable intercompany billing between companies.

During an intercompany sales process, the supplying (or delivering) company generates an intercompany invoice made out to the ordering company. You can use Configure Intercompany Billing Communication to generate the SAP Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) configuration that the system uses to post this invoice to the ordering company code.

For example, delivering company 1710 (United States) invoices ordering company 1010 (Germany). From the perspective of the delivering company 1710 (United States), the intercompany invoice is a customer invoice. From the perspective of the ordering company 1010 (Germany), it is a supplier invoice. The system uses IDocs to automatically generate the corresponding payables in the ordering company's accounts.

SAP Configure Intercompany Billing Communication interface displaying billing assignment-1010.
SAP Configure Intercompany Billing Communication interface displaying billing assignment-1710.

Configure Intercompany Accounts Payable

The following configuration steps can be setup to define accounts payable documents between company codes within a corporate group.

Define Account Determination Groups

In this configuration step, you can create account determination groups and specify their descriptions.

Assign Sales Organizations

In this configuration step, you can assign sales organizations to the ordering company codes and maintain account determination groups.

SAP Assign Sales Organizations interface for Assign Sales Organizations.
Make Settings for Posting

In this configuration step, you can make settings for posting intercompany accounts payable documents.

SAP Make Settings for Posting: Change: Details interface. company 1010.
SAP Make Settings for Posting: Change: Details interface. company 1710.
Assign G/L Accounts

In this configuration step, you can assign G/L accounts for posting expenses.

SAP IMGActivity-Execute interface to Assign G/L Accounts-1010
Assign Tax Codes

In this configuration step, you can assign tax codes for ordering company codes.

SAP Assign Tax Codes: Change interface.
Maintain Billing Profile

A new billing profile for intercompany has been included in configuration to allow companies to define their billing materials as per their requirements.

SAP Maintain Billing Profile: Display interface highlighting ICOBLG001 billing profile.

Use the following fields to define the material determination criteria:

  • Activity type
  • G/L account Number
  • Material Number
Steps to maintain and configure a billing profile in SAP: Maintain Billing Profile: Display The top section shows the configuration of the billing profile, specifically for intercompany billing (Profile ID: ICOBLG001). The navigation path for this configuration is detailed: SAP Business Configuration > Projects > Project Planning and Execution > Project Structuring > Process Variants for Commercial Projects > Material Determination for Advanced Sales and Billing > Maintain Billing Profile. The description for the profile is Project Billing Profile for Intercompany Billing. Transfer Costs Only Option The middle section highlights the billing material determination setup, showing that this profile supports the Transfer Costs Only option. Billing material determination lines and the corresponding criteria are configured. Activity Type Configuration The bottom section details the material determination criteria parameters for the billing profile, similar to those of the commercial project billing profile CMPJBL001. It shows the configuration for the field name Activity Type with a specific set value (e.g., T102).

Output Parameter Determination

Application: Output Parameter Determination

In this application, set the allowed channels for billing documents.

SAP Output Parameter Determination interface displaying Select Business Rules, Maintain Business Rules, and Table of Contents.

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