Define an allocation unit

task australia Updated Sep 10, 2026 1 min read t_DefineAnAllocationUnit.md

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Allocation unit records define the capacity and usage of a business service.

Before you begin

Role required: financial_mgmt_admin

Procedure

Navigate to All > Cost > Config > Allocation Units.

Select a record to edit or select New.

Note: Selecting the name of the configuration item will display the CI record, not the Allocation Units.

Field	Description
Configuration Item	Select the Business Service to define allocation units for.
Total Units	The total number of units of expense available to allocate. A unit is a generic measurement which can represent anything. Should match the cost center relationship unit. What units represent can be recorded in the Unit Type field. Using the Total units option may result in unallocated expenses if there are unallocated business service units. Using the Allocated unit option always results in 100% expense allocations.
Allocated Units	How many of the total units are allocated. Populated by script.
Available Units	How many of the total units are unallocated. Populated by script.
Updated	When the units were last updated.
Unit Type (added by configuring the form)	Used to record what the units represent (e.g. seats, licenses, Gigabytes, and so on).

Parent Topic:Use business services with expenses

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---
title: Define an allocation unit
description: Allocation unit records define the capacity and usage of a business service.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/it-business-management/cost-management/t\_DefineAnAllocationUnit.html
release: australia
product: Cost Management
classification: cost-management
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Use business services with expenses, Cost Management, Strategic Portfolio Management]
---

# Define an allocation unit

Allocation unit records define the capacity and usage of a business service.

## Before you begin

Role required: financial\_mgmt\_admin

## Procedure

1.  Navigate to **All** &gt; **Cost** &gt; **Config** &gt; **Allocation Units**.

2.  Select a record to edit or select **New**.

    **Note:** Selecting the name of the configuration item will display the CI record, not the Allocation Units.

    |Field|Description|
    |-----|-----------|
    |Configuration Item|Select the Business Service to define allocation units for.|
    |Total Units|The total number of units of expense available to allocate. A unit is a generic measurement which can represent anything. Should match the cost center relationship unit. What units represent can be recorded in the **Unit Type** field. Using the Total units option may result in unallocated expenses if there are unallocated business service units. Using the Allocated unit option always results in 100% expense allocations.|
    |Allocated Units|How many of the total units are allocated. Populated by script.|
    |Available Units|How many of the total units are unallocated. Populated by script.|
    |Updated|When the units were last updated.|
    |Unit Type \(added by configuring the form\)|Used to record what the units represent \(e.g. seats, licenses, Gigabytes, and so on\).|


**Parent Topic:**[Use business services with expenses](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/it-business-management/cost-management/c_UseBusinessServicesWithExpenses.md)