---
title: "Deciding Branch or Division for Company Set Up"
slug: "deciding-branch-or-division-for-company-set-up"
tags: ["Language - English", "Area - Administration", "Industry - Landscaping", "Type - Task (How-To)", "Role - System Admin", "Role - Branch Admin", "Role - Operations Manager", "Role - Executive", "Skill Level - 1 (Beginner)"]
updated: 2025-10-16T17:16:07Z
published: 2025-10-16T17:16:07Z
canonical: "guide.youraspire.com/deciding-branch-or-division-for-company-set-up"
---

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

# Deciding Branch or Division for Company Set Up

## **Purpose**

This article is to help to determine if a profit center or business unit should be setup as a branch or a division in Aspire.

#### 

**Common examples:**

**Branch Example:** Jim owns two companies, *Jim's Landscaping* and *Great Plumbing*. Both will be using Aspire. The companies are separate entities, with separate EIN's and accounting systems and individual logos. *These companies must be setup as separate branches in Aspire.*

**Division Example:** Sherry owns one business entity, Sherry's Pro Services, that provides landscaping services and plumbing services. One EIN, one accounting system. In Aspire, *she will set up divisions for plumbing and landscaping.*

**Question 1: Is it a separate business entity? Does it have distinct EIN#s, accounting systems, logos?**

**If YES** – They will have to be set up as separate branches.

**If NO** – They may be divisions.

**Question 2: Do they have distinct physical locations?**

**If YES** – They can be separate branches

**If NO** – They probably are divisions

**Question 3: Do the entities or business units provide services on the same customer properties?**

**If YES** – They are probably divisions. If the business units must be setup as branches and there is an overlap of customers, additional decisions are required:

- Ask, *“How many properties are overlapping between them?”*
- Remember that a property can only be assigned to a single branch.
- Costs and revenue will be reported to the property branch by default (unless a branch override was performed at the opportunity or service level). If this occurs regularly and your company *must*have separate branches, base don the other questions listed, you will have two options for correct reporting:
  - Assign the property to the branch that does the majority work. Perform branch overrides any time work is estimated by alternate branches.
  - Create separate property records for each branch.
    - Restrict branch access for sales reps so they only access the property record associated with their branch.
    - Invoices will be separate for each branch.
    - Customer portal will show separate properties.

**If NO** – Then they may be branches.

**Question 4: Do they share employees?**

**YES** – They are probably divisions. If the business units must be setup as branches and there is overlap with employees, there are additional considerations:

- Ask, “are your employees always paid by their branch of origin, or do they receive multiple W2s?”
- Labor costs are linked to the work ticket.
  - The employee will be paid by the branch associated with the work ticket.

⚠️ This can cause complications with payroll and reporting if not managed carefully.

- If the client has branch-specific accounting and payroll and the employees are only paid by their branch of origin, client will need to follow the process outlined in the help doc “How To: Subbing Labor to Another Branch Inside Aspire.”
- Another option is for the client to move labor costs between branches using a journal entry.

**NO** – They *may* be branches.

**Final Branch or Division Assessment**

| Distinct Accounting/EIN | YES | NO |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Separate Locations | YES | NO |
| Shared Properties | NO | YES |
| Shared Employees | NO | YES |
|  | Structure As Branches | Structure As Divisions |