A mononuclear octahedral mixed-ligand cobalt (II) complex [Co(H2L)(PhCOO)2] (1) has been prepared by using H2L (N,N′-dimethyl-N,N′-bi(2-hydroxy-3,5-di methyl benzyl)-ethylenediamine) as a facially coordinating tetradentate ligand with a N2O2 donor center along with sodium benzoate as an ancillary ligand. Complex 1 has been characterized by a single-crystal X-ray diffraction study, as well as by other spectroscopic tools. The complex crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2 with a = 31.73(3) Å, b = 7.868(3) Å, c = 19.131(15) Å, and β = 125.25(3)°. The single-crystal X-ray diffraction study shows that in the mononuclear cobalt (II) complex [Co(H2L)(PhCOO)2] (1), the metal center adopts an octahedral environment. © 2022 by the authors.