Cost codes and cost types

Cost codes and cost types are the backbone of job costing. A cost code files each budget line under a number you report on; a cost type (labor, material, and so on) classifies the kind of cost and carries defaults that apply automatically when the type is used.

Where they live

1. From the sidebar, open Catalog.
2. Along the top, switch between the Cost Codes and Cost Types tabs.

Cost codes

A cost code has a number and a name, and codes can nest one level (a parent code with children).

1. On the Cost Codes tab, click Add Cost Code.
2. In New Cost Code, enter the Number (leave it blank to auto-assign the next one) and the Name (required), and optionally a Parent.
3. Pick a Cost Type — required on every code except the seeded 0 Uncategorized one.
4. Click Create.

These are the codes you pick in a budget line's Cost Code cell.

Cost types

A cost type classifies the work and sets defaults that flow onto every line of that type.

1. On the Cost Types tab, click Add Cost Type.
2. In New Cost Type, set:
   • Name — e.g. "Equipment Rental".
   • Default margin % — applied automatically to lines of this type that don't set their own margin.
   • Time-trackable — "Visible to crew on clock-in" — controls whether time can be logged against this type.
   • Taxable — "Sales tax on customer invoices" — the default taxability for lines of this type.
3. Click Create.

Every line's cost type is inherited from its cost code, so the defaults follow the code you assign.