Use Cost Categories to group your expenses for estimates, job costs and reports.

HINT-- Cost categories make it easier to locate unit prices in the Goldenseal estimating software. They also help you to track expenses in the Goldenseal job cost accounting software.

COST CATEGORY BASICS
       Entering Cost Categories | Data Fields | Using Lists | Using Cost Categories

Website Info Links
       Accounting Software | Estimating Software | Job Costing Software | Project Management Software

RELATED TOPICS
       Category Basics | Category Setup | Category Systems | Cost Classes | Job Costs | Locations

Entering Cost Categories

To enter a Cost Category, follow these steps:

1. Choose Category Setup from the Costs menu, then choose Cost Categories from the submenu.
2. Click the New button, or click on an existing item and click the Edit button.
3. Enter details for the category.

Data Fields

Enter the following information for each Cost Category:

Name-- Type in a brief name for this cost category. This is the text that will appear in clairvoyant fields.
Comments-- Type in any comments you'd like to make about this item.
Report Name-- Type in the category name you'd like to use in reports.
Location-- Choose whether this category can be used as a main category only, as a subcategory only, or as both.  This option controls how the category is used in a Category System.
Reference Number-- Enter an optional reference number for this item. This value can be a decimal. It can be used to identify categories in reports, if you prefer to use a category number as well as a name.
Time and Materials Billable-- Turn on the checkbox if costs of this category will be included in time and materials bills. Turn it off if they are not included.

Included In-- Goldenseal displays the Category Systems that use this category.  To add a category system to the list, you'll need to open a Category System and add this category to it.

NOTE-- Goldenseal 1.08 and earlier included a Tax Field field in each category.  In later versions you include categories in Income Tax Field calculators instead.

Using Cost Categories

You can use a simple list of cost categories, or you can group them into a Category System.

Categories appear in all expense transactions, in Estimates, in Sales, and in many other transactions.

Each time you enter a transaction, the Category field shows a list of categories from the category system in the supplier account or job account (the choice depends on which makes most sense for that type of transaction).  If there is no Category System, the field shows all categories.
HINT-- The Subcategory field will show subcategories only if the category system includes subcategories.

If you use a Category breakdown or Item breakdown, you'll also be able to itemize by category.
HINT-- When you enter costs into an estimate, expense or sale transaction, you can enter the category first, and then look through a much shorter list of potential cost items.

When you make job cost reports, you'll be able to see estimated and actual costs by category.

To enter a category from a different Category System, follow these steps:

1. Choose Category Setup from the Costs menu, then choose Switch System from the submenu.
2. Select a different category system, then click OK

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