Cost Code Categories in Ontraccr

🧾 Cost Code Categories in Ontraccr

📘 Overview

Every cost code in Ontraccr must belong to one of four categories:

1. Labor
2. Material
3. Overhead
4. Equipment

These categories are not cosmetic — they determine how cost codes behave across time tracking, budgets, invoices, and reporting. The category you choose directly affects how data is captured and displayed across the Job Costing system.

📂 The Four Categories Explained

1. 🧑‍🔧 Labor

• Used for: Time tracking
• Behavior: Any cost code assigned to “Labor” can be selected by workers clocking in/out or logging time manually
• Common Examples: “Rough-In,” “Installation,” “Cleanup”
• Feeds Into: Budget labor hours, labor costs, Progress Page (labor section), time tracking reports

2. 🧱 Material

• Used for: Tracking purchased or used materials
• Behavior: Tied to the Materials Database, quotes from suppliers, and POs
• Material cost codes can also be attached directly to material items from the materials page
• Common Examples: “Lighting Fixtures,” “Conduit,” “Wiring”
• Feeds Into: Material costs in Budget and Progress Page, uncategorized material detection

3. 🧾 Overhead

• Used for: Hybrid cases (some time-based, some invoice-based)
• Behavior: Allows both time tracking and invoice uploads
• Use Cases: Paper, mileage, job-related travel, admin supplies
• Feeds Into: Overhead sections of Budget and Progress Page

4. 🚜 Equipment

• Used for: Equipment usage tracking
• Behavior: Tied to the Equipment Database, where each item is linked to a cost code
• Enables: Tracking usage and costs of specific equipment across the project
• Feeds Into: Equipment cost reporting in Progress Page, categorized equipment tracking

⚠️ Why Category Selection Matters

• Time Tracking:
  • Only Labor and Overhead codes can be used in time entries
• Materials & Equipment Usage:
  • Material and Equipment cost codes power tracking of usage and purchase orders
• Invoice Allocation:
  • Material, Overhead, Labour, and Equipment cost codes support invoice uploads
• Uncategorized Alerts:
  • If a form reports materials/equipment that don’t have associated cost codes, the system flags them under “Uncategorized” in the Budget and Progress pages

🧠 Tips & Considerations

• Don’t misclassify. Picking the wrong category limits where a cost code can be used
• Labor-only company? You can still use all four categories if needed, even if material/equipment is minimal
• Overhead is flexible but should be used sparingly and only when justified (e.g. job-specific PM travel)