Add Expense Code values, such as R&D or office expenses, if you’re expensing out of BigTime. These values will populate in the Expense Type picklist for staffers to select when they create new expense entries. The Expense Code category is also where you add units of measure, such as mileage, which can also be added to expense entries.
NOTE: The Basic Categories label has been renamed to Basic Codes, which is the label this article uses.
This article will explain how to add Expense Code values and how to make a value a unit of measure. Plus, we’ll show you how to access these values in BigTime.
Create Expense Code Values and Units of Measure
First, let’s create some Expense Code values. Follow these steps:
1. Click MY COMPANY...FIELD VALUES.
2. Click BASIC CODES...EXPENSE CODES to add and/or edit values.
3. Click ADD NEW VALUE to create a new value. To edit an existing value, just click on the value and make your edits on the right-side of the window.
4. Add details about your new value on the right-side of the window.
NOTE: You’re able to link the values you create with QuickBooks.
5. Scroll down within the window to add more details about your value.
You’ve got several options to choose from. We’ll explain each one:
- Check the box next to the phrase “this item is taxable,” if the value is associated with a taxable expense.
- Check the box next to the phrase “this category is inactive (no longer used),” if you want BigTime to archive a value and the data associated with it. This action will remove the code from the Expense Type picklist, and staffers will no longer be able to select it. However, BigTime saves the data associated with the value, which can be reactivated at any time by unchecking the box.
- Check the box next to “this code is a service fee,” if the value is a non-reimbursable expense, such as equipment rental or a hosting fee.
- Check the box under Unit(s) of Measure if the value you’re creating is associated with a measurement, like mileage. When you check this box, several text boxes will populate for you to add additional details, as shown in the image below.
- NOTE: Sale/Price means a company charges a higher price than the actual cost so they can profit from it. The staffer doesn’t see the Sales/Price when inputting a unit of measure expense entry; they only see the Cost Rate. The Sales/Price is applied when the expense is invoiced.
Click SAVE+NEW to save your work. Doing so will also allow you to add more values, if you wish. - We’ll show you how the values created under Expense Codes are used in BigTime next.
Access Expense Codes in Bigtime
Expense Code values appear under the Expense Type picklist when staffers create expense entries in BigTime. Staffers select a value to categorize the expense, such as travel, office supplies, or R&D.
Here’s how to apply these values in BigTime:
1. Click TIME/EXPENSE...EXPENSES.
2. Click +ADD NEW EXPENSE.
3. Click the red triangle under EXPENSE TYPE and picklist will populate. This picklist will contain the values you created under EXPENSE CODES.
TIP: Unit of Measure in Expense Entries
We made “Travel: monthly meeting in Indiana” a unit of measure value. Now when a staffer selects this value under Expense Type, the unit of measure details associated with this value populates. In the image below, this information is under “Amount.”