---
updatedAt: 2026-06-19T08:18:52.000Z
agentTools:
  projectIndex: https://docs.mobiclocks.com/llms.txt
---

# Define cost codes

Different methods for adding cost codes.

To start applying [cost codes](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/cost-coding), you first need to define them in your MobiClocks environment. Cost codes are defined for each individual [job site](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/job-sites) and can be accessed from the **Cost codes** tab in job site details.

> 🔒 PERMISSIONS
>
> To access the Cost code section, you must have the **View "Cost Codes" tab** permission enabled for your role in **Administration > Role Permissions > Job sites**.

There are four methods for adding cost codes to a job site:

* Manual creation
* Manual importing
* Importing from MobiClocks integrations
* Copying from another job site

The following sections discuss each method in detail.

## Create cost codes manually

To be able to create cost code manually, you need to have the **Cost Code Creation Policy** activated in **Administration > Settings > Cost Codes**.

> 🔒 PERMISSIONS
>
> To create a cost code, you must have the **Create cost code** permission enabled for your role in **Administration > Role Permissions > Job sites**.

Follow these steps to manually create a cost code:

1. Open the **Job Sites** tab from the left-hand navbar of your MobiClocks Web App.
2. Navigate to the job site you want to add a cost code to and open the **Cost codes** tab in the job site details.
3. Open the **Actions** menu and select **Create cost code**.
4. Fill in the following fields in the dialog box:
   1. **Type**. The [cost type](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/cost-codes#cost-types).
   2. **Cost code**. Add a name for the cost. A cost code name usually includes a numeric identifier and account name (the unique name assigned to an account in an accounting system), but you can use any format depending on your cost code structure. For more information on cost code naming, see [Cost coding overview](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/cost-coding).
   3. **Description**. Add any additional information to the cost code.
   4. **Group**. Use this field to organize and categorize cost codes by specific designations such as buildings, areas, phases, or other groupings.
   5. **Hourly Rate**. Specify an hourly pay rate for the cost code.
   6. **Unit of measure**. The [unit of measure](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/add-and-edit-measurement-units) for the cost code. Visible if you have [production quantity](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/production-quantity) enabled.
   7. **Make Standard**. If you mark a cost code as standard, it is applied to all job sites in your environment.
   8. **Is Billable**. Specify if the cost code is [billable](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/cost-codes#billable-field-visibility) or not.
   9. **User-defined fields**. Additionally, you may have one or more custom fields if you have any [user-defined fields](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/user-defined-fields) specified.
5. Select **Save** to create the cost code.

When you save a newly created cost code, it starts appearing in the list of cost codes of the selected job site. Further on, you can edit the cost code and add more details to it. See [Editing cost codes and adding more details](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#editing-cost-codes-and-adding-more-details).

## Import cost codes manually

With manual import, you can import an Excel file with one or more cost codes.

> 🔒 PERMISSIONS
>
> To import cost codes, you must have the **Import cost codes** permission enabled for your role in **Administration > Role Permissions > Job sites**.

Follow these steps to manually import a cost code:

1. Navigate to the job site you want to add cost codes to and open the **Cost codes** tab in job site details.
2. Open the **Actions** menu and select **Cost Code Excel Import**.
3. In the dialog box that opens next, select **Excel template** to download the file. The Excel file contains the template sheet that you need to fill in and an example sheet with placeholder data for reference. In the template sheet, you have the following fields:
   1. **COST CODE**. This field is equivalent to the **Name** field in [Create cost codes manually](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#create-cost-codes-manually).
   2. **COST CODE DESCRIPTION**. Same as **Description** in [Create cost codes manually](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#create-cost-codes-manually).
   3. **SUB-JOB / GROUP**. Same as **Group** in [Create cost codes manually](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#create-cost-codes-manually).
   4. **COST CODE TYPE**. The [cost type](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/cost-codes#cost-types).
   5. **STANDARD**. Same as **Is Standard** in [Create cost codes manually](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#create-cost-codes-manually). If the cost code is standard, you need to enter `TRUE` as the cell value. Otherwise, leave the cell empty.
   6. **BUDGET, PLANNED HOURS, PRODUCTION QUANTITY and UNIT OF MEASURE**. Used if you have [production quantity](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/production-quantity) enabled.
4. After completing the Excel file with all the cost codes that you need to import, return to the dialog box in the Web App that the template was downloaded from.
5. Select **Attach** and upload the completed template.
6. Select **Upload** to upload the data.

Now, the uploaded cost codes will appear in the list of cost codes of the selected job site. Further on, you can edit the cost codes and add more details. See [Editing cost codes and adding more details](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#editing-cost-codes-and-adding-more-details).

## Import cost codes from integrations

You can use MobiClocks integrations as your data source, and, in some cases, the data includes cost codes as well.  To see if a given integration supports cost code or standard cost code importing, visit the integration page under [Integrations](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/integrations-overview).

To get familiar with the process of syncing and importing data from integrations, see [How integrations work](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/how-it-works).

> 📘 NOTE
>
> When importing cost codes from integrations, **standard cost codes** are imported to all job sites at once. In turn, **regular cost codes** are grouped by job site, and you can sync and import each job site's cost codes separately.

## Copy cost codes from another job site

Use the **Copy from** option to copy the cost codes from one or more job sites in your environment. Select the job sites from the dialog and select **Save**, as shown in the following screenshot.

<Image src="https://files.readme.io/139ca30dd5647b2b8bda0cdd3a432e9a13cdcd85649c91df84f5c0cab5070797-image.png" align="center" width="600px" caption="Copy from dialog" />

> 🔒 PERMISSIONS
>
> To copy cost codes from another job site, you must have the **Copy cost code** permission enabled for your role in **Administration > Role Permissions > Job sites**.

## Editing cost codes and adding more details

Now that you have added cost codes to your MobiClocks environment, you can view them in the cost code list, edit cost code details, as well as add more information. All of this is done in the cost codes list, which is located in the **Cost codes** tab of each job site's [details](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/job-site-details). The following is a list of the fields where you can add or view new details or edit cost codes.

### Synced status

The cost code list has a **Synced status** field that indicates how the cost code has been added to your environment. It can have the following values:

* **Manual**. The cost code has been created [manually](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#create-cost-codes-manually).
* **Name of an integration**. The name of the MobiClocks [integrations](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/integrations-overview) that the cost code has been [imported from](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/define-cost-codes#importing-cost-codes-from-integrations).

### Budget

Here, you can indicate a budget for the cost code.

### Planned hours

This field is for specifying how many hours have been allocated for a given cost code.

### Planned PQ

The **Planned PQ** field is for indicating the planned production quantity for a cost code. It is shown if the production quantity feature is enabled for the selected job site. See [Production quantity](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/production-quantity) for more information on production quantity and how it is set up.

### Status

When a cost code is added to your environment, its status is `Enabled` by default. If you disable a cost code, it will no longer be available in the [Cost Coding](https://docs.mobiclocks.com/docs/apply-cost-codes) section to be applied to timelogs.

### Edit and delete

Lastly, there is an **Actions** column in the cost codes list where you can edit cost code details or delete the cost code.

> 🔒 PERMISSIONS
>
> To edit or delete a cost code, you must have the **Edit/delete cost code** permission enabled for your role in **Administration > Role Permissions > Job sites**.

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