Entering Manually Added Transactions

Another way to enter costs on a service invoice is by using the Plus + buttons attached to each of the five cost categories. The Plus + buttons are used to enter manually added costs. Examples of manual costs are items not in inventory or not purchased as a payable item, or a salaried employee doing hourly work on a service call. These are costs you have incurred completing the service work that you want to be reflected on the customer's invoice.

If you are using COGS, the manual accounts must match the normal accounts.

You could also use the Plus + button to add costs if you do not have the Microsoft Dynamics GP Accounts Payable, Payroll, or Inventory modules.

Manual cost transactions are not posted to a subsidiary ledger (including Accounts Payable, Payroll, or Inventory). These cost transactions will post to the service call record and directly to Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger.

Because the procedure for entering costs in the equipment, material, subcontractors, and other cost categories is similar, we address them in Entering manually added non-labor transactions. adding costs to the labor category follows. Lastly, we address adding travel costs to invoices.

The debit and credit accounts selected during the Service Management invoice accounts setup process for these cost categories will be used to create a general journal transaction in Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger.

The Billable and Taxable checkboxes default to marked, except for MC and MCC call types. Once you post the transaction, you are able to edit the Billing Amount, however, the checkbox cannot be marked.

Entering Manually Added Non-Labor Transactions

Selecting the Plus + button attached to the equipment, material, subcontractor, or other category opens the Added Costs window. Choosing this button creates a general ledger entry for the cost portion of the transaction, provided you're using General Ledger. If you're not, no accounting audit trail is created.

If you do not have the Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger module registered or if you chose to disable the Post button during the Invoice module setup process, the Post button at the top of the Added Costs window will be disabled.

The same Added Costs window is used when entering costs in cost categories 1, 2, 4, or 5. The Added Costs window for the third cost category has different fields.

The top section of the Added Costs window lists the service call number, location name, source document, and cost code, all in disabled fields. You can review the price matrix selected for the customer's location by selecting the expansion button attached to the Price Matrix field.

1. Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager.
2. Select a customer and select the History indicator.
3. Double-click a call.
4. Select Invoice.
5. Select a Plus + button in a cost category other than Labor. The Added Costs window opens.
6. Complete the remaining fields, as necessary.
   • GL Batch ID, Date
     The batch ID you selected in the Service Invoice window and the system date default. A batch ID is not needed if you want to post the transaction immediately.
   • Vendor, Quantity
     Use the lookup to select a vendor name. The billing amount is divided by the quantity to determine the unit price. The Quantity field isn't available for the fourth cost category.
   • Extended Cost Amount
     Reflects your company's cost for the transaction. You could enter a negative amount to record a credit. If you are adding a cost in the fourth cost category, you will be able to apply a markup percentage to the amount. For instance, since we labeled our fourth category Subcontractors, we could mark up all our subcontractors' costs by a flat percentage.
   • Billing Amount
     Calculated based on the pricing matrix chosen for this location. This amount can be edited. If you entered a negative extended cost amount, $0.00 defaults; you must manually enter the negative amount in this field.
   • Equipment ID
     You may wish to identify an equipment record with a cost transaction to establish a cost history for that piece of equipment.
   • Item Description, Unit of Measure, Item Number
     The description appears in the Description field in the Costs window. The Unit of Measure and Item Number fields aren't available when entering costs in the fourth cost category.
   • Notes
     You can enter extensive notes in the scrolling window.
7. When you are finished entering data in the Added Costs window, select Save. You can select Post to post the transaction to Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger. We recommend batch posting instead of real-time posting. See Editing Cost Transactions from Service Management.

Entering Manually Added Labor Transactions

When creating an invoice, a transaction for a salaried employee may need to be entered in Service Management but not in the Microsoft Dynamics GP Payroll module. The salaried employee may be a supervisor who worked a few hours helping a technician dispatched to a service call. This type of transaction can be entered manually in the Service Invoice window without being entered in Payroll.

Choosing the Plus + button in the Labor, or third, cost category opens the Added Costs window. Choosing this button creates a general ledger entry if you are using Microsoft Dynamics GP General Ledger. If you are not, no accounting audit trail is created for the cost portion of the transaction.
The top section of the Added Costs window lists the service call number, location name, and source document all in disabled fields. The labor rate group is also listed with an expansion button to allow you to review the labor rate selected for the customer's location.

1. Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager.
2. Select a customer and select the History indicator.
3. Double-click a call and select Invoice.
4. Select the Plus + button in the Labor cost category. To add a labor cost transaction for an employee, the employee must be set up in Service Management and Microsoft Dynamics GP with the employee's position and pay code in Microsoft Dynamics GP corresponding to the labor rate's job title and pay code in Service Management.
5. Complete the following fields, as necessary.
   • GL Batch ID
     The batch ID you selected in the Service Invoice window defaults.
   • Cost Code
     View/edit the cost code. Cost code 6 defaults. Cost categories 6 through 10 are labor subcategories; you can select cost codes 6 through 10 using the browse buttons or the lookup window. The total of these amounts is added and reflected in the third cost category.
   • Equipment ID
     You may wish to identify an equipment record with a cost transaction to establish a cost history for that piece of equipment.
   • Employee ID
     Identifies the employee, as set up in the Employee Maintenance window.
   • Job Title
     Once an employee ID is selected, the employee's current job title fills in. The job title was selected upon creating the employee record in the Microsoft Dynamics GP Employee Maintenance window.
   • Date
     The system date defaults.
   • Pay Code
     Enter the pay code for the labor transaction or select one from the attached lookup window. The Employee Pay Codes lookup window contains the employee ID and displays the pay codes set up for the specific employee ID during the employee setup process.
   • Hours, Cost Per Hour
     Enter the number of hours. If you chose to display the pay rate for your technician's labor during the Invoice module setup process, the Cost Per Hour field will show the current pay rate for the technician's labor established in the Employee Maintenance window.
   • Extended Cost + Overhead
     If you chose to display the pay rate for your technician's labor, the Extended Cost + Overhead field will show the total cost of the employee's labor using your entries in the Hours and Cost Per Hour fields. The calculation of these two fields enters automatically in the Extended Cost + Overhead field:
     • The Extended Cost is the pay rate multiplied by the number of hours.
     • The Overhead amount is based on the labor rate group set up for the location.
   • Billing Amount
     The labor rate schedule selected for the customer's location will calculate this amount, which you can edit if necessary.
   • Item Description, Notes
     The description will appear in the Description field in the Costs window. You can enter extensive notes in the Notes scrolling window.

After the transaction is entered in the Added Costs window, it can be saved, deleted, or posted. The Save button saves the transaction in Service Management and in the General Ledger transaction work file. The Post button immediately posts the transaction to the general ledger with or without a GL batch ID and returns you to the Service Invoice window. Closing the Added Costs window returns you to the Service Invoice window and updates the transaction totals in the Cost and Billable fields. You may need to select the Redisplay button to update the totals. See Editing Cost Transactions from Service Management.

Entering Travel Transactions

Service Management allows you to charge customers for travel expenses. Travel cost transactions appear in the Other cost category in the Service Invoice window.

1. Select Cards > Service Management > Service Manager.
2. Select a customer and select the History indicator.
3. Double-click a call and select Invoice.
4. Select Travel. A travel charge is not automatically added to each invoice. You must open the Travel window and save the travel cost transaction before it can be included on an invoice.
5. Complete the following fields, as necessary.
   • GL Batch ID
     Defaults from the batch ID in the Service Invoice window, if you entered one.
   • Equipment ID
     You may wish to identify an equipment record with a cost transaction to establish a cost history for that piece of equipment.
   • Date
     The system date defaults.
   • Transaction Description
     If you entered a transaction description during setup, it will default. See Setting up Travel Costs.
   • Travel Units
     If you entered a travel unit description during setup, the field below the Transaction Description field will be labeled as such.
   • Cost Rate
     Reflects the expenses that your company incurs on a per-travel unit basis to operate a vehicle. This rate could reflect depreciation expenses, maintenance expenses, leasing costs, and insurance costs per mile for the vehicle. Defaults from the cost rate you chose during setup if you entered one.
   • Billing Rate
     The rate you charge the customer to cover your cost rate. Usually, customers are charged a billing rate per mile to cover their operating and maintenance expenses. Defaults from the billing rate you chose during setup if you entered one.
   • Cost Amount
     Calculated for you, using the number of travel units and the cost rate.
   • Billing Amount
     Calculated for you using the number of travel units and the billing rate. You can override either amount, if necessary. If the billing amount is less than the minimum charge that was entered in the Travel Setup window, you will receive a message alerting you to this, and the minimum charge will default to the Billing Amount field.
6. Save or post the transaction. Select Save to save the transaction in Service Management and in the general ledger. Select Post to immediately posts the transaction to the general ledger with or without a batch ID. Saving or posting a transaction adds it to the Costs scrolling window.

Closing the Travel window returns you to the Service Invoice window and enters the travel cost totals in the Cost and Billable Other fields. See Editing Cost Transactions from Service Management.