Use Cost Categories to classify service costs for reporting, defaults, labor and reimbursement workflows, and posting setup. This guide is intended for tenant or service administrators who maintain shared Service settings.
Naming rule: Each cost category name must be unique within the current company and business unit. Differences in capitalization or extra spaces do not create a distinct name.
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Go to Settings > Service > Cost Categories. The list shows Name, Description, Is Labor, Sort Order, General Product Posting Group, and Active status.
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Use the Search cost category box to filter the displayed records. Select a category name to open it for editing or select Refresh to reload the list.
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Select New to create a category or open an existing category from the list. Complete the following fields:
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Name (Required) - Enter a clear, unique category name of up to 80 characters. Blank names and names that duplicate an existing category after spaces and capitalization are normalized are not accepted.
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Description (Optional) - Enter up to 200 characters of supporting information that helps users choose the correct category.
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Is Labor (Optional) - Keep selected when the category represents labor. Clear it for non-labor costs such as parts, travel expenses, or reimbursements. New categories default to selected; this choice controls which workflows and pickers can offer the category.
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Sort Order (Optional) - Enter a whole number that controls the category's position in ordered lists. The default is 100; lower numbers appear before higher numbers, with Name used to order categories that share the same value.
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General Product Posting Group (Optional) - Select the posting group used first when inventory costs in this category are sent to the ERP. If this field is blank, FORGE falls back to the posting group on the product.
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Active (Optional) - Keep selected to make the category available for use. Clear it to hide the category from active pickers while preserving historical records. New categories are active by default.
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Select Save. FORGE validates the required field and uniqueness rule. Return to the list and confirm that the category's classification, sort order, posting group, and Active status are correct.
Maintain or Deactivate a Category
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Open the category from the list, make the needed changes, and select Save.
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To stop new use without removing history, clear Active and save the record. The category remains visible in this setup list so it can be reviewed or reactivated later.
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Review downstream defaults and accounting mappings before changing Is Labor or the General Product Posting Group on a category already in use.
Operational Notes
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Labor categories are used by labor-focused service workflows; non-labor categories are used by expense and reimbursement workflows where applicable.
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Deactivating a category preserves existing history but removes it from active selections.