Add Cost Codes Manually

You can easily expand your master cost code list at any time by manually adding standard (like CSI) or custom codes. This flexibility ensures that your financial documents—such as budgets, estimates, and contract breakdowns—stay highly accurate and granular as project requirements change.

Adding individual cost codes on the fly is especially useful for:

• Quickly tracking ad-hoc work, Time & Materials (T&M), or new recurring costs.
• Creating highly specific codes for quantity-specific tasks or distinct deliverables, such as separate codes for pouring 2,500 sq. ft. versus 3,500 sq. ft. of concrete.
• Appending a small handful of items without needing to format a new document.

This article explains how to manually add cost codes one by one; if you need to upload a large batch of codes at once, please see our guide on Import Cost Codes from a Spreadsheet File. 

To add new cost codes

• Open the 'Cost Code' screen
• Click '+Add Row' at the bottom. 

A new blank row gets added at the bottom of the list.

Enter the values for the tasks under the following column headers:

• Cost Code: The unique identifier or CSI code for the cost item you are defining. Entering this code into financial documents (like budgets or estimates) will automatically populate the associated cost item.
• Task Name: A short, descriptive label for the cost item.
• Division Code and Division Name: Applicable exclusively to CSI codes, these read-only fields display the code and descriptive name of the work discipline per the CSI MasterFormat. Both values auto-populate once the draft list is saved.  
• Task Type: Select the category of the work (e.g., ADMIN, OFFICE, FIELD, T&M, or Recurring Cost).
• Cost Type: Select the classification of the expense. Can be Fixed (predefined allocation) or Variable (changes based on usage or conditions).
• Cost Attribution: How the cost is allocated. Can be Direct (project-specific, like materials, labor, and equipment) or Indirect (overhead, miscellaneous, and subcontractors).
• Quantity: The amount of work done or deliverables achieved (Applies only to Quantity-Specific Tasks).
• Effort: The labor required to complete the specified quantity (Applies only to Quantity-Specific Tasks).
• Unit: The unit of measurement for the quantity (Applies only to Quantity-Specific Tasks). Click inside the 'Unit' cell of the row to open the selection window:
  • Category: Defines the broader classification of the measurement, such as Length, Area, Volume, Weight, or Count.
  • Unit: Defines the exact unit of measurement used to quantify the work item, based on the selected category.
  • Click 'Save'
• Status: Indicates whether the cost code is currently active or inactive.
• Remove: An action button to temporarily remove the cost code from your active company list.

The entered values are auto-saved and take effect instantly.

• Click '+Add Row' and repeat the process to add more line items.

The items are included in your company cost code list and are auto-added with color codes. You can change these color codes as required. See 'Change the Color Code of a Cost Item' in the previous page for guidance on this.