Charge codes

This topic introduces charge codes and provides details on how to create charge codes.

Overview of charge codes

Charge codes are entities used as links between work items and charge accounts.

In some organizations, actual time is used as information for charge-backs to an internal customer, external customer, or requestor. Time Management does not explicitly perform this charge-back or billing function. However, Time Management can specify charge codes, so that links can be created between work items and charge accounts to allow the time information to be extracted for a billing system.

Charge codes do not have hierarchical information or any dependencies. Charge codes are simply a list of values. You can use the Charge Code window to create, view, and update charge codes.

Note: To make new charge codes visible to a user, that user must be a member of a security group with Restrict Charge Codes to the following rules deselected in the Charge Code Rules tab in the Security Group Workbench, or that user must have the appropriate rules configured to allow access.

After selecting a time sheet line and clicking Line Details, users add charge codes to their time sheet lines on the Charge Codes/Activities tab.

Note: For resources whose time sheet policy disables entry of activities for all work item types (see Configure the Activities tab), the tab name is Charge Codes rather than Charge Codes/Activities and no section for activities is shown.

Default charge codes can be set for a time sheet line based on their configuration in work allocations, time sheet policies, and override rules. See Precedence of setting charge codes.

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Create and edit charge codes

Note: If your instance supports multiple languages, any charge code you create is defined in the language you selected at logon (your session language). After the charge code is created, it can be modified only in its definition language. For more information, see Multilingual User Interface.

To create a charge code:

  1. Click the Administration button in the masthead.

  2. From the Administration menu, click Workbench > Open Workbench on Desktop.

  3. From the shortcut bar, select Time Mgmt > Charge Codes.

  4. To create a charge code, click New Charge Code, complete the following fields in the Charge Code window:

    Field Name (*Required)

    Description

    *Charge Code Name

    Name of the charge code.

    *Description

    Description of the charge code.

    Charge Code Category

    Category of the charge code. The default options are as follows:

    • blank (the default, equivalent to ALL in the Charge Code Workbench)

    • Billable

    • Non-Billable

    These options can be changed as described in Time Management Validations.

    Department

    Department of the charge code.

    Client

    Client associated with the charge code. The default options are as follows:

    • blank (the default)

    • Client 1

    • Client 2

    These options can be changed as described in Time Management Validations.

    *Enabled

    Select the option to enable the charge code.

  5. Click OK.

To edit or delete a charge code:

  1. In the Charge Codes workbench, on the Query tab, enter search criteria and click List.
  2. To edit a charge code, on the Results tab, open the target charge code to edit, make necessary changes and then click OK.
  3. To delete a charge code, select the charge code, click Delete and then click Yes to confirm.

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Precedence of setting charge codes

Default charge codes can be set for a time sheet line according to the following order of precedence:

  1. Setting the charge codes in the work allocation. A work allocation can have associated charge codes with settings that specify whether users can update charge codes and whether users are required to enter charge codes for the time sheet line. If charge codes are required but the user does not enter any, the time sheet shows an error message when it is submitted. When a manager or planner creates a work allocation, access to it can be restricted to specified resources and groups. (For information about assigning charge codes to work allocations, see the Time Management User Guide.) When a user adds a work item to a time sheet, if any work allocation charge codes have been specified, they get assigned to the time sheet line. Any changes to the work allocation charge codes after the time sheet line has been created are not available for that line.

  2. Setting the charge codes in the time sheet policy. The Charge Codes tab in the Time Sheet Policy window allows you to set default charge codes for a time sheet policy. (See Configure the Charge Codes tab.) In the absence of work allocation charge codes, the default charge codes for a resource (using the resource's time sheet policy) are set for every time sheet line added to a time sheet. However, if work allocation charge codes exist, the Override Work Allocation Charge Codes option on the Charge Codes tab in the Time Sheet Policy window controls which charge codes are applied.

  3. Setting the charge codes in override rules. Override rules can determine charge codes, whether users can change the charge codes, and whether users are required to enter charge codes for the time sheet line. If a time sheet line meets the dependencies specified for an override rule and if charge codes are specified as results of the override rule, those charge codes are applied (if none have been applied yet). If the charge codes are updateable, the user can change them. If the charge codes are required, the user must specify charge codes for the line. If charge codes are required but the user does not enter any, the time sheet shows an error message when it is submitted. The override rule takes precedence over time sheet policy and work allocation charge codes only if the Override Time Sheet Policy Charge Codes and Override Work Allocation Charge Codes fields in the Override Rule window are set to Yes. For more information about override rules, see Rules.

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