Rate Schedules

This article discusses the Rates tab in the Billing Setup Advanced tool. Here, the user can create rate schedules, which set default hourly rates and expense rates.

Different projects may call for different rate schedules. In Billing Setup, you can add multiple rate schedules and set one rate schedule as the Org default. (This rate schedule can be overridden on the project level.) If there is more than one Rate Schedule, then these schedules will be listed in an alphabetized dropdown list beside the plus button.

Learn more about setting up access to rate-viewing. 

• Setting a Rate Schedule
• Team Members' Information
• Expense Rates

Setting a Rate Schedule

A rate schedule will provide you with a minimum time increment for entries and default hourly rates for users and default prices and descriptions for expenses. In order to generate invoices or apply hourly rates, a rate schedule must be created.

Create a Rate Schedule

1. Click Advanced > Billing Setup > Rates. Click on the main menu in the left top corner, and select “Advanced” from the dropdown. Choose “Billing Setup” from the menu on the lefthand side. In the Billing Setup section, select the “Rates” tab.
2. Click the “Add a Rate Schedule” button. If a rate schedule has already been added, the button will appear as a plus next to the dropdown of rate schedules available. Click on the plus.
3. Name your rate schedule. In the “Add a New Rate Schedule” window, enter the name of the new rate schedule. This name must be unique and must be 255 characters or fewer. In this window, you also have the option to “Create rate schedule based off of.” This option will input the information from the selected rate schedule into your new rate schedule, where you can edit and add to it.
   
4. Click “Create.” When you have filled out the fields in this window, click the “Create” button in the bottom right of the window. This will create either a blank rate schedule or a rate schedule with the information from another schedule you’ve decided to base it off of.

Choose a Time Increment

Each rate schedule can also include a minimum time increment for billing entries. When a minimum time increment has been chosen for a rate schedule, any project using that rate schedule will round up to the next minimum time increment for any time entry. 

For example, if project A uses a 0.1 hour minimum time increment, then a time entry of 8:00 minutes (about 0.13 hours) will appear on the invoice rounded up to 0.2 hours. All time entries on invoices will list the time adjusted for minimum time increments, but the original time is recorded and can be accessed through a report.

To set up a minimum time increment, find the “Minimum Time Increment” dropdown under the selected rate schedule. Click the dropdown and choose from no minimum time increment, 0.1 hour (6-minute) increments, or 0.25 hour (15-minute) increments.

The minimum time increment is set per rate schedule, so different minimum time increments can be set for different rate schedules. Changing the minimum time increment for a rate schedule will update all existing entries, unless the entry is on a finalized invoice.

Default Rate Schedules

Although rate schedules can be chosen on a project-by-project basis, one rate schedule can be marked as the default rate schedule for the Org, meaning that it will be the rate schedule automatically used for a new project. Learn more about default rate schedules. 

In order to set a default rate schedule:

1. Choose the rate schedule title. In the “Rates” tab of Billing Setup, choose the rate schedule you’d like to make the default from the dropdown menu.
2. Click “Set as Default.” Next to the name of the rate schedule, click the vertical ellipses menu. In the dropdown, select “Set as Default.”
   
3. Confirm. Choosing “Set as Default” will open a confirmation window. Make sure that this rate schedule is the one you want as a default, and that changing the default will not cause issues for any projects currently using the default. When you are sure, click “Set as Default.”
4. View the changes. Once a new rate schedule is set as the default, its title will have a default tag to the left of it, and its title in the dropdown menu will have an asterisk (*) after it.
   

Team Members' Information

Once a rate schedule has been added, you can set hourly rates, timekeeper IDs, and timekeeper classifications for each member of your team for that rate schedule. The hourly rates are used as default rates for that team member. The timekeeper ID and classification can be used for additional record keeping and for LEDES compliance.

Hourly Rates

Hourly rates are attached to one rate schedule, and any time you add a time entry in a project using that rate schedule, selecting the user will pull in the corresponding hourly rate. Hourly rates can be added for as many team members as you like, and not every team member needs to have a default hourly rate. If a user has rate permissions, the hourly rate for an individual time entry can be edited as part of editing the time entry.

Changing the default hourly rate for a team member will cascade to the un-invoiced time entries for that team member, so be careful when changing hourly rates for a rate schedule that is already being used for projects.

Entering Hourly Rates

1. Select the team member. In the “Rates” tab of the Billing Setup Advanced tool, under the “Time” heading, you will see a list of team members from your Org. Select the member you would like to add a rate for by either searching their name in the search bar or scrolling down the list to find them. Click on the team member. If you cannot find the member you are looking for, make sure that that member is added as a user to your entire Org.
   
   
2. Choose the rate. Once you have selected the member you would like to add a rate for, the “Edit Team Member” window will pop up. In the window, fill out the “Rate” field with the hourly rate for this member. Hit the “Save” button in the bottom right.
   
3. View changes. When a rate is added, that rate will appear to the right of the member’s name in the Time table.
   

Timekeeper ID and Classification

A user’s timekeeper ID and classification can be set by the rate schedule. If you are creating LEDES 1998B compliant bills, you must set the timekeeper ID and timekeeper classification for any team members whose time will be billed.

1. In the Time table, click on a team member to open the Edit Team Member modal.
2. Enter the Timekeeper ID and select a Timekeeper Classification from the dropdown. Learn more about LEDES timekeeper classifications. 
3. Click Save. 

Expense Rates

Once a rate schedule has been added, you will be able to add expenses in the “Rates” tab. These default expense items will be attached to a rate schedule, and when creating an expense entry, selecting this expense type will pull in the default description, price, and units for that item.

Changing the default units or price for an expense item will cascade to any un-invoiced, non-custom expenses for any project using this rate schedule, so be careful when changing price or units for expense items that are already being used for projects.

Entering Expense Items

1. Click the plus button. In the “Rates” tab of the Billing Setup Advanced tool, next to the “Expenses” heading, click on the plus symbol.
   
   
2. Add the expense. In the “Add an Expense” window, add a description (the expense title), price per unit, and unit measurement. When all fields are filled the “Create” button will become clickable. When you have filled out all fields, click “Create." 
   
   
3. View changes. When an expense is added, it will appear in the Expenses table. Expense items are listed alphabetically.