Expense Categories in TimeFlow

Before you start

You need accounting permission.

Finding this in the UI

• Left sidebar → Accounts Manager → Expense Categories, or go directly to /dashboard/accounting/expense-categories.
• The header and footer do not have direct links to Expense Categories.

The Expense Categories list

TimeFlow seeds 11 built-in categories out of the box (tagged System next to their name — Inventory Purchases, Insurance, Marketing & Advertising, Office Supplies, Professional Fees, Rent, Repairs & Maintenance, Salaries & Wages, Utilities, and more), alongside any you create. The list has Search Categories (name or description), a Kind filter, and a Show inactive toggle, with columns Name, Kind, Description, Status, and Actions (edit pencil, delete trash icon) — System categories aren't protected from editing or deletion.

Creating a category

Click Add Category and fill in:

• Name* — e.g. "Rent" or "Stock Purchases".
• P&L Kind* — one of:
  • Cost of Sales / Inventory — "For stock and inventory purchases. Excluded from operating expense totals (COGS handles inventory cost)."
  • Operating Expense — "Rent, salaries, utilities, and other day-to-day operating costs."
  • Other Expense — anything that doesn't fit the two categories above.
• Description — optional free text.
• Active toggle (on by default) — "Inactive categories are hidden from pickers but remain on historical invoices."

Click Create Category to save it. Click the pencil icon on a row to Edit it (Update Category to save), or the trash icon to Delete one — a confirmation dialog warns that linked purchase invoices will become uncategorized and appear as operating expenses on reports.

Tips

• Choosing the right P&L Kind matters — it decides whether the expense shows under Cost of Sales or Operating Expenses on the Income Statement (see Financial Statements).
• Deactivate a category you no longer use instead of deleting it, so past purchase invoices keep their category label.