> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://learn.withessential.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://learn.withessential.com/administration/settings/turn-on-job-costing-and-set-cost-rates.md).

# Turn on Job Costing and set cost rates

Job Costing settings turns cost tracking on for your business and holds the per-technician cost rates used to value clocked labor.

Turn on **Job costing** and save. Once it's on, a Cost Rates section appears below the toggle.

## Set a technician's cost rate

1. Select a team member from the list on the left (search narrows it).
2. Enter their hourly **Cost rate ($/hr)** and an **Effective from** date, then **Save rate**.
3. The rate applies to clocked time from its effective date onward. To change a technician's rate going forward, add a new rate with a later effective date rather than editing the old one — Rate history keeps every rate and the date it started.

A technician with no rate set shows a "No rate" warning — their labor currently costs $0 on every job, which overstates margin. Removing a historical rate re-values labor cost on jobs in that window using the previous rate (or $0 if there isn't one), so use Remove carefully.

## Choose how travel time hits job costs

If you track travel time (see [Set up Time & Pay for timecards](/administration/settings/set-up-time-and-pay-for-timecards.md)), **Travel time in job costs** decides how recorded drive time is treated when costing a job:

* **Count all travel in job labor** — drive time to and between jobs is costed to the job it's for. This is the default and matches how jobs were costed before travel tracking.
* **Keep travel out of job costs** — only on-site time is costed; drive time shows on the job as unallocated travel (overhead, not per-job cost).
* **Count only drives between jobs** — the first commute of a technician's day stays out of job costs; mid-day drives are costed to the job they lead to.
* **Match the pay policy** — cost exactly the travel time that's paid under your Time & Pay travel rules, so job costs mirror payroll.

This is independent of whether travel is *paid* — a business can pay a commute without costing it to the job, or the reverse. Travel a job doesn't absorb shows on the Job Costing card as "not allocated."

If travel tracking is off, the page says so and offers to turn it on right there — technicians then get the On My Way travel clock (no GPS features required), and the pay-side rules live in [Time & Pay](/administration/settings/set-up-time-and-pay-for-timecards.md).

Turning Job Costing off hides the Job Costing card, dashboard figures, and job costing reports across the app, but keeps your cost rates and history so you can turn it back on later.

> **Where to find it:** Settings -> Job Costing

Managing this page, including cost rates, needs the job-costing manage permission; viewing job costing data elsewhere in the app needs the view permission — see [What the permissions control: a tour of the catalog](/administration/settings/what-the-permissions-control-a-tour-of-the-catalog.md). This settings page stays reachable by permission alone even while Job Costing is off, so an admin can always turn it back on.

## Related guides

* [Job Costing on a job: revenue, costs, and margin](/customers-and-work/jobs/job-costing-on-a-job.md)
* [Set up Time & Pay for timecards](/administration/settings/set-up-time-and-pay-for-timecards.md)
* [Job costing reports: profitability, cost breakdown, and more](/reporting-and-integrations/reporting/job-costing-reports.md)
* [Feature availability and setup](/getting-started/getting-started/feature-availability-and-setup.md)


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