---
title: "Expense categories — Clock Clerk user guide"
description: "The Expense categories tab under Settings in Clock Clerk: the categories people choose when they claim an expense."
url: "https://clockclerk.com/guide/screens/admin-expense-categories"
---

Screens

# Expense categories

The one list of what people in your organization may claim expenses for, whether each kind is billed to the client by default, and above what amount a claim needs a receipt. How claims are made, reviewed and paid back is covered in [Expenses and reimbursements](https://clockclerk.com/guide/workflows/expenses-and-reimbursements.md).

![Expense categories as an administrator, under the kicker Global catalog, with the tag 4 active · 4 total and New category at the top right. A note says what Billable and Inactive mean. The table lists Accommodation, Meals, Software and Travel with their Default billing, Billable or Non-billable for Meals, the number of expenses under each, Active, and Edit and Delete. Below the table, + New category, and a Receipts card with Receipt needed above set to 25 and the line Expenses over $25.00 need a receipt by default.](https://clockclerk.com/guide/img/admin-expense-categories-list.webp)

Expense categories, with the receipt threshold below the list.

## Who sees it

Administrators only: it is **Expense categories** under **Settings** in the menu, at [/admin/expense-categories](https://app.clockclerk.com/admin/expense-categories). Anyone else who opens the address is told *You don't have access to this area*. It is on every plan.

A new organization starts with no categories, and until there is one nobody can claim an expense. The screen says so: *No categories yet, so nobody can claim an expense.*

While an administrator has Expenses turned off for the organization, this screen is gone from the menu and from **Jump to**, and opening its address takes you to Home. The categories and the receipt threshold are kept as they are, still apply to the claims submitted before, and are back here when Expenses is turned on again.

## The categories

- At the top, how many categories are active and how many there are, for example *4 active · 4 total*.
- One row per category, in name order: the **Category**, its **Default billing** (**Billable** or **Non-billable**), how many **Expenses** have been claimed under it, and its **Status**, **Active** or **Inactive**.

The billing is only where a new claim starts: the person claiming can still change it on each expense. A claim on a project that is not billed to the client is never billed, whatever the category says.

## Adding and changing a category

1. Choose **New category** (at the top, or **+ New category** under the list), or **Edit** on a category's row.
2. Fill in the **Name**. Tick or clear **Billable to the client by default** and **Active — offered on the claim form**. Both start ticked on a new category.
3. Choose **Create category**, or **Save changes**.

Two categories cannot share a name, whatever the capitals: the app says *There is already an expense category with that name.*

Renaming a category or changing its billing affects new claims only. Each claim keeps the name and billing it was made with, so nothing already approved or invoiced changes.

## Deactivating or deleting a category

- **To retire a category**, choose **Edit** and clear **Active — offered on the claim form**. It leaves the claim form but stays on the expenses already recorded under it.
- **Delete** asks **Delete this category?**, and **Delete category** removes it. This works only for a category nothing has been claimed under. Otherwise the app says *Expenses have been claimed under this category. Deactivate it instead, so it stays on them and leaves the picker. Deactivate it instead.*

## Receipts

**Receipt needed above** is the amount over which a claim needs a receipt, in your organization's currency. Type it and choose **Save threshold**, or **Discard** to go back to the saved amount.

- Empty means receipts are never required, and the line under it says *Receipts are not required by default.*
- **0** requires a receipt on every expense.
- Any other amount requires one on claims over it: a claim of exactly that amount needs none.
- It has to be zero or more. A negative amount, or anything that is not a number, is stopped before it is sent: *The threshold is an amount of zero or more, or empty for never.* More than two decimal places is refused by the server: *A receipt threshold is an amount of zero or more, to the cent. Leave it empty for none.*

A client can have a threshold of its own, which then applies to claims on its projects. That is set under **Customer settings** on the invoices screens, which need a plan with invoicing.

A week with a claim over the threshold and no receipt cannot be submitted. [My Week](https://clockclerk.com/guide/screens/week.md) marks it **Receipt needed**.

## Buttons and when they appear

| Button | What it does | When you have it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| New category, + New category | Opens **New expense category**. **Create category** is disabled until there is a name. | Always. While your organization is read-only, **New category** is disabled and **+ New category** is hidden. |
| Edit | Opens **Edit category** to change the name, the billing default or whether it is active. | On every row, unless your organization is read-only. |
| Delete | Asks **Delete this category?**, then **Delete category** removes it. | On every row, unless your organization is read-only. Refused for a category with expenses. |
| Save threshold | Saves **Receipt needed above**. | Unless your organization is read-only. Disabled until you change the amount. |
| Discard | Puts back the saved threshold. | While you are changing the amount. |

Each change is checked again when you press it: only an administrator can change the categories or the threshold (see [Roles](https://clockclerk.com/guide/roles.md)).