The Cost Categories section within your ProLine account allows you to define different types of expense categories that can be used for quote line items and project budgeting. Here's how to navigate, manage, and connect them.
Accessing Cost Categories
Click the hamburger menu (☰) in the top left corner of your ProLine account.
Scroll down and select "Company Settings"
A new window will appear in your browser
Select the "Price List" tab on the left side of the screen.
Overview
Cost Categories are used to organize and classify expenses for quoting and budgeting. They determine how individual line items on a quote are categorized and tracked.
Default Categories: ProLine starts with two defaults — Labor and Materials.
You can add as many additional categories as your business requires, such as:
Miscellaneous – for dumpsters, permits, warranties, etc.
Permits – for any government-required documentation.
Gutter Labor - helpful if you are needing to distinguish different types of material or labor
Rentals - if you do use rental equiptment you might want to separate it from a general labor or material cost.
Adding a New Cost Category
Click Add Cost Category.
Enter a Name for the category.
Select a color icon to visually differentiate it.
Click Create.
The new cost category will now appear in your list and can be assigned to items within your Price List.
Editing a Cost Category
Click the pencil icon next to any category to:
Rename the category.
Change its color icon.
QuickBooks Integration
If your ProLine account is connected to QuickBooks, you’ll see a QB icon next to each cost category. This feature lets you set default information for how your costs are sent to QuickBooks (QB) in the Budget tab within a project.
Gray QB icon = You have not set a QB **(**QuickBooks) default setting and chosen cost category type and it’s proper bank account for the integration.
Green QB icon = You have set a QB **(**QuickBooks) default setting and chosen the category type and bank account. This expense or bill will now be pre-filled automatically when you send your costs to QuickBooks (QB).
Configuring QuickBooks Defaults
Configuring QuickBooks Defaults
Click the **QB (**QuickBooks) icon to set or update your QuickBooks default settings.
For Expense-type Categories:
Choose Expense Category from your QuickBooks chart of accounts.
Select the appropriate Bank Account.
(Optional) Add a Memo.
For Bill-type Categories:
Choose Bill Category from your QuickBooks chart of accounts.
Choose the Vendor.
Select a Bill Expense Category.
Set the Billable Status:
Billable
Non-billable
Has been billed
(Optional) Enter a Bill Description.
Deleting a Cost Category
Click the trash can icon next to the category you wish to delete.
A confirmation pop-up will appear.
Deleting a cost category removes it from future use and affects all line items it was previously linked to in the price list. Once deleted, the associated cost category will be cleared and automatically set to “Not set.”
How Cost Categories Are Used
Assigned to each line item in your Price List.
Displayed in the Budget tab within each project.
Help you track and report expenses by type.
This setup allows for streamlined quoting, cleaner reporting, and improved budget management. Be intentional with your category structure to get the most out of ProLine’s budgeting tools.