Project Rates

Entering and using project rates

Project rates are one of the most important and powerful features available in PlanX. The rates tab allows you to document person-, role-, task-, and project-specific rates. This greatly reduces the effort currently required to track rates and make sure you are using the correct rates on invoices. The rates tab provides the following capabilities:

Create complex rates structures, such as overhead and fixed fee rates
Input simple pay rates and loaded rates
Create role-based rates
Enter unique rates per task or work order
Document and compare pay rates versus bill rates
Record rate changes mid-project without compromising past data
Restrict billing time to specific date ranges

This article explains how to use and input data in the rates tab. Please see the rates examples article for ideas of how the rates table can be used.

Navigation

The rates tab is available on the project detail page to all users with necessary permissions. The screenshot below shows the rates table before any staff have been added to the project. Some users will only be able to view the rates tab, others can view and edit.

Adding and Editing Staff

Add Staff

Click the Add Staff button at the top right of the page to add staff. Adding staff to the rates table will allow them to bill to this project.

Type the users name and select their profile.
Enter the user's role.
Click "Create" and the user will be added to the table.

Edit Staff

Hover over a staff persons name and click the pencil icon to begin editing. Initially the following edit options are available:

"Add New Role" allows you to add a separate role for that staff.
"Edit Role/Rate" allows you to edit a role and the rates associated with the role.
"Remove Staff" will remove the staff from the rates table. This cannot be done if they have existing time entries on the project.

After clicking the "Edit Role/Rate" option you can edit rate values, rate dates, add new rates, and the title of the role. You must save and exit before editing different roles.

Adding and Editing Rate Columns

The Base Rate column is available by default and cannot be edited or removed. Please refer to the Base Rate article to learn more. To add a new column click the "Add Column" button at the top right of the page.

Enter the column name.
Select True or False for "Include in Final Rate?". This indicates if that value should be summed in the final rate, when marked false the values entered are for information only.
Select the Input type. "Direct Input" allows you to type a specific value. "Multiply by Column" allows you to calculate the value based on another column. This is often used for overhead or fixed fee rates. If you select the multiply option you are required to select the start value (the column to multiply) and the multiplier value.
Click create and then Save on the main page.
To edit a column click on the title and edit the inputs.

Rates Table Behavior

When the rates table is empty (before any columns or staff have been added) you will also have the option to copy rates from another project. This will copy all staff, columns, and values from the project you select.

All columns will be automatically summed into the final rate, unless they are marked False for "Include in Final Rate". If a column is not included in the final rate it will show in a lighter color. The final rate indicates the rate used for invoices, billing, and financial reports This is often referred to as the loaded rate or bill rate depending on your industry and region.

Each column will have an info icon telling you if that column is being multiplied by a value or if it is summed in the final rate.

You can toggle the "Dollar Amounts" switch to "Multipliers" to see either data value. For multiplied columns you can edit the value or multiplier and it will be calculated either way.