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Categories, cost codes & vendors

These three lists (the "masters") are what every entry is booked against: what the money was spent on, which work it was for, and who was paid. They also decide the ledgers and cost centres your vouchers use in Tally.

Who uses this: Owner Admin Accountant

What each list is for

If you used the old petty cash Excel sheet, you already know these lists under other names:

Old Excel sheetIn SiteCashMeaningIn Tally
Sub HeadCategoryWhat the money was spent on, e.g. Hardware and Tools, Tea & Snacks Exp.The expense ledger
Super HeadCost codeWhich work or BOQ head it was for, e.g. 04 : RCC Frame Work Labour. On each site it shows with the site code: SH-04 : RCC Frame Work Labour.The cost centre (SH-04 : RCC Frame Work Labour)
Main HeadCategory's main headThe bigger group a category belongs to, e.g. Indirect Expenses.The group the ledger sits under
Cash Paid to / Recvd fromVendor / partyWho was paid (Shree Hardware, Om Transport…) or where the cash came from (Head Office Cash).The vendor's ledger, or the funding account

You find them in the menu as Categories, Cost Codes and Vendors & Parties. All three lists are shared by every site of your company.

Why it matters Reports group spending by category and cost code (see Reports & Excel), and the Tally export posts each entry to the ledger and cost centre from these lists (see How entries become Tally vouchers). Clean lists give clean reports and a clean Tally.

The ready-made lists

When you sign up, SiteCash fills in lists that construction companies commonly use, taken from a real builder's Excel master sheet, so you can start at once:

  • 36 cost codes, from 00 : Suspense / General, 01 : Labour Colony, Store, Office & Plant, 04 : RCC Frame Work Labour, 12 : Electrical Work with Material … up to 35 : Taxes, Statutory Charges & Office Expenses.
  • 45 categories, for example Tea & Snacks Exp (default cost code 35), Naka Labour For Shuttering Work (04), Electrical Products and Labour (12), Water Tanker Exp (31). Most are of kind Expense under main head Indirect Expenses. A few, like Hardware and Tools and Transportation/Freight - Goods, have no default cost code, so the person entering picks the work each time.
  • Three special categories: Paid Against Bill (kind Paid against bill), and Suspense A/c and Exp. For Other Site (kind Suspense, cost code 00).
  • No vendors. The vendor list builds itself as people type names on entries and bills (see Vendors & parties).
Tip Go through the lists once before the sites start entering. Rename what your team calls differently, deactivate what you never use, and fill the Tally ledger names where your Tally uses a different name.

Categories

A category says what the money was spent on. Site users choose one on every expense.

Categories list with kind, main head, default cost code, Tally ledger, number of entries and status for each category
The Categories list. Inactive categories are shown in grey at the bottom.
FieldWhat to enter
NameWhat the money was spent on, e.g. Cement or Diesel. Up to 120 characters. Must be unique.
KindExpense, Paid against bill or Suspense. See Category kinds.
Main head (Tally group)The Excel "Main Head", e.g. Indirect Expenses. As you type, SiteCash suggests common Tally groups (Indirect Expenses, Direct Expenses, Purchase Accounts, Sundry Creditors, Suspense A/c, Loans & Advances (Asset), Current Assets, Fixed Assets, Duties & Taxes) and the main heads you already use. When SiteCash creates this category's ledger in Tally, it puts it under this group.
Default cost codeThe cost code filled in automatically when someone picks this category. Choose Ask every time when it depends on the work (for example hardware can be for any work).
Tally ledgerThe exact ledger name in Tally. Leave it blank if the Tally ledger has the same name as the category ("Same as name").

The list also shows Entries: how many entries use the category. A category can be deleted only when no entries and no vendor bills use it (see Deactivate or delete).

Default cost code or "Ask every time"

On the expense form, choosing a category fills in its default cost code; the person can still change it. If the category is set to Ask every time, the cost code stays empty and the form says "Pick which work this expense belongs to." For an Expense category, the entry cannot be saved without a cost code ("Choose the cost code (which work is this expense for?).").

Careful when renaming If Tally ledger is blank, the Tally ledger name follows the category name. Renaming the category then makes future exports post to a new ledger. To keep posting to the old ledger, type the old name into Tally ledger before you rename.
Main head must match Tally The main head must be spelled exactly like a group in your Tally, or Tally cannot create the ledger under it. The ready-made Suspense A/c and Exp. For Other Site categories use main head Suspense A/c, Tally's built-in group, so they need no change.

Category kinds

The kind decides what the entry form asks for and how the entry goes to Tally.

KindUse it forOn the entry formIn Tally
ExpenseNormal site spending: tea, diesel, hardware, labour.Cost code is required. "Paid to" is optional.Debit the category's ledger with the cost centre.
Paid against billPaying a vendor's bill from site cash, e.g. ₹25,000 to Shree Hardware against their bill."Vendor (bill paid to)" is required. You can pick the vendor's open bill so the payment is matched to it (see Vendor bills). Cost code is optional.Debit the vendor's ledger (not the category's), so the vendor's balance goes down.
SuspenseMoney whose final head is not known yet, e.g. spent for another site, to be sorted out later by the accountant.Cost code is optional.Debit the category's ledger (e.g. Suspense A/c), to be moved later.
Good to know A "Paid against bill" category cannot be used as the category of a vendor bill; a bill needs a category that says what was bought.

Cost codes

A cost code says which work or BOQ head the money was for. Codes are shared by all sites. On each site the code is shown with the site code in front, so 04 : RCC Frame Work Labour appears as SH-04 : RCC Frame Work Labour on Sunrise Heights and GP-04 : RCC Frame Work Labour on Green Park Villas. That is also the Tally cost centre name, so each site has its own cost centres in Tally.

Cost codes list with code, name, the Tally cost centre name for the site, number of entries, how many categories use it as default, and status
The Cost Codes list. The "Tally cost centre" column shows the name for one of your sites as an example.
FieldWhat to enter
CodeShort and unique, e.g. 04 or 12A. Up to 10 characters: letters, numbers, dot and dash. Letters are saved as capitals.
NameThe work / BOQ head, e.g. RCC Frame Work Labour. Up to 150 characters.

The list shows Entries (how many entries use the code) and Default for (how many categories fill it in automatically). A cost code can be deleted only when no entries and no vendor bills use it.

Careful when renaming Changing the code or name renames the Tally cost centre in future exports. Vouchers already imported into Tally keep the old cost centre name there.

Vendors & parties

This list holds everyone money is paid to or received from: vendors, labour contractors, staff, and the accounts petty cash is funded from.

Vendors and parties list with search, type filter, type badges, Tally ledger, paid to and received from totals
The Vendors & Parties list with search, type filter and totals.

Types

TypeExamples
Vendor / supplierShree Hardware, Patel Electricals, Ganesh Tea Stall
Labour contractorMahadev Labour Contractor
Cash source / funding accountHead Office Cash: the account or person that tops up site petty cash
StaffYour own staff paid from site cash
OtherAnyone else, e.g. Om Transport if you prefer

The type matters on the entry form. On an expense, the "Paid to" suggestions show every type except cash sources. On cash received and cash returned, the "Received from" suggestions show only cash sources.

Cash sources and Tally SiteCash does not create funding accounts in Tally. Head Office Cash must already exist in Tally with exactly that name, or you put the Tally name in its Tally ledger field. See Ledgers that must already be in Tally.

Names are added automatically

You do not have to add every vendor first. When someone types a new name in "Paid to" on an expense, or on a vendor bill, SiteCash adds it as a Vendor / supplier. A new name in "Received from" on cash received or cash returned is added as a Cash source / funding account. Names are matched without caring about capitals, so "shree hardware" is the same party as "Shree Hardware". Afterwards, change the type if needed, e.g. set Mahadev Labour Contractor to Labour contractor.

Fields

FieldWhat to enter
NameAs it should appear on vouchers, e.g. Shree Hardware. Up to 150 characters. Must be unique.
TypeSee the table above. Use Cash source for the account or person that tops up the petty cash.
PhoneOptional, e.g. 98250 12345.
GSTINOptional. 15 characters, e.g. 24ABCDE1234F1Z5.
Tally ledgerThe exact ledger name in Tally. Leave blank to use the party name.

Search, filter and totals

  1. Type in Search name, phone, GSTIN or ledger and/or choose a type (or All types), then click Search.
  2. Click Clear to see everyone again.

For each party the list shows Paid to (expenses and cash returned to them) and Received from (cash received from them) in ₹, and a Total row for all parties that match. These totals come from petty cash entries only and leave out cancelled vouchers. The list shows at most the first 500 parties; search to find others. For bills, payments and what you still owe a vendor, use Vendor Outstanding.

Adding and editing

All three lists work the same way.

  1. Click the + Add category (or + Add cost code, + Add vendor / party) bar at the top to open the form.
  2. Fill in the fields and click Add category (Add cost code, Add party). A green message confirms it and the form is cleared for the next one.
  3. To change one, click Edit on its row. The form opens at the top with the current values. Click Save changes, or Cancel.
No duplicates SiteCash does not allow two categories or two parties with the same name, or two cost codes with the same code, even with different capitals ("Cement" and "cement"). Extra spaces are removed. You will see, for example, A category named "Cement" already exists. Use a different name or edit the existing one. or A party named "Shree Hardware" already exists. Search for it and edit it instead.

Deactivate or delete

Each row has Deactivate (or Activate) and, when it is not used, Delete.

DeactivateDelete
WhenAny time. Use it for things you no longer use.Only when no entries and no vendor bills use it. Otherwise the row shows In use instead of the Delete button (even when Entries is 0, if a vendor bill uses it).
What happensHidden from new entries. Old entries, reports and exports keep it. Status shows Inactive; click Activate to bring it back.Removed for good after you confirm ("… This cannot be undone.").
Good to know Deleting a cost code that some categories use as their default switches those categories to Ask every time; the confirmation tells you how many. Categories, cost codes and vendors that are used on vendor bills count as used, just like those used in entries: deactivate them instead.
Tip When in doubt, deactivate. Nothing is lost, and you can activate it again later.

Who can change the lists

  • Owner, Admin and Accountant see Categories, Cost Codes and Vendors & Parties in the menu and can add, edit, deactivate and delete.
  • Site users do not see these pages. They choose from the active categories and cost codes on the entry form, and a new name they type in "Paid to" or "Received from" is added to the vendor list automatically.

See Users, access & settings for roles.

Troubleshooting

If you see…It means…Do this
"That category is used in entries or vendor bills, so it cannot be deleted. Deactivate it instead to hide it from new entries." (the same for cost codes and parties: "That cost code is used in entries or vendor bills, …", "That party is used in entries or vendor bills, …")Some entry or vendor bill still uses it.Click Deactivate instead.
"… already exists."A row with that name or code is already in the list, maybe with different capitals or inactive.Search for it and edit or activate that one.
"The code can only use letters, numbers, dot and dash, e.g. 04 or 12A."The cost code has spaces or other signs.Use a short code like 04, and put the words in Name.
A category or cost code is missing on the entry formIt is inactive.Activate it in the list.
A vendor is missing in "Received from" suggestions (or a funding account in "Paid to")The suggestions are filtered by type.Edit the party and set the right type.
The same vendor appears twice with slightly different spelling ("Om Transports", "Om Transport")People typed the name differently.Deactivate the one you don't want (or delete it if no entries or vendor bills use it), and ask sites to pick from the suggestions.
Tally says a ledger does not exist, or a ledger was not createdThe Tally ledger name or main head does not match your Tally.Fix Tally ledger or Main head (Tally group). See Tally troubleshooting.
Saving shows the view-only message, or Deactivate / Delete takes you to Plan & BillingYour company is in view-only mode (trial or plan ended, renewal overdue, or suspended).Ask the owner or an admin to choose a plan. See View-only mode.
You cannot open these pagesYou are a site user.Ask the owner, an admin or the accountant (for example Neha Joshi) to make the change.