Project Center: Settings - Assignments

You can set these rules for the selected project as well as its phases:

• Always show in Invoice Batch

  Adds a project to the Invoices screen for billing whether it has unbilled, approved time and expenses or not. This allows you to include, for instance, completed and yet-to-start projects on a joint invoice. When the project status is changed to 'Completed' or 'Canceled' and there is no unbilled time and expenses, this rule is automatically turned off in CORE. In other words, projects with status other than active are not considered for billing even if they have the 'Always show in Invoice Batch' rule applied.

• Auto approve expense entries

  This rule ensures that expense entries get automatically approved for the project. This option auto approves the entries when they are entered. You can set this option at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Auto approve time entries

  This rule ensures that time entries get automatically approved for the project. This option auto approves the entries when they are entered. You can set this option at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Automatically email invoice when processed

  CORE emails all the invoices of the project automatically when they are processed without any extra step or prompt. So if you make any errors in billing, you cannot revise the invoices.

• Automatically link expense entry attachments to invoices

  CORE allows you to link the expense entry-related PDF attachments automatically to the processed invoices of the project. It considers only the expense entries that are associated with the invoices. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Automatically link time entry attachments to invoices

  CORE allows you to link the time entry-related PDF attachments automatically to the processed invoices of the project. It considers only the time entries that are associated with the invoices. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Do not apply project assignment settings

  Allows you to ignore project assignments. If you have activity items, expense items, or team members assigned to the project, CORE disregards them as if the project has no assignments.

• Exempt item tax 1/2/3

  Exempts activity and expense item taxes (Tax 1/2/3) at the project level when entering time or expenses. However, if you manually enter these taxes in Time Entries or Expense Entries, this rule is then ignored.
  If this tax exemption option is selected at the client level, then all the projects of that client are tax exempted irrespective of the rule set here. Therefore, we recommend making specific tax exemptions at the project-level instead of the client-level.

• Generate WIP Revenue

  Allows WIP revenue to be generated selectively at the phase level. It is available only when Revenue Recognition is enabled and the project uses the Billed + WIP method. By default, the rule is turned off, giving you control to enable WIP revenue recognition only where needed, such as tracking billable hours or expenses against overhead phases.

• Hide non-billable expense entries on invoices

  By default, CORE includes the expense entries with $0 amounts on the detailed invoices as ‘No Charge’ items. You can check this option to prevent such (non-billable) entries from displaying on invoices. In that case, those units are deducted from the total units invoiced. You can set this rule at the global level for all invoices in the Settings screen.

• Hide non-billable time entries on invoices

  By default, CORE includes the time entries with $0 amounts on the detailed invoices as ‘No Charge’ items. You can check this option to prevent such (non-billable) entries from displaying on invoices. In that case, those hours are deducted from the total hours invoiced. You can set this rule at the global level for all invoices in the Settings screen.

• Include billable expenses in the contract amount

  Includes billable expenses as part of the contract amount. Otherwise, billable expenses are not part of the contract and are added on top of the contract amount. Thus, total amount spent is equal to the value of both billable and non-billable services and expenses, excluding WUD, markups, and extra time and expenses.
    
  Spent = (Client Hours x Bill Rate) x (1 +Taxes/100) + [Units x Cost Rate]
  
  In case of an expense entry, when it exceeds the contract amount and this rule is checked, the entry becomes billable and the Extra flag is checked. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Link vendor bill attachments to invoices

  CORE adds the attachments of the vendor bills automatically to their linked time and expense entries, which can then be transferred to the related invoices.

• Main Expense Tax excludes Tax 1/2/3

  MET excludes item taxes (Tax 1/2/3) associated with the expense items while computing the total tax amount to be charged on invoices. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Main Service Tax excludes Tax 1/2/3

  MST excludes item taxes (Tax 1/2/3) associated with the activity items while computing the total tax amount to be charged on invoices. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Memo is required for expense entry

  You can check this rule if you want all employees to enter memos for their expense entries on the project. This is usually required in government contracts. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Memo is required for time entry

  You can check this rule if you want all employees to enter memos for their time entries on the project. This is usually required in government contracts. You can set this rule at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Prevent expense entry after reaching allocated units

  CORE evaluates the expense entries wherein when expense units entered exceed the allocated units, you are prevented from entering more expenses. CORE prevents all non-billable expense entries after the project has exceeded the allocated units. This evaluation is done only within the date range specified in the Allocation & Forecasting screen and for fixed-type projects.

• Prevent time/expense entry for the project

  Locks out additional time/expense entries for a project. You can activate these rules if there is a temporary issue or dispute with a client about the project, such as lack of payments. You can apply them to any project regardless of its contract type. Although new entries cannot be added, you can update existing entries.

• Prevent time and expense entry after reaching contract amount

  Locks out additional time and expense entries after the total amount charged to a project (amount spent) equals or exceeds the contract amount. When checked, an evaluation is performed when time and expense entries are recorded to a project, where the Total Amount Spent [billable and non-billable services + non-billable expenses] is compared with the Contract Amount. When the amount spent exceeds the contract amount, you are prompted accordingly.
  
  Use this rule when a strict contract limit is in place and you must negotiate additional authorization before continuing. This rule applies to fixed-type projects, but does not apply to indirect time and expenses made via vendor bills. Although new entries cannot be added, you can update existing entries.

• Prevent time entry after reaching allocated hours

  CORE evaluates the time entries wherein when hours entered exceed the allocated hours, you are prevented from entering more hours. CORE prevents all time entries (billable and non-billable) after the project has exceeded the allocated hours. This evaluation is done only within the date range specified in the Allocation & Forecasting screen and for fixed-type projects.

• Project class supersedes vendor class

  You can override the selection of class at the vendor level by the class set at this project level.

• Restrict time and expenses to budgeted activities/employees/expenses

  If a budget is assigned to a project, this rule restricts its time and expense entries to only the employees/expenses/activities that exist in the budget. This restriction applies in the Time Entries and Expense Entries screens when the View By: Project mode is selected.

• Restrict time entries to allocated activities for allocated resources during scheduled period

  Restricts time entries to allocated resources and allocated activities during the scheduled allocation period. Resources can record time only for activities included in their project allocations and only within the scheduled allocation dates. When this rule is enabled together with Prevent time after reaching allocated hours, resources can record time only within the allocated resource, activity, scheduled period, and allocated hours.

• Send as joint invoice

  A single joint invoice is created for the project and its phases. They automatically get combined into a single invoice in the Invoices screen.

• Show account summary on invoice

  This option allows you to display an account summary at the bottom of your invoices. It is checked by default at the global level in the Settings screen.

• Show combined GST on invoices

  Displays the combined GST (Goods and Services Tax) for both services and expenses on the invoices of the project. This setting is automatically turned on for countries such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand, which show combined taxes unlike USA where the taxes are shown separately as MET and MST (Main Expense Tax and Main Service Tax). Turning on this option in Settings automatically sets the rule for all projects.

• Show retainer summary on invoices

  This rule enables you to display a retainer summary at the bottom of all invoice templates, including standard phased and joint invoice templates. If you do not add this rule for certain phases, the retainer totals exclude those phases from the summary.

• Skip automatic expense entry evaluation

  If this rule is checked, CORE stops evaluating expense entries of fixed-type projects against the contract amount (expense amount). Otherwise, it compares the Contract Amount and Total Amount Spent [billable and non-billable services + non-billable expenses] of a project. When Amount Spent > Contract Amount, you are prompted and the non-billable entries are converted into billable entries. However, you can continue to log expense entries and manually adjust their billable status.

• Skip automatic time entry evaluation

  CORE stops evaluating time entries of fixed-type projects against the contract amount. Otherwise, based on the comparison between the Contract Amount and Total Amount Spent [billable and non-billable services + non-billable expenses] of a project, it determines if an entry is billable or not. When Amount Spent > Contract Amount, you are prompted and the time entry's bill status is automatically adjusted as the project is over budget. You can continue to log non-billable time entries or manually change their status to billable. You can set this option at the global level for all projects in the Settings screen.

• Use bill rates and cost rates from activity before bill rates from resource

  When a fee schedule is not assigned to projects and no matching combination is found, CORE uses the bill rates from activity items. However, if the activity item has a zero dollar value, then it fetches the employee's default bill rates. 
   

  Here is how CORE determines which rates to use if this rule is enabled:

  CORE uses the bill and cost rates from the fee schedule.
  If no rates are available in the fee schedule, CORE then checks the activity items.
  If rates are still not found, CORE defaults to using rates from the resource.

• Updates to project start and end dates should apply to all budget items

  If this rule is checked, project phase start and end dates are automatically applied to new budget items and updated for existing ones whenever the phase dates change. If a phase does not have an end date, the start date of budget items is set to match the phase start date, and no end date is assigned. Additionally, when this rule is checked the Start and End Date fields are hidden on the budget items to prevent unintended changes.

• Use project memo on invoices

  When checked, the project memo is carried forward to the invoice memos and displayed on the invoices. You can control whether this memo is carried to First Memo or Second Memo of the invoices screen by using that option in Settings (Show project memo on invoices at the bottom).

• Use rates by classification

  Allows CORE to retrieve rates by job classification as set up in the fee schedule when entering time. However, you can override that in the Time Entries screen. The new rates are retrieved in this order:
  1. Employee + Activity + Classification match
  2. Employee + Classification match
  3. Classification match
  4. No change