Overview

The Cost & Compensation module allows you to configure how operational costs and staff earnings are calculated and applied across projects. By separating costs from compensation while linking both to billing items and project data, teams gain accurate visibility into expenses, payroll, and profitability.

Cost & Compensation settings are managed independently from billing and are linked through billing libraries.

This guide explains:

• How Costs and Compensation differ

• How each is configured

• How rates, overrides, and additional cost types are applied

Understanding Cost & Compensation

Cost & Compensation captures both sides of a project’s financial structure.

Costs

Costs represent internal expenses that are not charged to the customer. These may include supplies, operational fees, or incident-related expenses. Costs help track what your company spends to complete a project.

Compensation

Compensation represents earnings paid to staff members, including mover wages and salesperson commissions. Compensation rules determine how earnings are calculated based on roles, positions, or individual overrides.

Together, Costs and Compensation provide a complete picture of project profitability and payroll calculations.

Accessing Cost & Compensation Settings

Cost & Compensation settings are located in the Accounting section of Settings.

To access the module:

1. Go to Settings.

2. Navigate to Accounting.

3. Select Cost & Compensation.

Note: These settings are managed separately from billing. This replaces earlier setup flows that were configured directly within billing settings. 

How Cost & Compensation Connects to Billing

Cost and compensation rules are linked to projects through Billing Libraries.

When viewing a billing library:

• All bill items appear in the main view.

• Each bill item can have associated rates for:

  • Salesperson roles

  • Mover and crew positions

When a bill item is applied to a project, the corresponding cost and compensation rules are evaluated and applied automatically.

Managing Cost & Compensation Rates

Cost and compensation items are configured and edited from the same interface.

To edit items:

1. Open Cost & Compensation.

2. Click Edit in the top-right corner.

3. All items become editable at once.

This allows bulk updates and faster rate management.

Rate Types

Both cost and compensation items support the following rate calculation methods:

1. Percent-based (%)

   • Applies a percentage of the total bill item amount.

2. Flat rate ($)

   • Applies a fixed dollar amount when the item is created.

3. Rate per quantity ($ / qty)

   • Multiplies the rate by the bill item quantity during calculation.

Auto Apply

Each item includes an Auto Apply option.

• When enabled, the item is automatically added whenever the related bill item appears on a project.

• When disabled, the item must be added manually.

Overrides Per Person

Cost & Compensation supports per-person rate overrides, allowing individualized compensation or cost adjustments for specific staff members.

To add an override:

1. In edit mode, expand a cost or compensation item.

2. Click Add in the overrides section.

3. Select a staff member and enter a custom rate.

When a project is calculated:

• The system first checks for an override for the individual.

• If an override exists, that rate is used.

• If not, the default per-position rate is applied.

Overrides can be configured for both salesperson roles and mover positions.

Finding Cost & Compensation Items

The Cost & Compensation view includes tools to help locate items quickly.

You can:

• Filter by staff member to view all overrides associated with that person.

• Search by bill item name to find specific cost or compensation items.

These tools are especially helpful when managing large libraries or auditing overrides.

These tools are especially helpful when managing large libraries or reviewing individual overrides.

Summary

The Cost & Compensation module centralizes how costs and staff earnings are calculated across projects. By separating costs from compensation while linking both to billing libraries, teams can manage payroll, expenses, and profitability with clarity and precision.

Have questions? Feel free to reach out to the Supermove Product Experts Team at help@supermove.com.