Cost rates allow you to keep track of internal costs, and billable rates allow you to generate a billable amount to charge your clients. By setting these rates, you can track your projects' progress and get paid for the work you do.

Each person has one default cost rate that applies to every project. You can also change how costs are calculated on an individual project — see Cost rates on a project below.

This article covers setting and editing cost rates. If you need information on setting or editing billable rates, see setting billable rates and editing billable rates. 

What is the cost rate in Harvest?

The cost rate is your internal rate; what an employee or contractor costs you as a business. Cost rates apply to any time a person tracks to any project. 

We use cost rates to automatically calculate your project costs. You’ll see that reflected on your project reports and in exported time reports. We also use cost rates to calculate costs in the contractor report.

Who can see cost rates?

Only Administrators can see and set cost rates.

Setting cost rates 

Cost rates are set in each person’s user profile. To set your team’s cost rates, take the following steps:

1. Go to Team and click Actions > Edit to the right of the teammate you’d like to update.
   • If you're the only person in your account, you can access your own cost rate by clicking your name in the top right and choosing My profile.
2. Go to their Rates tab (left menu).
3. Click + New cost rate.
4. Enter their cost rate.
5. Click Add rate.

Editing cost rates

Each teammate has a single global cost rate default. If you need to update a person's cost rate (e.g. they get a raise), you can enter a date for the new rate to go into effect. 

To edit a person’s cost rate take the following steps:

1. Go to Team and click Actions > Edit to the right of the teammate you’d like to update.
   • If you're the only person in your account, you can access your own cost rate by clicking your name in the top right and choosing My profile. 
2. Go to their Rates tab (left menu).
3. Click + New cost rate.
4. Enter the new cost rate and set an effective date for the rate. 
5. Click Add rate.  

Cost rates on a project

On a project’s Edit page you can choose how costs are calculated for that project, in the same way you choose billable rates. There are three options:

• Person cost rate (default) — each teammate’s own cost rate is used. To override one teammate’s rate for this project only, go to the Team table, select Apply custom rate in the cost rate column, switch from default to custom, and enter the rate. It applies to that project alone.
• Project cost rate — a single cost rate for the whole project, whoever does the work.
• Task cost rate — a different cost rate for each task on the project.

Your selection determines which table appears below it; choosing Project cost rate opens a side panel, as it does for billable rates. Cost rates remain visible and editable to Administrators only.