Staff Labor Rate Defaults

What are Staff Labor Rate Defaults?

Staff labor rate defaults let you assign a specific labor rate (from your price list) to each team member. When adding labor to invoices, you can quickly select a staff member and their rate applies automatically.

Without defaults: Add "Labor" line, manually enter rate ($120/hr) With defaults: Select "John's Labor", rate fills in automatically ($120/hr)

Saves time and ensures consistent rates per person.

Why Use Labor Defaults?

Imagine you have different staff with different skill levels - a senior technician at $150/hr, a mid-level tech at $120/hr, and an apprentice at $80/hr. Instead of remembering these rates or looking them up every time, you assign defaults once. Then when invoicing, you just select the person and their rate applies automatically. Simple and foolproof.

Setting Up Labor Items First

Before assigning defaults, create labor items in your price list:

1. Go to Settings > Price List
2. Click "Add Item"
3. Set Type: Labor
4. Name it clearly: "Senior Tech - Hourly Rate"
5. Set Unit Price: $150.00
6. Set Unit: "Hour"
7. Save

Create one labor item per rate level you offer.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Price list showing labor items]

Assigning Defaults to Staff

Once labor items exist:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Find a team member
3. Look for "Default Labor Rate" dropdown
4. Select their labor item from the list
5. Saves automatically

Repeat for each staff member.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Team settings with labor rate dropdown]

Using Defaults on Invoices

When creating or editing an invoice:

1. Add a line item
2. Search for the staff member's name
3. Their labor item appears in search results
4. Click to add
5. Quantity, price, and description fill automatically

Example:

• Search "John"
• See "Senior Tech - Hourly Rate (John)"
• Click to add
• Line shows: Senior Tech | 8 hrs | $150/hr | $1,200

Much faster than manual entry.

[IMAGE PLACEHOLDER: Invoice with staff labor item added]

What Gets Set

When you assign a default labor rate:

• Links staff member to a price list item
• That item appears in searches with their name
• Rate, tax, and description copy from the price list item
• Quantity defaults to 1 (adjust as needed)

Changing a Default

To update a staff member's default rate:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Find the team member
3. Change the Default Labor Rate dropdown
4. Select new labor item
5. Saves automatically

Effect on existing invoices: None. Only affects future invoices.

Removing a Default

To remove a labor default:

1. Go to Settings > Team
2. Find the team member
3. Set Default Labor Rate to "None" or empty
4. Saves automatically

The staff member no longer has a quick-add labor item.

Multiple Rates per Person

Sometimes one person has multiple roles:

Example: John does both installs ($150/hr) and service calls ($120/hr)

Solution: Create two labor items:

• "John - Installation Rate" ($150/hr)
• "John - Service Rate" ($120/hr)

Set ONE as the default. Add the other manually when needed.

You can only set ONE default per staff member, but they can appear in multiple labor items.

Best Practices

Name labor items clearly "Senior Tech - Hourly" is better than "Labor 1". Include skill level or role.

Update rates centrally When rates change, update the price list item. All future invoices use the new rate automatically.

Standardize rates Don't create separate items for each person unless rates genuinely differ. Group by skill level instead.

Use consistent units Stick with "Hour" for all labor items. Avoids confusion.

Common Questions

Can I have different rates for different job types? Yes - create multiple labor items ("Emergency Rate", "Standard Rate") and manually select the appropriate one per invoice.

What if someone's rate changes? Update their price list labor item. Future invoices use the new rate. Past invoices stay at old rate.

Can apprentices/helpers have rates? Absolutely. Create lower-rate labor items for junior staff and assign as defaults.

Do I need defaults for everyone? No. Only assign defaults for staff who perform billable labor. Admin/office staff don't need them.

Related Articles

• Managing Your Price List - Create labor items first
• Editing Invoice Line Items - Add labor to invoices
• Creating Invoices - Invoice customers for work