Managing Expense Categories
How to create and manage expense categories for better tracking and reporting.
Expense categories allow you to classify expenses into meaningful groups. Well-organized categories improve financial reporting, make budget analysis easier, and help identify spending patterns across your fleet operations.
Navigation: Finance > Expenses > Expense Categories
Why Categories Matter
Without categories, expenses are just a flat list of amounts. Categories give your finance team the ability to:
- Track spending by type -- See how much goes to fuel versus maintenance versus office supplies
- Analyze budgets -- Compare actual spending against budgets for each category
- Generate meaningful reports -- Break down monthly or quarterly expenses by category
- Identify trends -- Spot unusual increases in specific spending areas
Viewing Categories
The Expense Categories page displays a table with all configured categories:
| Column | Description |
|---|---|
| Name | The category name |
| Description | A brief explanation of what the category covers |
| Status | Whether the category is Active or Inactive |
Creating a New Category
- Click the "Add Category" button at the top of the categories page.
- Enter the category name -- choose a clear, descriptive name (e.g., "Fuel", "Vehicle Maintenance", "Office Supplies").
- Enter an optional description to clarify what types of expenses belong in this category.
- Click Save to create the category.
The new category is immediately available in the category dropdown when creating expenses.
Editing a Category
- Click on the category row you want to edit.
- Modify the name, description, or status as needed.
- Click Save to apply the changes.
Categories cannot be deleted if they have expenses assigned to them. Deactivate them instead. Inactive categories will no longer appear in the dropdown when creating new expenses, but existing expenses retain their category assignment.
Common Categories for Fleet Management
Here are typical expense categories used by fleet and transport companies:
| Category | Description |
|---|---|
| Fuel | Petrol, diesel, and other fuel costs |
| Vehicle Maintenance | Routine servicing, repairs, and inspections |
| Vehicle Parts | Replacement parts such as tires, brakes, batteries |
| Insurance | Vehicle insurance premiums and renewals |
| Traffic Fines | Fines not covered by the Fines module |
| Parking | Parking fees and permits |
| Cleaning | Vehicle cleaning and detailing services |
| Communication | SIM cards, phone bills, and data plans for drivers |
| Office Supplies | Stationery, printer supplies, and other office materials |
| Licensing & Registration | Vehicle registration renewals and permits |
| Tolls | Road toll charges (Salik, etc.) |
You do not need to create all of these categories at once. Start with the ones most relevant to your operations and add more as needed. You can always add new categories later without affecting existing expense records.
Best Practices
- Keep names short and consistent -- Use "Fuel" instead of "Fuel and Petrol Expenses for Company Vehicles."
- Avoid duplicates -- Check existing categories before creating a new one to prevent overlap.
- Use descriptions -- Add descriptions so other team members understand what each category covers.
- Review periodically -- Deactivate categories that are no longer used to keep the dropdown clean.