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# Expense categories and setup

Expense categories are defined in **Settings > Custom fields > Categories** and are linked to the Budgets feature. They help you track the nature of costs and provide better visibility over spending.

# Manage Expense Categories

Admins can add, edit, or delete values in expense categories as follows:

* **Add a value:** Click on "Add a category."
* **Edit a value:** Click on the pen icon.
* **Delete a value:** Click on the bin icon.

If at least one value exists in the expense category, the field will appear in all requests. By default, requesters are required to fill this field. However, it can be made optional —please contact _Support_ or your account manager to make this change.

# Exporting Expense Categories

Expense categories are included in exports along with payables. You can access these in the **Export** tab or download them from the **All Payables** page.

# Edit an Expense Category on a Payment

To update the expense category associated with a payment:

1. Navigate to **Expenditures > All payments**.
2. Select the relevant payment.
3. Update the **Expense category** field.

# Link Expense Categories to Cost Centers

You can define which expense categories are available based on the cost center selected by the requester.

By default, all expense categories apply to all cost centers. This means they will be visible for any cost center chosen in a request. To limit an expense category’s availability to specific cost centers:

1. Click on "Create a new category."
2. Follow the provided steps.

This linkage is applied only on the request side to prevent errors when selecting expense categories. However, all expense categories remain assignable to payments within the **Payments**, **All Payables**, and **Prepare** tabs.

# FAQs

**Are expense categories mandatory for requesters?**  
Yes, by default. However, you can request to make this field optional by contacting _Support_ or your account manager.

**Can I link expense categories to specific cost centers?**  
Yes. You can configure expense categories to appear only for certain cost centers in the request workflow.

**Do expense categories appear in exports?**  
Yes, they are exported along with payables and can be accessed in the **Export** tab or downloaded from the **All Payables** page.

**Can I edit an expense category after it has been assigned to a payment?**  
Yes, you can update the expense category by navigating to **Expenditures > All payments**, selecting the payment, and editing the **Expense category** field.