Costs filed the same way
Clear names and descriptions mean one cost lands in one category, no matter who logs it.
Expense categories that keep every cost filed the same way
Build your own list of cost types, each with a color and a note on what belongs in it. Staff know where every cost goes, and switching off an old category leaves past expenses as they were.
Expense categories in CIPHER CRM are the groups you sort business costs into, such as travel, rent or materials. You create each one with a name, a description that tells your team what belongs in it, and a color that stands out in a list.
When a category is no longer needed, you switch it off, and every expense already filed under it keeps its place. 192+ businesses run CIPHER CRM across 31 industries, with 92 built-in features, a 4.8/5 average rating and 99.9% uptime. Most teams are live in 1-3 days.
What you can do with expense categories
Sort costs into groups you name, describe and color, and switch off old ones without changing past costs.
- Multiple assignees CRM
Your own list
Create the categories your business needs, named the way your team talks about costs.
- Invoice payment tracking
Descriptions that guide filing
Add a short description to each category so everyone knows what belongs in it.
- Payment modes
A color for each one
Give every category its own color so it stands out when you scan your expenses.
- Payment receipt generator
Retire without breaking history
Deactivate a category you no longer use, and expenses already filed under it keep their category.
- Expense tracking software
Works with every expense
Pick a category when you log an expense, along with its taxes, tags and linked record.
- CRM tags
Tags for finer detail
Use tags for extra labels that cut across categories, like a client name or a season.
- Customer refund tracking
Track customer refunds
Record each amount you pay back to a customer, with a receipt, and never refund more than you owe.
- Product catalog software
Price list
Save each product or service with its price, unit and taxes once, then pick it on any quote or invoice.
- Multiple tax rates
Multiple taxes per item
Set each tax rate once, then use it on any item in a quote or invoice and on the expenses you pay.
Why it's worth it
What expense categories change for your business
Old records stay correct
Retiring a category never rewrites the expenses you filed under it in the past.
Spending you can scan
Colors let you see the mix of costs in a list before you read a single line.
A list that grows with you
Add categories as your business takes on new kinds of cost, and switch off the ones you outgrow.
4.8 Teams that switched to CIPHER CRM
Potato traders pay storage rent bit by bit as they lift their bags. The Overdue flag tells me which trader to call before his last bags go out.
Tanushree Mondal Office Manager, AccountsBardhaman - Agriculture
When a dealer sends back a faulty e-rickshaw battery, its value goes on a credit note in his name. He can adjust it against his next invoice.
Mridusmita Bora Office Manager, AccountsGuwahati - Energy
Each reefer load for the prawn processing plants needs the set temperature, vehicle number and seal number noted. We put a field for each of those on the load record, so when a plant rings, the office reads the details off the screen instead of phoning the driver.
Venkatapathi Raju Fleet Manager, OperationsBhimavaram - Logistics
Still thinking it over? Expense categories - your questions answered
Still have a question? Book a demo and ask us while you see expense categories working.
Can I create my own expense categories in CIPHER CRM?
Yes. You build the list yourself in settings. Each category gets a name, a description and a color, so you can match the way your business already thinks about its costs instead of working around a fixed list someone else chose.
What happens to old expenses if I stop using a category?
Nothing changes for them. You deactivate the category instead of deleting it, and every expense already filed under it keeps that category. Your past records stay accurate, and the old category simply stops being used going forward. 192+ businesses run CIPHER CRM across 31 industries, with a 4.8/5 average rating.
Why does each category have a description?
The description tells your team what belongs in that category. It helps new staff file costs the same way as everyone else, and it settles questions like whether a taxi fare counts as travel or as client entertainment. 192+ businesses run CIPHER CRM across 31 industries, with a 4.8/5 average rating.
What are the colors for?
Each category has its own color so you can tell costs apart quickly when you look down a list of expenses. It is a small touch, and it makes a busy month of spending much easier to read at a glance.
What expense categories should a small business start with?
Start with the handful of costs you pay most often, such as rent, travel, supplies, utilities and subcontractors, and name them the way your team already talks. You can add, rename or deactivate categories later as the business changes. 192+ businesses run CIPHER CRM across 31 industries, with a 4.8/5 average rating.
Are categories the same as tags?
No. A category is the main type of cost, and each expense sits in one. Tags are extra labels you can add freely, like a client name or a campaign, so you can filter costs in ways that cut across categories.
Explore more
Features that work with expense categories
View all features
Expense tracking
Record every business cost, like rent or transport, with its amount, date and tax, all in one place.
Tags
Put short labels on enquiries, customers, jobs, tasks, quotes and expenses, then see each group in one step.
Track invoice payments
Record each payment on its invoice, whether it is the full amount or a part, and see what is still owed.
Payment options
List the ways customers can pay you, from cash to bank transfer, so each invoice tells them how to pay.
Payment receipts
Every payment you record gets its own PDF receipt that your team and your client can download.
Apply credit notes
Use a credit note from a return or overcharge to lower what a customer still owes on their invoices.
Instant loading
Every screen opens at once, then checks for newer data, so a new payment or status change still shows.
Auto save
Every change is saved the moment you make it, so there is no Save button to press or forget.
Offline mode
Keeps showing the customers and tasks you opened when the internet drops, and updates itself when it returns.
See team edits live
When a teammate changes a lead, task or invoice, it shows on your screen at once, and you see who is online.
Search names and numbers
Find a customer, lead, task or invoice by typing a name, phone number, email or reference number.
Choose your language
Each person picks their own language for menus and buttons, with English and French available today.
Dark mode
Switch the whole app to dark colors, with every screen designed for it and no bright page left over.
Accessible for all staff
Staff who cannot see well or use a mouse can work on every screen by keyboard or with a read-aloud tool.
Step-by-step setup
Add your logo, company details and time zone in order, and every answer saves so you can finish later.
Setup for your trade
Pick your type of business at signup, and your enquiry stages, staff groups and document types come ready.
Run several companies
Keep each company's customers, bills and staff apart under one login, and switch between them in a click.
Two accounts, one browser
Stay signed in to two separate accounts, such as your own and a work account, and switch in one click.
User IDs for staff
Give each staff member a user ID and password to sign in with, so no one needs a work email.
Your own web address
Your team signs in at a web address with your company name in it, so they always know the page is yours.
Your logo on bills
Show your logo on your team's screen and on every quote and bill, with a picture of your signature on each.
Bill in any currency
Set each customer's currency once, and every quote and bill you make for them uses it.
Your name and photo
Choose how your team sees you, with a separate profile in each business you are part of.
Account security
Only you can change your password or login email, and a forgotten password resets with an emailed code.
Google sign-in
Use the Google account you already have to get in, or an email and password if you prefer.
Email check by code
Each new login email gets a one-time code (OTP) to type in, so password resets reach the right inbox.
Stop password guessing
Too many wrong passwords pause sign-in for a short while, with a countdown to the next try.
Sign out other devices
When you change your password, you can make every other phone and computer sign in again.
Track every enquiry
Anyone who asks about buying becomes a lead, with contacts, status, follow-ups and files on one page.
Sales stages
See each lead under its step, like new, quoted or won, in a list or on a board where you drag it forward.
Follow-up tracking
Write down every call, visit and message and how it went, and see when each lead last heard from you.
Turn leads into customers
When a lead says yes, one click adds them and their details to your customer list, with no retyping.
Online enquiry forms
Put a form on your website or share its link, and each enquiry comes in as a lead for the right staff member.
One-click call and email
Reach any lead in one click from your list, without typing a number or opening their page.
Customer management
Each customer gets one page with their contacts, projects, quotes, invoices and full history.
Customer groups
Sort customers into your own groups, like wholesale or retail, and see each group on its own.
Shipping addresses
Keep one billing address, plus a shipping address with its own name for each branch or warehouse.
See what customers see
Open the pages your customer sees when they sign in, without asking for their password.
Client projects
Keep each client job as a project, with its team, dates, tasks, files and bills in one place.
Team tasks
Give one piece of work to a teammate, set the due date and time, and connect it to the customer it is for.
Share tasks by link
Send a client or supplier a link to one task that opens with no sign-in, and turn the link off any time.
Proposals
Send a detailed offer with prices and terms, even to someone who has not bought yet, and get a reply online.
Estimates and quotes
Send a numbered price quote for goods or services, and let the customer accept it from a link.
Invoicing
Bill customers and see at a glance which invoices are paid, partly paid or overdue.
Credit notes
Record money you owe a customer after a return or overcharge, then take it off a bill or refund it.
Documents in one place
Keep every proposal, estimate, invoice, payment and expense in one place, and choose who can open each kind.
Quote builder
Add each item to a quote or bill from your product list or by hand, with its own price, discount and taxes.
Discount options
Give a discount before tax, after tax or on one item, the same way on quotes and invoices.
Saved text for quotes
Write your usual paragraphs once, then add them to any quote or bill in one click.
Your signature on bills
Add a picture of the company's or a staff member's signature to any quote or bill and its PDF.
Invoice and quote PDFs
Preview any quote or bill on screen, then download it to print or send, with the total in words.
Invoice numbering
Choose how the numbers on your invoices, estimates and credit notes look, and get warned before one repeats.
Let clients accept quotes
Send a private link, and your client reads the quote and says yes or no, with no login needed.
Turn quotes into invoices
Make the invoice from the quote your client said yes to, with items, taxes and terms already filled in.
Staff management
Keep each person's details, role and documents in one place, and turn off their login the day they leave.
Roles and access
Choose what each staff role can see, add, change or delete, from enquiries to invoices and settings.
Limit to own work
Let staff see everyone's customers and tasks but edit only their own, so nobody changes a colleague's work.
Custom access per person
Give one staff member more or less access than their teammates, while everyone else's access stays the same.
Team chat per customer
Every customer, lead, task and bill gets its own staff chat, and the messages stay saved on its page.
Team messages and groups
Message one person, or post in a group for a department, a job title or the whole company.
Customer support chat
Customers you give a login can ask about a bill or project, and never see your staff's own chat.
Notification bell
See when someone tags your name in a chat, gives you a task or changes something, and open it in one click.
Computer pop-up alerts
Alerts pop up on your computer even with the CRM closed, and each person picks which ones also come by email.
Calendar
Leads, task due dates, invoice dates and reminders laid out by month or week, filled in for you.
Reminders
A short note on any lead, customer, task or bill that alerts you or a colleague at the time you set.
Private notes
Notes on any customer, lead or staff member that teammates cannot see, and admins can read but not change.
File attachments
Photos and PDFs stay on each enquiry, customer and task, and open for a quick look without a download.
Track document expiry
Keep client and staff licenses and certificates with their expiry dates, and see which have run out.
Show documents to clients
Choose which contracts and certificates a client can see, and they open them with their own login.
Checklists
Break the work on an enquiry, customer or task into steps, and see at a glance how many are done.
Checklist templates
Write the first steps once for each place your enquiries come from, and every new one gets its own copy.
Client contacts
Keep several people for each client, mark the main one, and call any of them in one tap from your phone.
Customer portal
Your customers sign in on a page with your logo and find their own bills, quotes, files and messages.
Portal home screen
The first screen clients see shows what they owe, what they paid and what is waiting for their reply.
Portal work requests
Clients ask your team for new work from their portal and see how each of their projects is going.
Portal bills and quotes
Clients accept or turn down quotes and download their own bills, credit notes and receipts as PDFs.
Portal chat
Clients message your team from the portal, with one chat for support and one for each project.
Portal logins
Each person at a client company gets their own login, and your staff can create or reset it any time.
Menu and invoice settings
Hide what you never use, reorder the menu and set numbering and terms and conditions on quotes and invoices.
Rename any section
Change any section's name to the word your team uses, like Projects to Jobs, and see it on every screen.
Extra fields
Add a box for any detail you need on customers, leads or invoices, like a date, a photo or a drop-down list.
Extra info tabs
Add a tab to leads, staff, quotes or invoices to list every call or meeting, or to hold a page of details.
Priority and pinning
Mark urgent enquiries high priority, and pin the customers and jobs you open daily to find them in one click.
Filter by date
See the enquiries, tasks, jobs and invoices from one day, month, year or range, the same way on every list.
Progress boards
See enquiries, jobs, tasks and quotes as cards in columns, one per step, or as a plain list in one click.
Activity history
See every change on an enquiry, customer, job, task or invoice, in order, noted for you automatically.
Customer and job numbers
Give each enquiry, customer, job and task its own short number that anyone can say, paste or search.
For your industry See expense categories in your industry
Logistics & Transportation
Freight enquiries chased on time
Financial Services
KYC papers filed, expiry dates flagged
Education
Each admission enquiry followed up
Real Estate
Site visits to bookings, all tracked
Energy
Solar leads from site survey to install
Automotive
Showroom enquiries followed to delivery
Agriculture
Dealer quotes chased and dues noted
Hospitality
Banquet and group enquiries on track
Manufacturing
Quotes become invoices without retyping
Nonprofit
Donors and their follow-ups remembered
Consulting
Proposals sent, accepted and billed
Technology
Demo requests chased while still warm
Healthcare
Every patient call-back remembered
Ecommerce & Retail
Repeat buyers known by name and history
Legal
Matters, hearings and fees in one place
Media
Client briefs to paid invoices
Pharmaceuticals
Stockists and MRs on one system
Construction
Site progress and part payments in step
Insurance
Every renewal date on a reminder
Travel & Tourism
Trip quotes followed up until they book
Food & Beverage
Distributor bills and payments tracked
Event Management
Wedding enquiry to the big day, planned
Chemicals
Buyer quotes and unpaid dues followed up
Beauty & Wellness
Regulars called back for their next visit
Sports & Fitness
Membership renewals called in good time
Architecture & Design
Design stages and fees in view
Textile
Buyer enquiries turned into firm quotes
Veterinary
Pet visits and vaccine dates on record
HR Tech
Hiring mandates followed to closure
Facility Management
Service jobs and contracts in order
Security Services
Guard papers tracked to their expiry
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