> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Expense categories settings > Add, rename, archive and delete the categories an expense is filed under, and see what happens to expenses already filed under one you retire. **Settings → Expense categories** holds the list an expense is filed under. The expense form only offers the active ones, so this screen decides what your team can pick. Route: `/{workspaceSlug}/settings/expense-categories`. For Northwind Studio that is `/northwind/settings/expense-categories`. This page documents the screen. For what a category is for and how it shapes your expense reporting, read [Expense categories](/expenses/expense-categories). ## Who can open it Two things must be true before the **Expense categories** item appears under **Content** in the settings sidebar. An Owner or Admin switches it on in [Settings → Apps](/settings/apps). Expenses is on by default. Owner, Admin and Finance hold it. At Northwind Studio that is Maya Ellis, Tom Whitfield and Daniel Okafor. If the Expenses app is switched **off**, the nav item disappears and opening the URL shows a card that reads *Expenses is turned off*. An Owner or Admin gets a **Turn it back on** button; everyone else gets a line telling them who can. Nothing recorded is lost while it is off. If the app is on but you lack the capability, the page opens and shows *You don't have access to Expense categories*, with a line asking you to talk to a workspace admin. Expenses is on the Free plan, so this screen never shows a plan paywall. An app being switched off and a feature not being on your plan are different things – see [Plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features). ## The category table The card is titled **All categories** and reads *An expense form only offers the active ones.* | Column | What it shows | Sortable | | -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | | **Category** | The category name, plus an **Archived** or **In Trash** badge when it is retired. | Yes | | **Created** | The date it was made, in your workspace date format. | Yes | | *(unlabelled)* | The row actions – a pencil and a three-dot menu. | No | A category carries a **name only**. There is no colour, no default flag, and no billable flag. Whether an expense is billable is set on the expense, not on its category – see [Billable expenses](/expenses/billable-expenses). ### Controls above and below the table * **Search categories…** – filters rows as you type, across what is on screen. * **Column headers** – click **Category** or **Created** to sort. **Created** sorts by real date. * **Rows per page** – 10, 25, 50 or 100. It starts at 25. * **Page X of Y**, with **Previous** and **Next**, and a row count on the left. ### The lifecycle filter Top right of the card, a dropdown sets which state the table lists. | Choice | Shows | | ------------ | -------------------------------------------------------- | | **Active** | Categories the expense form offers. This is the default. | | **Archived** | Categories you put away. | | **Trash** | Categories on their way to being destroyed. | | **All** | Every category in every state. | ## Add a category Type into **New category name…** above the table. A name is 1 to 40 characters once trimmed. **Add category** stays disabled until the name is valid. Click **Add category**, or press Enter in the name box. The category appears in the table and in the expense form immediately. The name box clears so you can add the next one. Adding a name that already exists gives you the existing category back instead of a duplicate. If that category was archived, it comes back to active. Unlike tags, a category can only be made here. Nobody can mint one from the expense form, which is what keeps the list short and your expense reporting comparable. ## Rename a category The pencil on a row opens the **Manage category** dialog. It has one field. | Field | What it does | | -------- | ----------------------------------------------------------- | | **Name** | The category name. 1 to 40 characters. Press Enter to save. | **Save** stays disabled until you change the name. **Cancel** closes without saving. A refused save shows the reason in red under the field. A rename reaches everywhere at once. Every expense already filed under the category shows the new name, including expenses that are already approved or already invoiced. Nothing has to be re-filed. ## Retire a category The three-dot menu holds every action that takes a category out of use. Which items appear depends on the category's state. | Menu item | Shown when | What happens | | ---------------------- | ------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Archive** | The category is active | It leaves the category picker. Existing expenses stay filed under it. | | **Delete** | The category is not already in Trash | It moves to Trash. Nothing is destroyed yet. | | **Restore** | The category is archived or in Trash | It returns to your active list and to the picker. | | **Delete permanently** | The category is in Trash | The category record is destroyed. | Each item opens a confirmation modal that names the category and states what happens. ### What happens to expenses already using it Nothing. This is the point of archiving rather than deleting. * Old expenses keep their category and keep their label, so last quarter's totals still add up. * New expenses cannot pick it, because the form only offers active categories. * Restoring puts it back in the picker exactly as it was. **A category with expenses on it cannot be permanently deleted.** The confirmation modal counts the expenses that still point at it, and the action is refused with a message telling you to archive it instead. Financial history never loses its category label. **Delete permanently** is irreversible, so the modal asks you to type the category name to confirm, with a copy button beside it. ## Example Northwind Studio stops paying for a tool and wants `Software licences` off the expense form. Daniel Okafor opens **Settings → Expense categories**, finds `Software licences`, and picks **Archive**. Sarah Lin files an expense the next day and no longer sees it in the list. Every expense filed under it last year keeps the label, so the annual spend breakdown is unchanged. ## Empty and loading states * While the list loads, the table shows placeholder rows. * With no categories at all, the table reads: *No categories yet – add your first one above.* A workspace starts with an empty list, so this is what a new workspace sees. * With a search that matches nothing, the table shows the same message with no rows. Clear the search box to get the list back. ## Errors you may see | Message | Why | What to do | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | | A category with that name already exists | Renaming onto a name another category uses | Pick a different name | | That category name won't work | The name is empty or too long once trimmed | Use 1 to 40 characters | | Couldn't create the category. You may lack permission. | You do not hold `expenseCategory.manage` | Ask an Owner, Admin or Finance user | | This expense category still has N expenses and cannot be permanently deleted | You tried **Delete permanently** on a category with expenses filed under it | Archive it instead | ## Common questions No. The expense form only picks from this list. Ask an Owner, Admin or Finance user to add the category here first. No. Archiving hides it from the picker. Every expense keeps its category, its amount and its status. No. Billable is a choice on each expense, not a property of the category. Because expenses still point at it. Permanently deleting it would leave those expenses without a category, so the action is refused. Archive it instead. Either the Expenses app was switched off in Settings → Apps, or your `expenseCategory.manage` capability was removed. Both hide the item. ## Related guides What categories are for and how to choose a good set. How expenses move from submitted to approved to invoiced. The form your team fills in, and where the category is picked. Switch the Expenses app on or off for the workspace. Find and restore an archived category. Who holds `expenseCategory.manage`.