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What is Labor Allocation?

Creating Your First Labor Categories

B
Brian Zurawski
12 May, 2026 - Updated 2 days ago
Labor Allocation

Creating Your First Labor Categories

Define the jobs, departments, cost centers, and tasks employees will select when clocking in.

Labor categories are the foundation of the Labor Allocation feature. They define what employees are selecting when they clock in or transfer during a shift. Before you can assign categories to employees, you need to create them.

TimeTrakGO supports up to four category types per account. Each category type has a custom name and its own list of options.

Before You Start

Think about how your business tracks labor. The goal is to match your category structure to the way you already report or bill time.

Construction company A "Jobs" category with individual job names or numbers, and a "Tasks" category for the type of work being done.
Manufacturer or warehouse "Departments" (Office, Warehouse, Shop) and "Jobs" (Forklift Operator, Maintenance Tech, Mechanic, Packaging).
Service company A single "Jobs" category listing active client jobs.

You don't have to use all four category types. Start with what you need and add more later.

Step 1 Go to Labor Allocation Settings

  1. Log into TimeTrakGO with your administrator account.
  2. Navigate to Feature Manager.
  3. Find Labor Allocation and Click Settings.

Step 2 Create a Category Type

  1. Click Add Category.
  2. Enter a name for this category type. This is what employees will see when they clock in — for example, "Department," "Job," "Cost Center," or "Task."
  3. Save the category type.

Repeat this step for each category type you want to create, up to four total.


Step 3 Add Options to Each Category

Once a category type exists, add the individual options employees can choose from.

  1. Open the category type you just created.
  2. Click Add Labor Field.
  3. Enter the option name — for example, "Office," "Warehouse," or "Job 1."
  4. Save and repeat for each option in this category.

There is no limit on the number of options within a category. Add as many as your operation requires.


Next Step

Once your categories are created, assign them to employees so they appear during clock-in. See How to Assign Labor Categories to Users.

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