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What is Labor Allocation?

Creating Your First Labor Categories

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Brian Zurawski
22 Oct, 2026 - Updated 18 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 has a custom name and its own list of items.

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 companyA "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 companyA 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. Under System Options, find Labor Allocation and click Settings.
Labor Allocation card in Feature Manager with the Settings button

Step 2 Create a Labor Category

  1. Under Labor Categories, click + Add Category.
  2. Enter a Category Name. This is what employees see when they clock in, for example "Department," "Job," "Cost Center," or "Task."
  3. Choose a Transfer Highlight Color if you want transfers into this category to stand out.
  4. Turn on Transferable to allow users to transfer into these items during a shift.
  5. Click Create Category.
Labor Allocation page with the Add Category buttonAdd Labor Category window with Category Name, Transfer Highlight Color, and Transferable

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

Step 3 Add Items to Each Category

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

  1. Select the category in the Labor Categories list and open the Labor Items tab.
  2. Click + Add Item.
  3. Enter the Item Name, for example "Office," "Warehouse," or "Job 1," and a short Description.
  4. Optionally, enter a Payroll Code.
  5. Click Create Item and repeat for each item in this category.
Labor Items tab with the Add Item buttonAdd Labor Item window with Item Name, Description, and Payroll Code

Each item is listed with its payroll code and status, with buttons to edit or delete it. Turn on Show Archived to see archived items. There is no limit on the number of items within a category.

Step 4 Adjust Category Settings

Open a category's Settings tab to change it later:

  • Category Name and Transfer Highlight Color.
  • Category Status: when Enabled, the category is visible on user profiles, time cards, and the time clock. Choose Disabled to hide it.
  • Transferable: allow users to transfer into these items.
  • Required to Clock In: when Transferable is on, this option appears. Turn it on to make employees select an item during their original punch-in.

To delete a category, click the trash icon.

Category Settings tab with Category Name, Transfer Highlight Color, Category Status, and TransferableCategory Settings tab with Transferable on and the Required to Clock In option

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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