Create and edit personnel cost rates

Personnel cost rates (labour or staff cost rates) define how personnel costs are calculated for a specific participant in a project. They are configured per participant in the Financial profile and are used both for:

• Budget planning - when you plan effort for future work
• Cost reporting - when you report actual effort or personnel expenses

For each participant, you can create as many personnel cost rates as needed. These rates can be:

• Average personnel cost rates for budgeting at a higher level, for example: “Average Research Staff Rate”
• Person-specific or role-specific rates for more accurate planning and reporting, For example: “Project Manager Rate” or “Salary of Mark Johansen”

In this article you will find:

• How personnel cost rates work
• Create personnel cost rates
• Update existing personnel cost rates

How personnel cost rates work

The personnel cost rates you define for a participant are used:

• When budgeting

  You select a personnel cost rate and enter planned effort (in person months, person days or person hours, depending on the unit). EMDESK calculates the personnel costs by multiplying the effort with the selected rate.

• When reporting personnel costs

  You select a personnel cost rate and report the actual effort or time. EMDESK calculates the reported personnel costs in line with the configured rate.

Create personnel cost rates

You manage personnel cost rates in the Financial profile of a participant.

1. Click Participants in the Home menu to open the Participants section.

1. Click the participant whose personnel cost rates you want to create, or click its Edit icon.
2. A sidebar for this participant opens. Select the Financial profile tab.

1. At the bottom of the sidebar, click + Add Personnel Cost Rate.

1. A new sidebar opens where you define the personnel cost rate:

• Personnel Cost Rate: Click the blue placeholder and enter the rate (for example the amount per month, day or hour).
• Name: Enter a clear name for the rate, for example “Average plan rate”, “PostDoc Student Salary” or “Mark Johansen”.
• Unit: Choose the unit of the rate: Person Month, Person Day or Person Hour. This unit is used later when you plan effort or report time.
• Description (optional): Add a short description if needed, for example to document how the rate was calculated or which staff group it covers.
• Hours a day and Days a month: Set the working hours per day and working days per month. EMDESK shows the calculated annual and monthly productive hours, which are used in calculations where needed and help you check that the rate matches your internal rules.
• Enable for Budgeting: Switch this toggle on if the rate should be available when you create or edit budget items. If it is off, the rate cannot be selected in budgeting views.
• Enable for Expenses: Switch this toggle on if the rate should be available when you create or edit expense entries (actual costs). If it is off, the rate cannot be selected when reporting personnel costs.
• Valid from and Valid until (optional): Set the period in which the rate should be applied for budget items and expense entries. This is useful if your rates change over time and you want EMDESK to apply the correct rate for each period.
1. Click Save Cost Rate in the bottom right corner to create the rate.

Updating existing personnel cost rates 

To edit an existing personnel cost rate:

1. Open Participants in the Home menu and click the participant you want to edit to open the sidebar.

1. Select the Financial profile tab.

1. Hover over the personnel cost rate that you want to change and click the Edit icon. The personnel cost rate opens in a separate sidebar.

You can adjust:

• Personnel Cost Rate: Click the current blue value and update the rate.
• Name: Update the name if needed
• Unit: Change the unit between Person Month, Person Day or Person Hour
• Description (optional): Update the description.
• Hours a day and Days a month: Adjust working hours and days
• Enable for Budgeting: Turn the toggle on or off depending on whether this rate should be selectable for budget items.
• Enable for Expenses: Turn the toggle on or off depending on whether this rate should be selectable for expense entries.
• Valid from and Valid until (optional): Adjust the validity period if the rate should only apply to a specific time frame.
1. Click Save Cost Rate in the bottom right corner to apply your changes.