Budget categories quick overview
Draw schedule categories let you group budget line items under names you choose (for example “Site work,” “Rough-in,” etc.). Categories are managed in Adaptive per job. They sit on top of your cost codes—cost codes define the underlying lines; categories roll those lines up for reporting and draws.
Turn categories on for a job
Open the job.
Select Edit to open job settings.
Go to Budget customization.
Under Draw schedule categorization, turn Categories On.
Save your changes.
Note: Categories are enabled job by job. There isn’t a single company-wide switch for every future job—each job must have categories turned on if you want to use them there.
Why use categories
Categories can help when you need to:
Talk to clients — Summarize job costs under a few headings instead of every cost code line.
Match lender draw formats — Group costs the way a bank’s draw schedule expects.
Create categories or copy them from another job
On the job, open Edit and confirm Categories is On (see above).
Select Manage categories.
Either:
Add category — Enter a name for each new category, or
Copy from another job — Pick a job that already has the list you want; Adaptive will pull that category structure into this job.
Select Save on the Manage categories screen.
Save the job settings again so categories stay enabled for this job.
If you delete a category that still has lines assigned, Adaptive will ask you to pick a replacement category or clear those assignments.
Assign categories on the Budget tab
Once categories are on, you’ll see a Categories column on the job’s Budget tab.
One line at a time
Use the dropdown on that line (Select a category).
Multiple lines
Check the lines you want.
Open Actions.
Use the category picker: pick an existing category, or type a new name and use Add a category to create it and apply it to the selected lines.
You can also use Clear category where it’s available to remove assignments in bulk.
Draw schedule: view by Items or Category
Make sure Categories is On for that job.
Open a draw and go to the Draw schedule view.
Use the View by control (it appears when categories are available for the job).
Items — Default-style view: costs by individual line items / cost codes.
Category — Line items are combined and shown under your categories.
Tip: For entering or adjusting specific dollar amounts on lines, Items is usually easiest. Category is best when you want the schedule summarized by category; switch back to Items if you need line-level detail.
Cost codes (how they relate)
Where they’re managed
You create and edit cost codes in Adaptive: Settings → Accounting → Cost codes
QuickBooks
If your company uses QuickBooks with Adaptive, cost codes/items can sync or align with QuickBooks depending on how your account is set up—you still maintain and review them under Accounting in Adaptive.
Budget tab grouping
On the job Budget tab, the View by menu (when you see it) can include Items, Categories (after categories are on), and QuickBooks, so you can match how your team prefers to review the budget.
If you have any questions or want to share feedback, feel free to reach out at [email protected].