Control How Resource Costs Are Accrued

How do you want to account for resource costs? Do you want to incur the full cost of a resource when it starts? When it ends? Or would you prefer to incur the cost gradually, over the entire time a resource works on a project?

Microsoft Project provides you with two commonly used cost-accounting methods. You can accrue resource costs, or you can prorate them. When you accrue a cost, you incur the entire cost all at once. When you prorate a cost, you incur the cost gradually, as the task progresses. For example, you can:

Accrue the cost of a resource when the task starts if you must pay a lump-sum amount before any work begins.
Prorate the cost of a resource if you need to track cost based on the completion of a task. Standard and overtime resource costs can be prorated. By default, Microsoft Project prorates resource costs.
Accrue the cost of a resource when the task ends if you’re holding payment until the work is finished.

To select a method for accruing resource costs

On the View Bar, click Resource Sheet .
In the Resource Name field, select a resource, and then click Resource Information .
Click the Costs tab.
In the Cost accrual box, click an accrual method.
- To accrue the cost when the task begins, click Start.
- To accrue the cost based on the completion percentage of the task, click Prorated.
- To accrue the cost when the task is completed, click End.