How nominal codes are chosen on your invoices

Every line on a sales invoice is given a nominal code - the code your accounts package (Xero, Sage, QuickBooks or Sage 50) uses to record the income against the right category. TransMaS picks the code for you automatically, based on settings in a few different places. This article explains how it decides, where each setting lives, and what to check if invoices are landing on the wrong code.

The short version

TransMaS always starts with a default code, and only uses something more specific if you have set it up:

It starts with your company default nominal code. If the customer has their own Default Nominal set, that replaces the company default for their invoices.
If the job's order type has Detailed Nominal Costings ticked, the order type can override that default - for example sending your own work, subcontracted work, and each type of extra charge to different codes.
Storage and handling lines (stores customers only) use the customer's separate Stores Nominal Code instead.

Everything below is the detail of those three steps.

Your list of nominal codes

Before TransMaS can pick a code, it needs a list of codes to pick from. Where the list comes from depends on whether you are connected to an accounts package:

Connected to Xero, Sage Business Cloud or QuickBooks? Your codes come straight from your accounts package when it is linked, so there is nothing to type in by hand. If you add new codes in your accounts package later, refresh them in TransMaS by re-linking: open Quick Add (the + button in the top bar), and under Accounts choose Link to Xero, Link to Quickbooks or Link to Sage. Sign in when asked and the latest codes are pulled through.
Not connected, or using Sage 50 exports? You manage the list yourself under Settings then Nominal Codes. Enter each code exactly as it appears in your accounts, so your exports match up.

A note for QuickBooks users: QuickBooks puts Products and Services items on invoice lines rather than nominal codes. Linking pulls your items in, so wherever this article says "nominal code", read it as your QuickBooks item.

The default code every invoice starts with

Every invoice line starts with the same default code, built up in two layers:

Company default first - your company-wide default nominal code applies to every customer unless told otherwise. It is set on the Accounts Setup screen, and on the Settings then Nominal Codes list it is marked (Invoicing Default).
Customer override second - each customer can have their own Default Nominal in their invoice settings. If a code is chosen there, it replaces the company default for that customer's invoices. If the dropdown is left on Default, the company default is used - and the dropdown shows you which code that is, in brackets next to the word Default.

If you never touch anything else, every invoice line simply uses this default - which is perfect if all your income goes to one sales code.

Sending different work to different codes

This is the powerful part, and also the part people most often trip over.

Every order has an order type, and each order type (under Settings then Order Types) can choose its own nominal codes - but only if the Detailed Nominal Costings box is ticked on that order type.

Important: if Detailed Nominal Costings is not ticked, every nominal dropdown on the order type is ignored completely and the invoice just uses the default described above. If you have set codes on an order type and they don't seem to do anything, this box is almost always the reason.

With the box ticked, you can set:

Own Haulage - the code used for the haulage line when the delivery was made by your own driver.
3rd Party Haulage - the code used when the delivery was made by a subcontractor. TransMaS decides this by looking at who actually carried out the delivery part of the job.
A code for each charge code - every charge code you use (from Settings then Charge Codes) is listed with its own dropdown. Extra charges on an order (waiting time, demurrage, pallets and so on) go to the code chosen for their charge code.
Default Nominal - the order type's own fallback. Anything on this order type not covered by the rules above uses this code.

Any dropdown left on Use Default simply falls through to the next level down, so you only need to fill in the ones you care about.

What about fuel surcharges?

A fuel surcharge line always uses the same code as the haulage line it belongs to. There is no separate fuel setting - if the job's haulage went to your Own Haulage code, the fuel surcharge goes there too.

Storage and handling invoices

If you invoice warehouse storage or handling charges, those lines ignore order types entirely. They use the Stores Nominal Code set in the customer's settings. If that isn't set, they use the same default as everything else.

Credit notes

Credit notes don't make any decisions of their own. Each credit line copies the nominal code from the invoice line being credited, so the credit always reverses the income from the same category it was posted to.

Where to find each setting

Your list of codes (connected) - linked automatically; refresh by re-linking from Quick Add under Accounts.
Your list of codes (manual) - Settings, then Nominal Codes.
Company default code - Accounts Setup, in the defaults section.
Customer default code - open the customer, then their invoice settings, then Default Nominal.
Detailed Nominal Costings, Own Haulage, 3rd Party Haulage and per-charge codes - Settings, then Order Types, then open the order type.
Charge codes themselves - Settings, then Charge Codes.
Stores Nominal Code - open the customer, then their settings, in the stores section.

Common questions

Everything is going to the default code, even though I set codes on my order types. Open the order type and check that Detailed Nominal Costings is ticked. Without it, the order type's codes are ignored.

A subcontracted job used my Own Haulage code (or the other way round). TransMaS looks at who actually carried out the delivery part of the job. If the delivery was moved to your own driver after collection, it counts as own haulage - and the other way round.

The fuel surcharge went to a different code than I expected. Fuel always follows the haulage line on the same job. Check which code the haulage line used and why.

I added new codes in my accounts package but can't see them in TransMaS. Re-link your accounts package: open Quick Add, and under Accounts choose Link to Xero, Link to Quickbooks or Link to Sage. The latest codes are pulled through once you have signed in.

My invoice won't send to my accounts package. This is usually the customer's account link rather than the nominal code. Make sure the customer is matched to a contact in your accounts package on the Accounts Setup screen.

If invoices are still landing on the wrong code after checking the above, contact support with the invoice number and we can see exactly which rule was applied to each line.

Invoicing Process - how customer invoicing works from start to finish.