Quick start
Create a cost project, set rates and see real numbers in about ten minutes. The same example is used throughout these docs.
The example project#
These docs use one small project so the numbers can be followed from page to page. You do not need the same data; any Jira space with a few worklogs will do.
A monetary project in USD that reads the Jira space WEB. Three people logged time in July 2026:
| Person | Set up as | Hours logged |
|---|---|---|
| Anna | Own rate 50/h | 10 h |
| Ben | Role "Developer" at 40/h | 5 h on a CAPEX issue, 5 h on other issues |
| Carol | No rate of her own, no role | 4 h |
The project default rate is 30/h, and a cost account "Capitalised work" (JQL labels = capex) has a rate of 60/h.
Create the project#
- Open Cost Tracker from the Jira Apps menu and choose Create project.
- Give it a name and a scope: pick the Jira space
WEB, or write a JQL filter. The scope is checked against your site before it is saved. - Choose the project type. Monetary-based computes cost and budget in a currency from hourly rates. Time-based uses hours only and no rates. You can change this later, but nothing is converted (see changing the type or currency).
- Set the currency (USD) and, under Settings → Rates and revenue, a Default hourly rate of 30.
Do not skip the default rate. A new monetary project starts with a default rate of 0, so time is counted but priced at 0 until some rate applies. The app shows an "Hourly rates are not set" banner on Overview, Team and Revenue while this is the case.
Set rates#
- Open the Team tab. Everyone who logged time in the scope is already listed.
- In the Roles card, add the role Developer with a cost rate of 40, then give Ben that role in the table.
- For Anna, open the ··· menu on her row, choose Edit cost rate and history and enter 50. Leave Effective from empty for now.
- Create the cost account (a Jira administrator does this under Accounts): name "Capitalised work", JQL
labels = capex, cost rate 60.
Check the result#
Each worklog takes the first rate that applies, in this order: the person's own rate, the cost account's, the role's, then the project default. For the example:
| Worklog | Rate used | Why | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anna, 10 h | 50 | Her own rate wins over everything | 500 |
| Ben, 5 h on a CAPEX issue | 60 | He has no own rate, and the account's rate beats his role | 300 |
| Ben, 5 h on other issues | 40 | No own or account rate, so his role applies | 200 |
| Carol, 4 h | 30 | Nothing else matches, so the project default applies | 120 |
| Labor cost | 1,120 | ||
Open Overview and Team to see the same figures. If cost shows 0, see Troubleshooting.
What to add next#
- Expenses for licences and other costs that are not logged time.
- A budget to compare cost against.
- Revenue to see profit and margin.
- A dated rate when someone's rate changes, so earlier months keep their old price.