Overview
Labor Rates in ShopView determine how labor is billed to the customer on work orders. They are configured at the location level, can be overridden per customer, and can be manually changed per line on a work order if needed. Labor Rates appear throughout the system: work orders, customer settings, reports, and invoices.
To navigate to Labor Rates, click on Administration (Gear Icon in the top right corner). Then click on Labor Rates in the left sidebar.
Creating Labor Rates
Click the New Labor Rate button to create a new rate. Enter the rate name and the amount and click the check box to make it the default.
You can create as many labor rates as you need. One default must be assigned at all times.
Customer-Specific Labor Rate Overrides
Each customer can have their own unique default labor rate.
Important: the rate must already exist in Administration → Labor Rates before you can assign it to a customer (see "Creating Labor Rates" above).
To assign it:
Go to Customers and open the customer
Click Edit (edit icon) to open the Edit Customer window
Find the Default Labor Rate dropdown and select the rate
Save
This allows fleets, preferred customers, or contract customers to receive special pricing.
⚠️ Don't see the Default Labor Rate field? This field is only visible to roles with the "View and Manage AP/AR Data" permission enabled. Ask your administrator to enable it for your role, or have an administrator set the rate.
Labor Rate Not Listed: If the required labor rate is not available in the dropdown, ensure it has been created under Labor Rates in the Administration settings. After creating it, return to the customer profile or work order to select it.
How Overrides Work
If a customer has a Default Labor Rate set on their profile, all new lines for that customer automatically use that rate.
Applying Labor Rates on Work Orders
When a service advisor creates or edits a line on a work order, the labor rate appears automatically.
Default Behavior
When adding a line:
The system applies either:
The customer’s custom labor rate, or
The shop’s default labor rate
Manually Changing Labor Rates on a Line
Service advisors (not technicians) can override the rate on an individual line.
This allows:
Premium diagnostic rates
Warranty labor rates
Special customer arrangements
Flat rate for certain job types
Technicians Cannot Change Labor Rates
Technicians:
Do not see labor rate controls
Cannot modify the labor rate