# Rate Cards The rate card is your organization's reusable library of line items — every service, resource, or deliverable your team regularly prices. When building estimates, users pull items from the rate card rather than entering them manually, which keeps pricing consistent and speeds up the estimation process. PAI ships with a base rate card of approximately 300 common items, so you're not starting from scratch. You can use it as-is, expand it over time, or replace it entirely with your own items. Access the rate card via **Settings → Rate Card**. --- ## Project Types The rate card is organized by project type. PAI currently has two: **PAI Project** and **AICP**. AICP is a standardized budget format used in the advertising industry. If your organization doesn't use AICP budgets, you'll work exclusively in the PAI Project type. Items in each project type are entirely separate — a line item named "Editor" in PAI Project and one named "Editor" in AICP are distinct records that don't interact. When adding or editing items, confirm you're working in the correct project type. The vast majority of users only need PAI Project. > [!note] > Project types are not user-modifiable. They exist as a structural separation between the two budgeting formats. --- ## Adding Items Click **Add Item** in the top right of the rate card page. **Required fields:** - **Name** — must be unique within the project type - **Department** — the department this item belongs to - **Unit** — the default unit type the item spawns with (Days, Hours, Flat, etc.) - **Category** — the cost category the item is associated with **Optional fields (under "Show More"):** - **Project Type** — defaults to PAI Project - **Day Type** — for Day-unit items, sets the default day type the item creates when added to an estimate (see [Days in PAI](../04-Executing-the-Job/Days-in-PAI.md)) - **Default Headcount** — for items representing people, defines how many individuals the item accounts for. Used in headcount totals on estimates. - **Revenue Recognition Category** — accounting metadata for financial reporting - **Internal Notes** — default notes that spawn with the line item in estimates; never externalized. Useful for standing instructions, e.g., "Requires advance booking." - **External Description** — default description that appears on printed estimates. Useful for explaining what a line item includes, e.g., a "Camera Package" item with an external description of "Includes camera body, lens set, and tripod." --- ## Setting and Editing Rates The rate card displays as a table. Use the search bar to find items by name. Rates can be edited directly in the table — click into the external or internal rate cell for any item and type the new value. To access an item's full properties and rate grid, click the item name. From there you can edit all fields including multi-rate configurations. ### Multi-Rate Configurations A single line item can have multiple rate configurations — for example, an editor priced differently at a Day rate vs. an Hour rate, or a camera operator with both a 10-hour and a 12-hour day option. When a user adds the item to an estimate, they choose which rate configuration to apply. ### Account Numbers Each line item is automatically assigned an account number when created. You can modify account numbers in the item properties. The system prevents duplicates. --- ## Saving Items from Estimates The most natural way to build out your rate card is through real work. When you create a custom line item in an estimate that you want to reuse, use the **Save to Rate Card** button in the line item's action menu. This adds it to the rate card for future use without leaving the estimate. --- ## Importing Your Existing Rates If you have an existing rate sheet in a spreadsheet, PAI can convert it to a rate card. Contact [email protected]. --- ## Renaming Items > [!warning] > Renaming a line item updates its name everywhere it appears — including in all past and future estimates and budgets where it's been used. Rename only when the underlying service the item represents is genuinely the same thing under a new name. Renaming an item to represent a different service will corrupt historical records. --- ## Multiple Rate Cards Enterprise accounts can maintain multiple rate cards — for example, separate cards for different geographic markets, client-specific pricing, or distinct service lines. Contact [email protected] if your organization needs this capability.