Fees & surcharges

Setting Up Fees & Event Costs in CaterCloud

The Site fees & event costs section lets you record every expense that goes into delivering an event — stall fees, council permits, equipment hire, casual staff levies, and more. It's designed for food trucks, event caterers, and anyone who needs accurate per-event profit figures.

Where to Find It

Navigate to Money → Site fees & event costs. The page shows a summary of year-to-date costs across cost types, followed by a full list of all recorded expenses.

Adding a Cost

1. Go to Money → Site fees & event costs.
2. Click Add cost (top-right of the page).
3. Fill in the required fields:

• Type — choose from *Site fee*, *Council permit*, *Equipment hire*, *Insurance*, *Staff payments & super*, *Food & ingredient cost*, or *Other*.
• Description — a short note, e.g. Riverside Market stall fee – June.
• Amount (AUD) — enter the dollar value (must be greater than zero).
• Date — defaults to today; change it to match when the cost was incurred.

1. Optionally complete:

• Linked event — attach this cost to a specific event so it flows into that event's margin calculation.
• Paid via — e.g. Bank transfer or Credit card.
• Status — mark as Paid or Due.

1. Click Add cost to save.

How Costs Affect Your Numbers

• Costs linked to an event are included in event-level margin reporting visible in the Financial Dashboard.
• Year-to-date KPI tiles at the top of the fees page break costs down by type (site fees, equipment, permits, and total), so you can spot where money is going at a glance.
• Unlinked costs still count toward overall expense totals but won't reduce a specific event's profit figure.

Tips for Accurate Reporting

• Always link a cost to an event when the expense is specific to a booking — this is the most reliable way to keep your profit numbers clean.
• Use Status: Due for costs you've committed to but haven't paid yet, so your cash-flow view stays current.

> Tip: Check the Financial Dashboard for a full P&L and cash-flow view that incorporates all your recorded costs.