Branches

A branch is one of the offices, regions, or divisions inside your business — Dallas HQ, North Region, West Yard. Every branch has an address, and in include GO that address lives on a Location. Branch and Location are paired: the Branch is the operational handle (how you tag projects, group reports, and organize your team), and the Location is the physical address attached to it (used for maps, tax filings, and routing).

Because they always belong together, include GO links them automatically. Whichever side you create from — the Branches grid or the Locations grid — the other side fills in. You don't manage two parallel lists; you manage one paired thing from either page.

Most small companies only have one or two branches. Larger companies with multiple physical locations or service regions will have more. You can always come back and add branches later as the business grows.

Where to Find Branches

From anywhere in include GO, click the Settings icon in the left sidebar (near the bottom). In the Settings sidebar that opens, under the Organization section, click Branches.

Navigation path: Dashboard → Settings → Organization → Branches

The Branches Page

The page shows a table of all your branches. Unlike most programs that pop up a separate "Add New" window, include GO lets you add and edit branches right in the table itself. This is faster once you get used to it — no popups to open and close.

What you see on this screen

There's also an ID column (a small number) and a Notes column, plus a Save / Cancel area at the far right that only shows up while you're editing a row.

How to Add a Branch

You can create a branch from either side of the pairing. Both paths produce the same result — a Branch row paired with a Location row — so pick whichever matches what you're starting with.

Path A — Link an address you've already saved

Use this when the address already exists in Locations (for example, you set it up earlier as a generic location).

1. On the Branches page, click + Add Branch.
2. Enter the Branch / Office Name.
3. Click into the Location cell. The dropdown lists existing locations.
4. Pick the address you want. The branch is now linked to it, and the Location's type is automatically promoted to Branch.
5. Press Enter or click the green checkmark to save.

Path B — Create a brand-new address (typical for net-new branches)

Use this when you're standing up a new branch and the address doesn't exist anywhere in include GO yet. This is the most common flow.

1. Go to Settings → Organization → Locations.
2. Click + Add Location.
3. Fill in the address fields and set Type = Branch.
4. Save. The new Location is created and a matching Branch row appears on the Branches page automatically — no second step needed.
5. Hop over to Branches and add a Name and Notes if you want.

Either way, you only enter the data once. Don't create the address on Locations and then re-type it on Branches — the link happens automatically.

Type conflicts when linking

The Location dropdown on the Branches grid only shows Locations whose Type is Branch or Other. Locations marked as Office, Warehouse, Yard, Job Site, or Vendor won't appear, and trying to link one will be refused.

If the address you want isn't showing up:

• Open the Location, change its type to Branch (or Other), and save. It'll then appear in the dropdown.
• Or pick a different address.

This guard exists so you don't accidentally promote a job-site or vendor address into a branch.

What gets filled in automatically

The ID and Status cells are filled in for you. New branches start as Active right away. The Location's address fields (street, city, state, ZIP, lat/long) are not duplicated onto the Branch — they live on the Location and are referenced from there.

Saving or canceling

• Press Enter from any cell to save the new branch. The row moves into the main list.
• Or click the green checkmark (✓) on the right side of the row to save.
• Press Escape, or click the red X next to the checkmark, to cancel and discard the new row.

If something's wrong: A red message appears above the table explaining the problem (for example, "A branch with this name already exists"). Fix the issue and try saving again.

Editing a Branch

Click any editable cell — Name, Location, or Notes — and you can type directly into it. The Save (green checkmark) and Cancel (red X) buttons appear on the right side of the row while you're editing. Changes don't save until you click the checkmark or press Enter.

You can also right-click on a row and choose Edit from the menu that appears — this is the same as clicking into a cell.

Address details (street, city, ZIP, etc.) are edited on the Locations page, not here. The Branches page is for the operational name, Location link, and notes. Changes you make on the Location are reflected here automatically.

Note: Archived branches can't be edited. If you need to change one, activate it first (see below).

Archiving and Activating Branches

You can't delete branches — that would break reports and invoices that reference them. Instead, you archive branches you no longer use. Archived branches are hidden from dropdowns throughout the app, but their history stays intact.

Right-click any row to see the menu:

To see your archived branches, turn on the Include Archived checkbox at the top of the page. Archived rows appear with an orange "Archive" status badge and their cells are grayed out (you can't edit them until you activate).

Who Can Edit This Page?

Anyone with the Settings View permission can see the Branches page. Only users with the Settings Manage Branches permission can add, edit, or archive branches. By default this means Super Admin and Branch Manager roles.

If a user can see the page but the Add Branch button is missing and right-click doesn't show Edit/Archive options, their role is missing the manage permission. An administrator can add it under Roles & Permissions.

Tips & Best Practices

• Don't double-enter. Create the branch from either the Branches grid or the Locations grid — the other side fills in automatically. Re-typing the address on both sides leads to mismatches when something changes later.
• Address details belong on the Location. Street, city, ZIP, lat/long, and tax-relevant fields are edited on the Location. The Branch is the operational handle — name, notes, archive state.
• Keep branch names short and recognizable. "Dallas HQ" reads better than "Dallas Headquarters - Main Building" in a dropdown.
• Archive instead of deleting. Past invoices, reports, and timesheets will reference branches that no longer exist in your day-to-day. Archiving hides them without breaking history.
• Don't duplicate branches for minor differences. If you find yourself creating "Dallas HQ" and "Dallas HQ - Warehouse", those probably belong as separate Locations attached to the same branch (or as a different location type entirely), not as two branches.

Coming soon: Branches with addresses will be selectable as start and end points for the Route Optimizer. Pairing your branches with a Location now means they'll be ready to use the moment that feature ships.

Common Questions

Can I rename a branch after I create it? Yes — click into the Name cell, type the new name, and save. The change takes effect immediately across the app. Older invoices and reports keep whatever name was in place when they were generated.

My Location dropdown is empty (or missing the address I want). Why? The dropdown only shows Locations whose Type is Branch or Other. If your address is listed in Locations as Office, Warehouse, Yard, Job Site, or Vendor, change its type to Branch first and it'll appear. If you have no locations at all yet, add one from the Locations page.

I accidentally archived a branch. How do I get it back? Turn on Include Archived at the top of the page, right-click the archived row, and choose Activate.

What's the difference between a Branch and a Location? A Branch is an operational division — how your company is organized for tagging projects and grouping reports. A Location is a physical address. Every branch has exactly one paired location (its address), and that location is what's used on maps, routing, and tax. Locations can also exist on their own without a branch (job sites, vendor addresses, etc.). When you create a branch, the address side is created or linked for you automatically — you don't manage them separately.

Will archiving a branch delete its data? No. Historical records — invoices, projects, reports — keep their branch assignment and continue to work. Archiving only hides the branch from future dropdowns.

Related Topics

• Locations — Physical addresses; the address half of every branch lives here
• Profit Centers — Financial groupings that often align with branches
• Business Unit — The top-level settings for your whole company
• Roles & Permissions — Control who can add or edit branches