Fixed costs in nouz have start and end dates as first-class fields, not afterthoughts. The reason: rent changes, suppliers come and go, leases end. If we tried to handle every change by editing the existing row in-place, every historical P&L would silently recompute every time you signed a new lease. The lifecycle pattern keeps the past honest.
01 How does nouz decide if a fixed cost is active on a day?
When nouz computes a day's fixed-cost allocation, it iterates every fixed cost on your location and asks: was this cost active on this day? The answer comes from two fields — start date and end date — and one comparison: start_date <= date AND (end_date IS NULL OR end_date >= date). No end date means "still active", a future end date means "active through that date then retired", and a past end date means "retired".
start_date <= date AND (end_date IS NULL OR end_date >= date)
No end date means "still active". An end date in the future means "active through that date, then retired". An end date in the past means "retired".
02 How do I retire a fixed cost?
Don't delete it — end it. Say you're moving to a cheaper space on October 1st: set the old rent's end date to September 30th, then add the new rent with a start date of October 1st. The result is that August and September P&Ls still subtract the old €2.800 rent, October onward subtracts the new amount, and there are no retroactive surprises. This two-step "end old, start new" pattern works for any fixed-cost change. The list below shows the effect.
- August and September P&Ls still subtract the old €2.800 rent.
- October onward subtracts the new amount.
- No retroactive surprises — historical numbers stay honest.
This two-step (end old, start new) is the standard pattern for any fixed-cost change: rent increase, salary bump, switching internet providers, the accountant raising their rate. End the old version on the day before the change; start the new version on the day of the change.
03 Can I set a fixed cost to start in the future?
Yes — a future-dated start is the cleanest way to schedule an upcoming change. The cost shows up in the list immediately but doesn't affect EBIT until its start date arrives, so if you know a rent increase is coming in three months you can set it up now and forget about it. The same pattern works for known-end leases: log a six-month equipment lease with today's start and an end date six months out, and it stops automatically.
Same pattern works for known-end leases: sign a six-month equipment lease today, log it with the start date as today and the end date six months out. The cost slices off your EBIT for exactly those six months, then stops automatically.
04 Why shouldn't I delete a fixed cost?
Because deleting a fixed cost outright makes every historical P&L that subtracted it suddenly look better than it really was. Ending it preserves the past while stopping future allocations. Deletion is technically possible — the database doesn't physically stop you — but it's counterproductive in almost every case. The only legitimate delete is a cost you added by mistake and never actually paid, and even then, ending it on the same day you started it is usually cleaner.
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