---
sourceDocument: Australia IT Service Management
sourceDocumentLink: https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/r/it-service-management

 Release :

    - australia

ft:locale :

    - en-US

ft:publication_title :

    - Australia IT Service Management

ft:clusterId :

    - itsm

bundleId :

    - itsm

workflow :

    - Technology


---

# Incident categories and subcategories

# Incident categories and subcategories {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ph_IncidentCategoriesTitle}

Release version: Australia  
Updated March 12, 2026  
![](https://www.servicenow.com/docs/portal-asset/ico-clock) 1 minute to read  
Categorization of incidents helps in routing to the right team and saves a lot of time
in troubleshooting and bringing the service to normalcy.
One of the KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) of the Incident Management process is
to identify how many times the Incident is sent to different teams. It also helps in
analyzing incidents based on the classification to do proactive Problem Management
which, in turn, helps to reduce Incidents. Proper incident classification is very important
to identify and prioritize on which Incidents to work on first.

Using categories and subcategories also improves the clarity and granularity of report
data. The following categories and associated subcategories are in the base system. An
administrator can add additional categories and subcategories, and use them in assignment
rules and notifications.  
{#r_CategorizingIncidents__table_nxg_t4s_44__entry__2}

| Category | Subcategory |
|-|-|
| Inquiry / Help | * Antivirus * Email * Internal Application {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ul_o4m_3r5_c3b} |
| Software | * Email * Operating System {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ul_f3c_lr5_c3b} |
| Hardware | * CPU * Disk * Keyboard * Memory * Monitor * Mouse {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ul_ihf_mr5_c3b} |
| Network | * DHCP * DNS * IP Address * VPN * Wireless {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ul_xkq_4r5_c3b} |
| Database | * DB2 * MS SQL Server * Oracle {#r_CategorizingIncidents__ul_trt_qr5_c3b} |
[Table 1. Incident categories]

{#r_CategorizingIncidents__table_nxg_t4s_44}
* **[Configure incident category or subcategory](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/Rl7Y7VM0dxvClHW1o7RqDw)**   
  Configure incident category and subcategory for easy classification of incidents which helps in routing incidents to the right team. You can also generate reports based on category and subcategory of incidents.
* **[Add a category or a subcategory](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/vjiXlvCr8uZ9xyVQ3pI7qA)**   
  Add category or subcategory to assign incidents to the correct team and save time in troubleshooting and bringing the service to normalcy.
* **[Delete a category or a subcategory](https://servicenow-prod.fluidtopics.net/_cVHkfZt3rr5D6AbzHRL4w)**   
  Delete a category or subcategory if your organization no longer uses the category or subcategory.