---
title: "Best Practices for Setting up Internal Request Categories"
slug: "best-practices-for-setting-up-internal-request-categories"
description: "Create internal request categories for staff-only reporting, such as office maintenance or internal operations."
updated: 2026-04-15T17:06:15Z
published: 2026-04-15T17:06:15Z
canonical: "www.civicplus.help/best-practices-for-setting-up-internal-request-categories"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.civicplus.help/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Best Practices for Setting up Internal Request Categories

Internal categories are helpful when organizations need categories to report items that don't need to be visible to the public, such as office maintenance or IT issues. It is best to mark these categories as Internal and Private with guest reporting turned off. To learn more about Internal and Private categories, please see the [Difference Between Internal and Private Request Categories](/seeclickfix/docs/difference-between-internal-and-private-request-categories) article.

## Tips for Creating Internal Categories

1. Name the category and select the **Internal Use** checkbox, as this will only allow organization members to report to it:![The New Request Category screen with the Internal Use checkbox highlighted and filled.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/17dc564a-8310-4f61-b929-1bd73b36e158/Images/Documentation/New%20Request%20Category%20Internal%20Use%20Checkbox%20-%20SCF.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T21%3A38%3A38Z&se=2026-10-31T22%3A38%3A38Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=urS90%2Byf2VomfeGXdlSSbT6c1poo%2FUGnms93RS9TKWM%3D)
2. Select **Privatize issues by default,** as this hides the request from public view:![The New Request Category screen with the Privatize issues by default checkbox highlighted and filled.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/17dc564a-8310-4f61-b929-1bd73b36e158/Images/Documentation/New%20Request%20Category%20Privatize%20Issues%20by%20Default%20-%20SCF.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T21%3A38%3A38Z&se=2026-10-31T22%3A38%3A38Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=urS90%2Byf2VomfeGXdlSSbT6c1poo%2FUGnms93RS9TKWM%3D)
3. Deselect **Enable Guest Submissions** to avoid getting requests from users who don't have an account:![The New Request Category screen with the Enable Guest Submissions checkbox highlighted and toggled to off.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/17dc564a-8310-4f61-b929-1bd73b36e158/Images/Documentation/New%20Request%20Category%20Enable%20Guest%20Submissions%20Off%20-%20SCF.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T21%3A38%3A38Z&se=2026-10-31T22%3A38%3A38Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=urS90%2Byf2VomfeGXdlSSbT6c1poo%2FUGnms93RS9TKWM%3D)
4. After the category has been created, within the Embed section, it is recommended to use the **Prompt for Sign-in** option, which will ask users to sign in; once organization members have signed in, this will allow them to see internal categories:![The Embed Screen with the Prompt for Sign-in checkbox checked.](https://cdn.us.document360.io/17dc564a-8310-4f61-b929-1bd73b36e158/Images/Documentation/Embed%20Prompt%20for%20Sign-in%20Checkbox%20-%20SCF.png?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-10-31T21%3A38%3A38Z&se=2026-10-31T22%3A38%3A38Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=urS90%2Byf2VomfeGXdlSSbT6c1poo%2FUGnms93RS9TKWM%3D)

Information Technology. A dedicated organizational unit within a company or institution that is responsible for managing, supporting, and maintaining the information technology infrastructure, systems, and services of the organization