diff --git a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/CostCategoryDAO.java b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/CostCategoryDAO.java
index 8bccdfa18..746ea05f4 100644
--- a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/CostCategoryDAO.java
+++ b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/CostCategoryDAO.java
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ import java.util.List;
 
 import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
 import org.hibernate.Criteria;
+import org.hibernate.criterion.MatchMode;
 import org.hibernate.criterion.Restrictions;
 import org.joda.time.LocalDate;
 import org.navalplanner.business.common.daos.IntegrationEntityDAO;
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ import org.navalplanner.business.resources.entities.Resource;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.config.BeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.context.annotation.Scope;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Repository;
+import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Propagation;
 import org.springframework.transaction.annotation.Transactional;
 
 /**
@@ -113,4 +115,37 @@ public class CostCategoryDAO extends IntegrationEntityDAO<CostCategory>
         return null;
     }
 
+    @Override
+    @Transactional(readOnly=true)
+    public CostCategory findByNameCaseInsensitive(String name)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException {
+        Criteria c = getSession().createCriteria(CostCategory.class);
+        c.add(Restrictions.ilike("name", name, MatchMode.EXACT));
+        CostCategory result = (CostCategory) c.uniqueResult();
+
+        if (result == null) {
+            throw new InstanceNotFoundException(name,
+                    getEntityClass().getName());
+        }
+
+        return result;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    @Transactional(readOnly = true, propagation = Propagation.REQUIRES_NEW)
+    public boolean existsByNameInAnotherTransaction(String name) {
+        try {
+            findByNameCaseInsensitive(name);
+        } catch (InstanceNotFoundException e) {
+            return false;
+        }
+        return true;
+    }
+
+    @Override
+    @Transactional(readOnly = true, propagation = Propagation.REQUIRES_NEW)
+    public CostCategory findUniqueByNameInAnotherTransaction(String name)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException {
+        return findByNameCaseInsensitive(name);
+    }
 }
diff --git a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/ICostCategoryDAO.java b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/ICostCategoryDAO.java
index 27df9c05b..7f5515a85 100644
--- a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/ICostCategoryDAO.java
+++ b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/daos/ICostCategoryDAO.java
@@ -35,7 +35,18 @@ public interface ICostCategoryDAO extends IIntegrationEntityDAO<CostCategory> {
 
     List<CostCategory> findActive();
 
-    CostCategory findUniqueByName(String name) throws InstanceNotFoundException;
+    CostCategory findUniqueByNameInAnotherTransaction(String name)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException;
+
+    boolean existsByNameInAnotherTransaction(String name);
+
+    CostCategory findByNameCaseInsensitive(String name)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException;
+
+    CostCategory findUniqueByCode(String code)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException;
+
+    CostCategory findUniqueByName(String name)
+            throws InstanceNotFoundException;
 
-    CostCategory findUniqueByCode(String code) throws InstanceNotFoundException;
 }
diff --git a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/entities/CostCategory.java b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/entities/CostCategory.java
index 40c7f92ef..1ef5248d9 100644
--- a/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/entities/CostCategory.java
+++ b/navalplanner-business/src/main/java/org/navalplanner/business/costcategories/entities/CostCategory.java
@@ -49,7 +49,6 @@ import org.navalplanner.business.costcategories.daos.ICostCategoryDAO;
  */
 public class CostCategory extends IntegrationEntity implements IHumanIdentifiable {
 
-    @NotEmpty
     private String name;
 
     private boolean enabled = true;
@@ -59,6 +58,8 @@ public class CostCategory extends IntegrationEntity implements IHumanIdentifiabl
     @Valid
     private Set<HourCost> hourCosts = new HashSet<HourCost>();
 
+    private ICostCategoryDAO costCategoryDAO = Registry.getCostCategoryDAO();
+
     // Default constructor, needed by Hibernate
     protected CostCategory() {
 
@@ -189,6 +190,7 @@ public class CostCategory extends IntegrationEntity implements IHumanIdentifiabl
         this.name = name;
     }
 
+    @NotEmpty(message = "name not specified")
     public String getName() {
         return name;
     }
@@ -317,4 +319,25 @@ public class CostCategory extends IntegrationEntity implements IHumanIdentifiabl
         return name;
     }
 
+    @AssertTrue(message = "the cost category name has to be unique. It is already used")
+    public boolean checkConstraintUniqueName() {
+        if (StringUtils.isBlank(name)) {
+            return true;
+        }
+        if (isNewObject()) {
+            return !costCategoryDAO.existsByNameInAnotherTransaction(name);
+        } else {
+            return checkNotExistsOrIsTheSame();
+        }
+    }
+
+    private boolean checkNotExistsOrIsTheSame() {
+        try {
+            CostCategory costCategory = costCategoryDAO
+                    .findUniqueByNameInAnotherTransaction(name);
+            return costCategory.getId().equals(getId());
+        } catch (InstanceNotFoundException e) {
+            return true;
+        }
+    }
 }
\ No newline at end of file