Do you include labor burden?

Yes. Wages alone understate job cost. We build a burden rate covering payroll taxes, workers compensation, benefits, and other employer costs, then apply it consistently so margins are comparable across jobs.

Can you allocate overhead to jobs?

Where it is useful for decision making, yes. We agree on a documented, consistent method rather than an arbitrary percentage, and we show margins both before and after allocation.

What software is needed?

Most of this runs in QuickBooks Online with a properly designed job and cost code structure, supported by payroll and field systems where those exist.

Construction Job Costing

Know Which Jobs Make Money While You Can Still Do Something About It

Job costing is not a report you run at the end of the year. It is the structure that tells you, in the middle of a job, whether the estimate still holds and whether the next one should be priced differently.

We build the cost structure, get every dollar to the correct job and cost type, and produce reporting the owner and project managers can actually use.

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What we build and report

Actual versus estimate by job

Labor cost by job and crew

Materials

Subcontractors

Payroll burden

Financing cost where relevant

Overhead allocation

Job profitability reporting

Cost to complete

Management reporting

What changes once it works

Bids get priced from real historical cost, not memory

Margin erosion is visible during the job

Change orders are tracked against the original estimate

Crew and project manager performance becomes comparable

WIP and revenue recognition become straightforward

Job reports reconcile to the financial statements

How engagements are scoped

Engagements are scoped based on revenue, job volume, payroll complexity, existing system condition, and reporting requirements.

Where this usually leads next

Most engagements start with one financial problem and grow into ongoing support.

Electrical Contractor Bookkeeping

Job costing for electrical contractors.

HVAC Contractor Accounting

Service vs install margins for HVAC.

Construction Bookkeeping

Consistent monthly job coding is the input job costing depends on.

WIP Reporting

Job cost data feeds directly into a monthly WIP schedule.

Fractional CFO

Use margin data for pricing, capacity, and growth decisions.

QuickBooks Integration

The job and cost code structure this all depends on.

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FAQ

Questions contractors ask about this

Usually because some costs never reach a job: payroll posted in a lump sum, credit card charges left uncoded, processor fees netted against deposits, or subcontractor invoices coded to a general expense account. We close those leaks and reconcile job cost to the general ledger.

Your financial reports should answer questions.
Not create more of them.

Talk through your cash flow, job margins and reporting in a free 20-minute review. Agree the next step before any paid work — or model a contract's cash impact first with the free analyzer.

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