What we set up and maintain
- Customer and job structure in QuickBooks Online
- Cost coding for labor, materials, subcontractors and equipment
- Payroll allocated to jobs from your payroll provider's data
- Bills and receipts coded to the right job each month
- Budget versus actual by job where estimates are available
- Work-in-progress (WIP), draws and retainage for longer projects
Why job costing breaks down
Most job costing fails in the monthly work, not the setup. A materials receipt coded to general expenses, payroll that never gets allocated, a supplier bill split across three jobs incorrectly — each one moves profit from one job to another. We review job cost coding as part of every monthly close.
What you get to see
Contract value, job revenue and costs, job gross profit, budget remaining and forecast profit — job by job — in an interactive dashboard built on your QuickBooks data. Open the contractor demo to click through an example.
Who it's for
General contractors, builders and remodelers, roofing, restoration and mitigation companies, and home service contractors running multiple jobs at once.
How job costing works in QuickBooks Online
Every job exists as a customer or project. Every bill, receipt and expense that belongs to a job carries that job, and product and service items separate labor, materials, subcontractors and equipment. Payroll is allocated to jobs using hours or crew data from your payroll provider or job software. Revenue — invoices, progress billings and draws — is recorded against the same job. With both sides recorded, QuickBooks can report gross profit per job, and a WIP schedule can show which jobs are over- or under-billed.
Work-in-progress (WIP), draws and retainage
On longer projects, billing and costs rarely move together. A WIP schedule compares costs incurred and billings against the contract to show whether each job is over- or under-billed, so profit isn't overstated early or understated late. Draws are tied to contract value, and retainage receivable and payable are tracked until they're collected or paid.
Questions we hear
My job software already tracks costs. Why do I need this in QuickBooks?
Because the accounting has to agree with it. We make sure the two match every month.
Can you job cost payroll?
Yes. We can set up and assist with your payroll, then allocate labor to each job.
Do small jobs need job costing too?
For high-volume service work we often track by service line or job type instead — whichever gives you a useful answer.
Want to see what this looks like for your business?
Every engagement starts with a free Books Review of your current books and QuickBooks structure — what’s working, what isn’t and what to do next.