Understand what the work really took.

Start with one recognizable job

Choose a customer project, repair, installation, creative commission or small order. For recurring work, set a specific review period so the price and work cover the same dates. Start with what you know; missing information stays visible.

Xero describes comparing estimates with actual project costs and assigning expenses to the work they belong to. Here that becomes a practical record: the original expectation, current agreement, costs recorded and the next action.

Background: Xero: Job costing

Keep the original plan available

Record the original offer and assumptions before revising them. Create a revised plan when work or costs change; approved price additions and reductions stay separate. A quotation is an offer until its agreement has been checked.

A plan row and an actual row are two different views of the work, not two costs to add together. For work in progress, forecast costs include recorded costs, still-outstanding commitments and additional costs to finish. When a commitment becomes a real cost, change or split it so only the remaining part stays outstanding.

Count the whole effort

Preparation, buying supplies, travel, messages, delivery, revisions and follow-up may all belong to a job. Record hours per person and the number of people; two people working three hours represent six person-hours.

Internal cost rates differ from selling rates. QuickBooks distinguishes estimated hourly labor costs from payroll expenses. Choose a rate-based estimate or mark time as already covered by a recorded cost; counting both would overstate the job cost.

An owner time allowance shows whether the job leaves room for your effort. It is not automatically a wage, a payment or a tax deduction. Historical rates stay with their entries.

Background: Intuit: Hourly labor costs and project profitability

Allocate the cost once

Keep the full cost record and allocate the share used by each job. The unallocated balance stays visible. Payments of a bill and owner reimbursements do not add another cost. A stock purchase covering several jobs should not all be charged to the first one.

Record supplier credits and returns against the relevant cost where possible. Cost figures imported from Spending may include recoverable tax; stock prices may be estimates. Review their basis before relying on the result. Equipment purchases require a considered allocation rather than automatically charging a whole asset to a single job.

Jobber explicitly warns that recording the same amount in item costs and expenses can double count it. Use distinct line references and review existing costs when importing another source.

Background: Jobber: Job costing

Read the result in layers

Start with the stated job value, then subtract entered direct costs, owner time allowances and shared running cost allowances in separate steps. The tool explains each remainder. It does not present a whole-business profit-and-loss statement.

Current agreed value, net invoices and customer cash are different measures. A deposit is not an extra sale; a refund following a customer credit is not a second reduction in price. Invoice balances include the entered customer tax, while the job review uses its stated net value basis.

Different currencies stay separate. Amounts that are blank remain unknown. Relevant missing rates, unchecked cost bases, outstanding commitments and disagreements between value and billed totals appear as review items.

Use running cost allowances consistently

Choose a fixed amount, a rate per person-hour or a percentage of direct job costs. State what the allowance includes and check it against labor rates and direct entries. The percentage basis and the chosen method are visible in the working record.

A calculation based on incomplete hours or costs is incomplete too. Entering a zero is a deliberate choice; leaving an amount blank is not evidence of no cost.

Give the next job a better starting point

Compare time, materials, rates, waste, rework and scope changes with the plan. Record the cause only when you have evidence; uncertainty is a useful finding. Choose a specific next action and a person or date when useful.

The next decision may concern scope, preparation, supplier arrangements, process, or price. Carry a specific lesson into the next estimate or quote, while keeping what the customer values separate from what the previous job cost. A job-cost review supports that decision without choosing the price for you.

A Pricing draft groups reviewed costs into fresh assumptions. Owner rates may be rounded for the new estimate and the original allowance stays described. Recheck scope, volume and possible overlap with monthly overhead.

Background: SBA: Plan your business

Keep reviewed copies and earlier conclusions

Choose a saved source file, select an entry and record when you actually checked it. Carry figures only after reviewing their meaning and currency. Repeated source identities are matched; a changed source that already supplied figures creates a reconciliation action. Original financial entries stay available.

A finished review keeps a snapshot. Later changes reopen the job for review while earlier snapshots stay in history. History is a working record, not tamper-proof evidence.

Save editable job book (.json) to reopen the complete record. PDFs are internal reading copies containing costs and rates; private notes are optional. CSV contains the selected table including private fields and retained entries. Review any file before sharing.