QuickBooks Job Costing
Track Profitability by Job, Project, or Client

Work with Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors to configure and optimize job costing in QuickBooks. We track labor, materials, expenses, and overhead by job so you know which projects make money — and which don’t.

Request Job Costing Review Call 1-877-751-5575

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QuickBooks job costing and project profitability tracking

QuickBooks Job Costing • 1-877-751-5575

Know your true margins

Profitability by job, not guesswork.

Job costing reveals real profitability. We configure QuickBooks so labor, materials, and expenses are tracked by job — giving you clarity on margins and performance.

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jobs tracked accurately

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job costing accuracy rate

Certified

QuickBooks ProAdvisors

Get a Job Costing Review

We’ll review how jobs, projects, and costs are tracked in your file and identify leaks, misallocations, and reporting gaps.

Get Job Costing Review

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What Is Job Costing in QuickBooks?

Job costing tracks all revenue and expenses for each job so you know which projects are profitable, which are losing money, and where costs are leaking.

Labor costs (payroll, subcontractors)
Materials & supplies
Equipment & rentals
Overhead allocation
Income per job
Project-level profitability

Industries That Need Job Costing

Any project or job-based business depends on job costing for pricing & profitability.

Construction & contractors
Trades — plumbing, electrical, HVAC, roofing
Landscaping & outdoor services
Manufacturing & fabrication projects
Engineering & architecture
Marketing agencies & consulting firms
IT services & managed support

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Components of Job Costing

Each cost type must be linked correctly for accurate reporting.

Labor (payroll wages, taxes, workers comp)
Subcontractor costs (1099 labor)
Materials & supplies
Equipment usage & rentals
Overhead allocation
Job-related expenses
Customer deposits & retainage

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How Job Costing Works in QuickBooks

A clear end-to-end workflow.

Create customer → job or project
Assign expenses directly to the job
Assign billable expenses when appropriate
Track labor through payroll or time entries
Assign materials through bills or items
Invoice based on progress or T&M
Run job profitability reports

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Job Costing Cost Flow in QuickBooks

Every cost must be mapped through items for accuracy.

Bills → Items → Jobs
Expenses → Items → Jobs
Checks → Items → Jobs
Payroll → Timesheets / Classes / Customers
Inventory → COGS → Jobs
Subcontractors → Vendor bills → Jobs

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Job Costing Setup Checklist

Use this to set up or repair job costing.

Turn on projects/job costing features
Create customer:job structure or projects
Build a job-focused chart of accounts
Create service, material & labor items
Map items to correct accounts
Turn on billable expenses (optional)
Enable time tracking & payroll allocation

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Labor Costing in QuickBooks

Labor is often the biggest job cost — and the most miscalculated.

Direct labor costs (wages)
Burdened labor (taxes, insurance, overhead)
Tracking labor through payroll
Timesheets assigned to jobs
Supervisor vs worker allocation

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Materials & Inventory for Job Costing

Materials must use items — not simple expenses.

Use items for all materials
Assign items to jobs directly from bills
Manage inventory with reorder points
Track materials used vs purchased
Map materials to correct COGS accounts

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Subcontractor Costs

Subcontractors must be tracked cleanly for accurate job profit.

Vendor bills assigned to the job
Use service items for accurate tracking
Classify subcontractor labor separately
Track lien waivers and compliance

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Overhead Allocation

Overhead ensures true job profitability.

Flat overhead per job
Percentage of labor
Percentage of job cost
Department or division allocation
Custom allocation based on job hours

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Invoicing for Job Costing (Progress Billing & T&M)

Revenue recognition must match job cost workflows.

Progress invoicing for construction jobs
Time & materials invoicing
Retainage tracking
Deposits and prepayments
Markup on billable expenses

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Job Costing Reports in QuickBooks

The most important reports to run monthly.

Job Profitability Summary
Job Profitability Detail
Estimates vs Actuals
Unbilled Time & Expenses
Cost-to-Complete reports
Project Dashboard (QBO)

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Common Job Costing Problems in QuickBooks

Job costing usually breaks because items or workflows are wrong.

Expenses posted without items
Payroll not assigned to jobs
Missing costs or wrong job categories
Jobs showing unrealistic profit/loss
Markup calculations incorrect
Incorrect retainage workflows
Duplicate invoice or expense entries

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Fixing Job Costing Issues

Most job costing issues require structural corrections.

Rebuild items and mapping
Correct payroll job assignment
Repair billable expenses
Redo Estimates vs Actuals
Fix project structures & classes
Adjust beginning job balances

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Cleanup services

Job Costing Success Examples

Common scenarios where job costing transforms profitability.

Construction company finally sees true margin per project
Service agency discovers unprofitable clients due to hidden labor
Landscaping business fixes material cost tracking
Manufacturing shop identifies waste & overuse of materials

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Complete Job Costing Checklist

Use this to implement job costing correctly.

Create projects or customer:job structure
Build full item list (service, labor, materials)
Turn on billable expense tracking
Assign payroll to jobs
Map materials to COGS accounts
Track subcontractor costs per project
Run profitability reports regularly

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Related QuickBooks Pages

Accurate QuickBooks Job Costing — Guaranteed

Every QuickBooks job costing setup is backed by our Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor Job Costing Guarantee. Your jobs track real costs, margins, and profitability with confidence.

Protection for job setup, cost categories, labor and materials tracking, revenue allocation, and margin reporting across every project.

Job Cost Accuracy Guarantee

If job reports do not reflect true costs and margins, we correct tracking and structure at no additional cost.

No Guesswork Reporting

Job costing is configured so reports clearly show profit, overruns, and performance without spreadsheets.

Project-Ready Completion

Engagement completes only when job reports, cost summaries, and margins match real operations.

Trusted for Professional Job Costing in QuickBooks

Job costing configurations are handled by Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors experienced with construction, projects, and service-based work.

Certified QuickBooks Job Costing ProAdvisor USA

Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors

Intuit ProAdvisor – Gold Tier

100% U.S.-Based Support

Secure Financial Data Handling

Know Your Job Profit — Before It’s Too Late

Stop guessing job profitability. Work with Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisors to set up accurate job costing inside QuickBooks.

Explore QuickBooks Services Call 1-877-751-5575

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QuickBooks Job CostingTrack Profitability by Job, Project, or Client