Construction Job Costing
We track labor, materials, and subcontractor costs for every project so you can see exactly where your money goes and which jobs actually make you money.
The Real Numbers
Most contractors know whether a job “felt” profitable. The crew stayed busy, the client paid, and there was money left in the account at the end of the month. But when you ask which specific jobs made money and which ones ate into your margins, the answer gets fuzzy fast. That is a dangerous place to run a business from.
Job costing removes the guesswork. Every dollar of labor, every material purchase, every subcontractor invoice gets tied to the specific project it belongs to. When the job is done you don’t have to wonder how it went. You can see exactly what it cost and compare that against what you bid.
Where Profit Disappears
Where Profit Disappears
It usually isn’t one big expense that kills a job. It is a collection of small things. Extra trips to the supply house. A sub who billed more hours than expected. Change orders that never got priced out properly. Without tracking at the project level, these costs blend into your general expenses and you never see them clearly.
Why It Gets Skipped
Why It Gets Skipped
Contractors are busy running jobs, managing crews, and dealing with clients. Sitting down at night to allocate receipts to specific projects is the last thing anyone wants to do. So it doesn’t happen, and by the time anyone looks at the numbers the details are long gone. That is exactly why this needs to be handled by someone else.
What Gets Tracked
We set up a system that captures every cost category that matters for your jobs. Labor hours and wages, material purchases, equipment rentals, subcontractor invoices, permits, and any other direct costs get assigned to the right project as they come in. Not after the fact. Not at the end of the quarter. As they happen.
We also work with you to allocate overhead in a way that makes sense for your operation. Insurance, truck payments, fuel, and shop costs all factor into what a job truly costs. If you only look at direct expenses you are fooling yourself about your margins.
Budget vs. Actual
Budget vs. Actual
Every job starts with a bid or an estimate. We set that up as the budget for the project and track actual costs against it as the work progresses. If materials are running 15% over halfway through the job, you know about it while you can still do something about it instead of finding out after the final walkthrough.
Subcontractor Cost Management
Subcontractor Cost Management
Subs can be your biggest expense on a project. We track every sub invoice against the original quote and the scope of work. When a sub bills for extras that were not in the agreement, it shows up immediately. You have the documentation to have that conversation before writing the check.
Better Decisions Going Forward
The real value of job costing shows up over time. After tracking ten or twenty projects you start to see patterns. You learn which types of jobs consistently hit your margins and which ones tend to go sideways. You find out which crews are more efficient and which subs deliver on budget. That information changes how you bid and what work you choose to take on.
We have worked with contractors and trades businesses for years. Miguel has hands-on experience with roofing companies, remodelers, HVAC contractors, electricians, landscapers, and pool service companies across the Tampa Bay area and beyond. We understand how these businesses operate and where the financial blind spots tend to be.
Smarter Bidding
Smarter Bidding
When you have real cost data from completed projects, your estimates get sharper. You stop underbidding jobs because you forgot to account for certain costs. You also stop overbidding and losing work you should have won. Your numbers are based on what actually happened, not what you think happened.
Growth You Can Trust
Growth You Can Trust
Contractors who want to grow need to know their numbers at the project level. Taking on more volume without understanding job profitability just means you might be losing money faster. With proper job costing in place, you can scale with confidence because you know exactly which work is worth pursuing.
Tampa Bay's Small Business CPA Firm
First Step:
A Short Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need support. We'll walk through your situation, answer your questions, and give you a clear quote.
