Job Costing Spreadsheet Template
By BRIX Editorial Team · Updated
A job costing spreadsheet tracks what one job actually cost against what you estimated, category by category: labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, permits and disposal. It subtracts total job cost from the contract price to show gross profit and margin, then takes out an overhead share to show what the job really made.
Key takeaways
- Download the blank CSV (formulas included) or the filled roofing example, and open either in Excel or Google Sheets.
- Log every cost the day it happens: receipts, supply house tickets and crew hours at a burdened rate.
- Compare estimate to actual on every job. The variances tell you which line in your estimates is wrong.
- Gross margin pays for overhead. A job can look profitable and still lose money once overhead is counted.
The free job costing spreadsheet
The spreadsheet has two parts: a summary at the top that compares estimated and actual cost by category and calculates profit, and a cost log underneath where you enter every receipt and timesheet. Here's the full layout.
JOB COSTING SHEET
Job details
Job name: ________ Customer: ________ Job #: ________
Job address: ________ Start date: ________ Finish date: ________
Contract price, including approved change orders: $_____
Overhead rate (decimal, 0.15 = 15% of revenue): _____
Summary (category · estimated · actual · variance $ · variance %)
Labor (hours × burdened rate) · $____ · $____ · = actual − estimated · = variance ÷ estimated
Materials · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Equipment and rentals · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Subcontractors · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Permits and fees · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Dump and disposal · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Other direct costs · $____ · $____ · ____ · ____
Total direct job cost · = sum · = sum · ____ · ____
Profit
Gross profit = contract price − total direct job cost
Gross margin % = gross profit ÷ contract price
Overhead share = contract price × overhead rate
Net profit on job = gross profit − overhead share
Cost log (one row per cost)
Date · Category · Vendor or employee · Description · Qty or hours · Unit cost · Amount (= qty × unit cost) · Receipt or bill #
Tip: use SUMIF on the Category column to fill the Actual column automatically. Category names must match the summary exactly.
Download the template
Just want a quick number for one job? The job costing calculator does the math in your browser. For the concepts behind the sheet, see job costing.
What should a job costing spreadsheet track?
It should track every cost that exists only because the job happened, in the same categories you used to estimate it, plus the contract price including change orders. Matching categories is the point: if your estimate has a Materials line and your actuals have a Materials line, the variance shows exactly where your estimating is off.
| Category | Include | Common miss |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | Crew hours on the job × burdened rate (wage plus payroll taxes, workers' comp and benefits) | Using the bare wage. See labor burden; the true cost is often well above the hourly wage. |
| Materials | Supply house tickets, truck stock used, returns credited back | Forgetting truck stock pulled for the job |
| Equipment and rentals | Rented lifts, excavators, dumpsters if not under disposal, fuel for rented equipment | Owned equipment wear (add an hourly charge if you price it in) |
| Subcontractors | Every sub invoice for the job | Late sub bills arriving after you closed the job |
| Permits and fees | Permits, inspections, engineering, utility fees | Re-inspection fees |
| Dump and disposal | Dumpsters, dump fees, overweight charges, recycling | Overweight charges that show up weeks later |
| Other direct | Job-specific fasteners and consumables, parking, delivery charges | Small receipts that never get turned in |
Filled example: a roof replacement
A roofing contractor estimated a 30-square tear-off and re-roof. During tear-off the crew found rotted decking, replaced 12 sheets and got a $600 change order signed, bringing the contract to $20,600. Here's the summary from the example file. Numbers are illustrative.
| Category | Estimated | Actual | Variance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor (80 hrs est., 88 hrs actual × $50 burdened) | $4,000 | $4,400 | +$400 |
| Materials (incl. 12 sheets of decking at $37.50) | $7,200 | $7,650 | +$450 |
| Equipment and rentals | $650 | $650 | $0 |
| Permits and fees | $250 | $250 | $0 |
| Dump and disposal (incl. $250 overweight fee) | $700 | $950 | +$250 |
| Other direct costs | $300 | $180 | −$120 |
| Total direct job cost | $13,100 | $14,080 | +$980 |
| Gross profit on $20,600 | $7,500 (36.4%) | $6,520 (31.7%) | −$980 |
| Overhead share at 15% | $3,090 | $3,090 | |
| Net profit on job | $4,410 | $3,430 | −$980 |
How does job costing differ by trade?
| Trade | Biggest cost lines | What to track closely |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC | Equipment, labor, materials | Install hours vs. estimate; equipment cost changes between estimate and order |
| Plumbing | Labor, fixtures, materials | Hours on repipes and sewer jobs; camera and jetter time |
| Electrical | Labor, wire and devices | Hours per circuit or device vs. estimate; inspection fails |
| Roofing | Materials, crew labor, disposal | Decking replaced vs. allowance; dumpster weight; crew hours per square |
| Remodeling / GC | Subcontractors, materials, labor | Each sub's bills vs. their quote; allowance overruns; change orders |
| Landscaping | Labor, plants and materials, equipment | Labor hours per install; plant waste; equipment fuel |
| Painting | Labor, paint | Hours per room or per 1,000 sq ft; gallons used vs. estimate |
Common job costing mistakes
- Costing labor at the bare wage. Use the burdened rate, or every job looks better than it is. The labor burden calculator gives you the number.
- Waiting until month-end. Receipts get lost and hours get guessed. Log costs daily from the truck.
- Forgetting change orders. Add approved change orders to the contract price and their costs to the categories, or margins look wrong both ways.
- Closing the job too early. Sub invoices, dumpster fees and warranty callbacks show up later. Keep the sheet open 30 days.
- Not comparing to the estimate. The point isn't the final number, it's the variance. If labor runs over on every install, fix the estimate.
- Ignoring overhead. Gross profit isn't take-home. Check your rate with the overhead rate calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make a job costing spreadsheet?
List your cost categories down the side (labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, permits, disposal, other), with columns for estimated, actual and variance. Add the contract price, subtract total actual cost for gross profit, and add a cost log underneath. Or download the template on this page.
Can I use this job costing template in Google Sheets?
Yes. In Google Sheets, choose File, Import, upload the CSV and pick Replace spreadsheet or Insert new sheet. The formulas for variance, margin and profit come through. Format the percentage cells as percentages after importing.
What's the difference between job costing and estimating?
Estimating predicts what a job will cost before you do it. Job costing records what it actually cost. Comparing the two on every job is how your estimates get more accurate over time.
Should overhead be included in job costing?
Direct job cost shouldn't include overhead, because overhead doesn't change job to job. But you should take an overhead share off gross profit to see real job profit. This sheet does that with a percent-of-revenue overhead rate.
What labor rate should I use in job costing?
Use a burdened rate: the hourly wage plus employer payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits and paid time off, divided by hours worked. Using the bare wage understates labor cost on every job.
Is a spreadsheet enough, or do I need job costing software?
A spreadsheet works well for a handful of jobs a week if someone logs costs daily. As job count grows, tying timesheets, purchases and invoices to jobs in your software or QuickBooks saves hours and catches costs a spreadsheet misses.
Related
- Job Costing CalculatorCompare estimated and actual job costs line by line. See your real gross margin, which costs ran over, and how much profit fade cost you on the job.
- What Is Job Costing?Job costing tracks what each job really cost vs. the estimate. What to track, a sample job cost report with variances, and a simple system for small crews.
- How to Do Job Costing in QuickBooks OnlineJob costing in QuickBooks Online: turn on Projects, set hourly cost rates, code bills and time to jobs, read project profit and avoid mistakes.
- What Is Labor Burden?Labor burden is what an employee costs beyond wages: payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits. See the formula, 2026 tax rates and a tech's true hourly cost.
- What Is Gross Margin?Gross margin is the share of revenue left after direct job costs. The formula, what counts as COGS for trades, and why service and install margins differ.
- What Is Overhead, and How Do Contractors Calculate It?What counts as overhead in a trades business and how to calculate your overhead rate per revenue dollar, billable hour, job and day, with a worked example.
- QuickBooks Chart of Accounts for Contractors (Import CSV)Free QuickBooks Online chart of accounts for contractors and service trades: a ready-to-import CSV with account types, detail types and import steps.
- Change Order TemplateFree change order form for contractors: reason, scope, price, running contract total, schedule impact and signatures, with a filled remodel example.
- Contractor invoicing software that sends the invoice and chases the moneyTurn finished jobs into invoices the same day, send polite automatic reminders on unpaid ones, and sync invoices and payments to QuickBooks.
- Bookkeeping for contractors that keeps your books tax-ready all yearContractor bookkeeping that stays current: categorized expenses, 1099 subcontractor tracking, sales tax and quarterly tax reminders, synced to QuickBooks.