Construction & Trades

Job Costing
System

Track every dollar across labour, materials, subcontractors, and equipment — per job, per phase. Budget vs actual variance auto-calculates. Know your real margin before you invoice.

Phase BreakdownBudget vs Actual Profit MarginSub Tracking Change Orders7 Sheets

Job_Costing_Workbook.xlsx

Cost Tracker

Job Summary

Subcontractors

Phase / Trade	Cost Type	Budget ($)	Committed ($)	Actual ($)	Remaining ($)	Margin %	Status
PHASE 1 — FOUNDATION
Excavation	Sub	18,500	18,500	17,840	660	3.6%	✓ Under
Concrete / Formwork	Sub + Mat	32,000	34,200	34,200	-2,200	-6.9%	⚠ Over
Rebar / Steel	Material	8,400	8,400	7,950	450	5.4%	✓ Under
Phase 1 Total	—	58,900	61,100	59,990	-1,090	-1.9%
PHASE 2 — FRAMING
Lumber & Framing Materials	Material	24,600	26,100	25,840	-1,240	-5.0%	⚠ Over
Framing Labour	Labour	18,000	18,000	16,200	1,800	10.0%	✓ Under
Roofing	Sub	14,500	14,500	0	In Progress	—	Active
PROJECT TOTAL		$284,000	$289,400	$187,240	Est. -$5,400	-1.9%	In Progress

Metric	Contract Value	Budget	Actual to Date	Est. Final Cost	Proj. Profit	Proj. Margin %
Phase 1 — Foundation	$72,000	$58,900	$59,990	$59,990	$12,010	16.7%
Phase 2 — Framing	$68,000	$57,100	$42,040	$62,100	$5,900	8.7%
Phase 3 — MEP Rough	$48,000	$39,800	Not started	$39,800	$8,200	17.1%
Phase 4 — Drywall	$28,000	$22,400	Not started	$22,400	$5,600	20.0%
Phase 5 — Finishes	$56,000	$44,800	Not started	$44,800	$11,200	20.0%
TOTAL PROJECT	$272,000	$223,000	$102,030	$229,090	$42,910	15.8%

Subcontractor	Trade	Contract Value	Invoiced	Paid	Retention (10%)	Outstanding	Status
ABC Excavation LLC	Excavation	$18,500	$18,500	$18,500	$1,850	$0	Paid
Solid Foundation Co.	Concrete	$34,200	$34,200	$20,520	$3,420	$13,680	Partial
Peak Framing Inc.	Framing	$16,200	$8,100	$0	$1,620	$8,100	Invoiced
Summit Roofing	Roofing	$14,500	$0	$0	$0	$0	Not Started
TOTAL	—	$83,400	$60,800	$39,020	$6,890	$21,780	—

^$34

One-time · Instant download

★★★★★4.9 / 5.0 · 142 reviews

7-tab Excel workbook, fully unlocked
Phase-by-phase cost breakdown
Budget vs actual with auto variance
Subcontractor ledger with retention tracking
Change order log with running total
Equipment cost log
Executive summary — one-page per project
Works in Excel 2016+ and Google Sheets

️

30-Day Money-Back GuaranteeNot satisfied? Full refund, no questions asked.

Contents

All 7 sheets,
explained.

Sheet 01

Job Setup

Enter project name, client, contract value, start date, and phase names. Everything else flows from here.

Sheet 02

Cost Tracker

The main sheet. Enter costs by phase and type. Budget vs actual calculates automatically. Status flags over/under.

Sheet 03

Job Summary

One-page overview per project. Revenue, cost, margin, and completion by phase. Print for client meetings.

Sheet 04

Subcontractor Ledger

Track all subs: contract value, invoiced, paid, retention held, and outstanding balance per sub.

Sheet 05

Change Orders

Log every change order with value, approval status, and running contract total. Protects your margin.

Sheet 06

Equipment Log

Track equipment rental and owned equipment costs by job, with daily rates and allocation to phases.

Sheet 07

Labour Summary

Hours by trade, loaded labour rate, cost vs budget. See exactly where your labour is going per job.

Reviews

Contractors who actually use it.

★★★★★

We were building $400K houses and guessing our margin until the end. This workbook showed us we were losing 8% on labour every job. Fixed it in a week. Best $34 we ever spent.

Marcus T.

General Contractor · Ohio

★★★★★

The subcontractor ledger alone is worth it. I know exactly what I owe every sub, what retention I'm holding, and what's outstanding. I used to track this in my head. Never again.

Ryan K.

Commercial GC · Texas

FAQ

Common questions.

Can I use this for multiple jobs simultaneously? +

Yes. The workbook is designed for one job per file — which is the cleanest approach. Copy the file for each new project. If you want a portfolio view across 10+ jobs, contact us about a multi-job dashboard add-on.

How many phases and line items can it handle? +

Out of the box: 10 phases, up to 20 line items per phase, and 30 subcontractors. All fully extendable — add rows freely and every total and formula auto-updates. There's no functional limit.

Does it handle GST/VAT or is it US-only? +

It's currency and tax-agnostic. Set your currency symbol once and it applies throughout. The tax columns are optional — leave them blank if not applicable, or add your tax rate and it calculates automatically.

What types of contractors is this built for? +

Primarily residential and commercial general contractors. The phase and cost type structure works for builders, remodelers, custom home builders, and fit-out contractors. Trades (electricians, plumbers) who sub to GCs can also use it to track their own job costs.

Job Costing
System

Know your margin on every job.

All 7 sheets,
explained.

Contractors who actually use it.

Common questions.

Complete your toolkit.

Know your margin before
you send the invoice.

Job CostingSystem

Know your margin on every job.

All 7 sheets,explained.

Contractors who actually use it.

Common questions.

Complete your toolkit.

Know your margin beforeyou send the invoice.

Job Costing
System

All 7 sheets,
explained.

Know your margin before
you send the invoice.