#job-costing
Job Costing
Track costs per project or job for accurate profitability analysis
Cleaning Business Bookkeeping: Job Costing, Payroll, and Supply Inventory
A contract-level bookkeeping system for cleaning and janitorial businesses—job costing by contract, a payroll-to-revenue dial that says when you can hire, and a 10-minute supply inventory method—so you can bid with real numbers and spot losing contracts before they drag the quarter.
Ghostwriting Agency Bookkeeping: Pricing Per-Word, Retainer, and Flat-Fee Work Without Losing Your Margin
How ghostwriting agencies account for the three pricing models — per-word, monthly retainer, and flat-fee book projects — including deferred-revenue entries for retainers, milestone versus cost-to-cost recognition on a $36,000 book, a 150-to-275-hour cost sheet for a 60,000-word business book, and the 1099-NEC and W-9 rules that keep contractor writers correctly classified.
Camper Van Conversion Company Bookkeeping: Final-Stage Manufacturer Status, Chassis Inventory, and Progress Billing for Multi-Month Builds
A camper van conversion shop that installs living-space modules on incomplete chassis is a final-stage manufacturer, not a services business: the chassis is WIP inventory, certification costs are manufacturing overhead, and deposits stay contract liabilities until ASC 606 over-time recognition turns cost-to-cost progress into revenue.
Translation and Interpreter Agency Bookkeeping: Per-Word and Per-Session Job Costing, Freelance Linguist 1099s, and the Utilization Rate That Separates 5% From 20% Margins
How translation and interpreting agencies should cost jobs by billable versus payable words and door-to-door session time, pay freelance linguists and file 1099-NECs, track utilization and overhead, and reconcile multi-currency and retainer cash flow to hold 30-50% gross margins and 15-25% net.
Wedding DJ and Mobile Entertainment Bookkeeping: Deposits, Gear Depreciation, and Off-Season Cash Flow
How wedding DJs and mobile entertainers should classify booking deposits and retainers under cash versus accrual accounting, depreciate sound and lighting gear under Section 179 or MACRS, track revenue and cost per event, issue 1099-NECs for second DJs, and survive the off-season cash crunch when most revenue compresses into a few months.
Appliance Repair Bookkeeping: Per-Job Parts Costing, Truck Stock, and the Warranty vs. Retail Split That Decides Your Real Margin
Customer-pay appliance repair calls earn roughly $200 in profit versus about $75 for warranty calls, and parts carry 30-100% markup — books that track parts cost per job, truck stock as real inventory, and the warranty-retail mix reveal which calls actually make money.
Elevator & Escalator Maintenance Contractor Bookkeeping: ASC 606 and Job Costing
A framework for elevator and escalator maintenance contractors to recognize FMA and O&G contract revenue ratably under ASC 606, track lumpy repair costs by job, and separate capitalizable modernization work from routine service revenue.
Land Surveying Firm Bookkeeping: Overhead Rate, Job Costing, and Slow-Paying Developer Clients
Land surveying firms typically run overhead rates of 100-150% of direct labor and need a break-even multiplier of 2.75-3.25x to stay profitable, but most price off gut feel and burdened-labor guesses instead of job-level cost tracking.
Sail Loft Bookkeeping: Job Costing Custom Sails and Why Deposits Aren't Revenue
Sail lofts price a mainsail from cloth yardage, construction method, and hand labor, then collect a deposit months before delivery — treating that deposit as revenue instead of a liability is the most common bookkeeping mistake in the trade.
Construction WIP Schedules: How Percentage-of-Completion Accounting Exposes Overbilling and Underbilling
A work-in-progress (WIP) schedule ties revenue to actual completion using the cost-to-cost percentage-of-completion method, exposing overbilling and underbilling before hidden losses reach year-end financials. Includes worked examples, a four-project sample schedule, and the signals bonding companies underwrite.
Gutter Cleaning Bookkeeping: Job Costing by Route, Second-Story Pricing, and Surviving the Off-Season
Gutter cleaners charge $0.75–$2.50 per linear foot, but healthy 35–50% residential margins depend on height-tier pricing, route-level job costing, and an off-season cash reserve. A practical bookkeeping guide covering second-story multipliers, revenue per route-hour, insurance costs, and Section 179 equipment deductions.
Mobile Pet Grooming Bookkeeping: Van Depreciation, Per-Appointment Costing, and the Fuel Line Owners Underbudget
How mobile pet groomers should book a $35,000–$80,000 grooming van — splitting chassis from buildout for depreciation and Section 179, building a five-component per-appointment cost model, and budgeting fuel and maintenance against the 76-cent 2026 IRS mileage rate.