Most contractors who are losing money don't know it until the end of the year. Every individual job seems fine. The invoice goes out, payment comes in, and the job looks profitable. But labor hours got rounded, materials weren't all captured, and that one job that ran three days over budget pulled down an entire month. Without cost data per job, there's no way to see it.
Job costing software captures every cost at the source: time entries on the work order, materials pulled from the pricebook, and rates assigned per technician. By the time the job is complete, the data is already there. When you generate the invoice, IRONGRID calculates the totals automatically from what was actually tracked. Over time, comparing quoted amounts to real costs helps you identify which job types to price higher.
Track every cost without extra work
IRONGRID captures costs as the job runs, with no separate entry and no reconciliation later.
Labor cost per job
Every time entry on a work order carries a billable rate. IRONGRID automatically calculates the total labor cost for each job so you can compare budgeted hours to actuals at a glance.
Materials cost per job
Log materials used on each work order with quantity and cost. Materials flow directly from your pricebook or can be added on the fly. Every dollar of material cost is attributed to the right job.
Pricebook with cost and markup
Build a pricebook with cost and sell price for every part and service you offer. Apply consistent markup across all jobs and line items so margins stay predictable without manual calculation.
Auto-calculated job totals
When you generate an invoice from a work order, IRONGRID automatically totals logged labor at the configured billing rate and materials with markup applied. No manual math. The invoice total is built from what was actually tracked.
Quoted vs. actual comparison
Send quotes with line-item pricing before the job. When the job is done, compare what you quoted to what it actually cost. Catch scope creep and improve future estimates over time.
Job history by client and type
Filter your completed work orders by client, tag, or date range to see cost and revenue patterns. Identify which job types are most profitable and which are consistently coming in over budget.
QuickBooks integration
On Pro and Business plans, push invoices directly to QuickBooks in one click. IRONGRID handles the per-job cost tracking and invoicing; QuickBooks handles your books. No double-entry between systems.
How job costing works in IRONGRID
From pricebook to profit margin, every step is built into the job workflow.
Frequently asked questions
What is job costing for contractors?
Job costing is the practice of tracking every cost associated with a specific job: labor hours at the right rate, materials used at their actual cost, and any overhead allocated to that job. The goal is to know what the job actually cost, not just what you charged for it. Contractors who track job costs can identify their most profitable job types, catch jobs that go over budget before they wreck margins, and build more accurate estimates over time.
Why do contractors lose money without job costing software?
Without job costing, most contractors build invoices from memory or estimates, not from what was actually spent. Labor hours get rounded or forgotten. Materials get tracked on paper or not at all. The result is that invoices often miss costs that were incurred, and the business has no way to know which jobs are profitable and which aren't. Over time, bidding on unprofitable job types drains the business. Job costing software makes every cost visible per job so those patterns become clear.
How does job costing in IRONGRID work?
In IRONGRID, job costing happens automatically as you run jobs. When a technician logs time on a work order, the hours are recorded per job at the configured billing rate. When materials are logged from the pricebook, the cost and sell price are applied automatically. When the job is complete and you generate the invoice, IRONGRID calculates the totals from all tracked data, with no manual entry or reconciliation needed.
Can I compare quoted price to actual job cost in IRONGRID?
Yes. When you send a quote, IRONGRID records the expected line items and pricing. When the job is done, you can compare the quoted amount to the total tracked costs. If the job ran over on labor or materials, you'll see exactly where the variance came from. This comparison helps you refine your estimates for similar jobs in the future.
Does IRONGRID replace accounting software for job costing?
IRONGRID handles operational job costing: tracking costs per job in real time, building line-item invoices, and providing per-job margin visibility. It does not replace accounting software like QuickBooks for functions like tax filing, payroll, or financial statements. On Pro and Business plans, IRONGRID connects to QuickBooks Online natively — push invoices in one click, with clients auto-created as QuickBooks Customers. IRONGRID captures the per-job data, and QuickBooks handles the books.
What is job profitability?
Job profitability is the gross profit generated by a specific job, expressed either as a dollar amount or as a margin percentage. It is calculated by subtracting the direct costs of the job from the revenue collected for that job. Direct costs include field labor at the burdened rate, materials at actual cost, and any subcontractor fees. A job with strong profitability means the business earned significantly more than it spent to deliver the work. Tracking profitability per job reveals which job types, clients, and crews consistently produce the best margins.
What is labor cost on a job?
Labor cost on a job is the total cost of the field labor required to complete that specific job. It includes the wages paid to the technicians for the hours worked, plus labor burden: payroll taxes, workers compensation insurance, unemployment insurance, and any employer-paid benefits. Using only the base wage understates the true labor cost by 20% to 40% depending on your burden rate. Accurate job costing requires the fully burdened labor rate so the job profitability calculation reflects what the business actually paid to staff the job.
What is material cost on a job?
Material cost on a job is the actual cost to the contractor of all parts, supplies, and materials consumed on that specific job, before markup is applied. It is what was paid to the supplier, not what was charged to the client. Tracking material cost separately from labor cost on each job allows a contractor to see whether materials are being priced with adequate markup, whether material waste is cutting into margins, and which job types carry the highest material cost relative to their revenue.