Job Costing Software for Construction 

Job costing in construction is the method contractors use to track every cost associated with a specific project so they can measure profitability accurately. Instead of looking at expenses in total at the end of the month, job costing breaks spending down by job, phase, and cost code to show how a project is performing as the work happens.

A clear job costing process helps contractors answer questions like:

• Are we on budget?

• Are labor hours higher than expected?

• Are materials costing more than planned?

• Is this job still profitable—or trending in the wrong direction?

How Acumatica Construction Edition improves job costing:

• Tracks labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor costs in real time

• Updates actual vs. budget instantly as new costs come in

• Gives accounting and project managers the same view of project financials

• Helps teams catch overruns early rather than after closeout

With Acumatica, job costing becomes a live financial view of each project, not a report you’re stuck reviewing weeks later.

Job costing in construction includes every expense tied to delivering a project. These costs are typically grouped into three categories:

Direct costs

• Labor hours and burden

• Materials purchased for the job

• Tools and equipment usage

• Subcontractor invoices

Indirect costs (overhead)

• Supervision and project management

• Insurance and bonding

• Temporary site facilities

• Allocated overhead based on your setup

Other project-specific costs

• Change orders

• Returns and adjustments

• Any additional charges that affect total project spend

How Acumatica handles these costs:
Acumatica records all direct, indirect, and job-specific costs in real time, so contractors always have an accurate, up-to-date view of job performance—without manual tracking or spreadsheet work.

Accurate job costing gives contractors the financial visibility they need to stay profitable and make better decisions. Key benefits include:

• Catching profit leaks early
Identify overruns while the project is still active—not after closeout.

• Improving estimates and bids
Use real historical cost data to create more accurate budgets and competitive proposals.

• Responding faster to changes
Adjust quickly when labor, material, or scope changes impact the budget.

• Making stronger financial and project decisions
Support pricing, staffing, scheduling, and strategy with accurate job-level data.

When you know exactly where every dollar is going, it becomes easier to protect margins, win more profitable work, and grow with confidence.

Acumatica calculates job profitability in real time by comparing actual costs, projected costs, and revenue as the project progresses. The system updates profitability automatically whenever new labor, materials, commitments, or change orders hit the job.

Here’s how it works:

• Tracks actual job costs as they happen
Labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and overhead flow directly into the job.

• Compares actuals vs. budgeted costs
You can instantly see whether each cost code, task, or phase is on track.

• Includes committed costs
Open POs and subcontracts are factored into the forecast so you can see issues before the invoices arrive.

• Updates revenue and projected margin
Billing, change orders, and percent-complete updates all roll into the job’s profitability.

• Provides real-time dashboards and reports
Project managers and accounting see the same live financial picture—no manual syncing or spreadsheets.

With Acumatica, job profitability isn’t a once-a-month report—it’s visible every day, giving you the control to protect margins while the job is still in motion.

Acumatica treats change orders as a core part of job costing, ensuring every update flows through the project correctly:

• Link changes directly to the job, cost codes, and budget so nothing gets missed.

• Automatically update budgets and forecasts when a change order is approved.

• Push changes to subcontracts and committed costs so vendors and subs stay in sync.

• Flow change order impacts into billing for quick T&M, progress billing, or AIA-based updates.

• Track cost and revenue impact in real time, so you always know how a change affects project profitability.

With everything connected, contractors get a clear and accurate picture of how each change affects the job—without spreadsheets or manual rework.

Yes. Acumatica gives contractors real-time visibility into how actual job costs compare to the original budget or estimate:

• Track actual vs. budget for labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractors.

• See variances instantly instead of waiting for month-end reports or manual updates.

• Drill into cost codes or phases to pinpoint where overruns are happening.

• Use dashboards and alerts to flag issues before they impact the project’s bottom line.

• Review historical job data to improve forecasting and future estimates.

With real-time comparisons, teams can correct issues early and keep projects on track financially.

Yes. Acumatica tracks committed costs so contractors can see upcoming project expenses before they hit the general ledger:

• Monitor open purchase orders that haven’t been received or billed yet.

• Track subcontract commitments and remaining balances in real time.

• Include committed costs in job cost reporting, giving a full picture of projected spend.

• Improve forecasting accuracy by seeing both actual and pending costs together.

• Prevent budget surprises by identifying overruns early—before they hit job profitability.

Committed cost tracking helps you stay ahead of financial issues instead of reacting after the fact.

Yes. Acumatica makes it easy to work with job costing data outside the system when needed:

• Export reports directly to Excel for quick analysis or sharing with your team.

• Use OData and APIs to feed job cost data into Power BI dashboards automatically.

• Blend Acumatica data with other sources (e.g., scheduling, field reports, or payroll).

• Build custom visualizations in Power BI without manual re-entry.

• Refresh job cost data in real time, ensuring dashboards stay accurate and up to date.

This flexibility lets contractors analyze job performance however they prefer, inside Acumatica or through familiar external tools.

Yes. Acumatica gives contractors real-time visibility into project profitability:

• See revenue, cost, and gross margin for each job in one place.

• Drill into cost codes or phases to understand which parts of the job are performing well.

• Track profitability as work happens, not after month-end close.

• Compare actual profit to budgeted or estimated profit in real time.

• Use dashboards and custom reports to monitor trends across all active projects.

With up-to-date profit insights, teams can make faster decisions to protect margins and improve future bids.

Yes. Acumatica allows contractors to customize job costing reports and workflows without custom code:

• Modify report layouts to show the fields, groupings, and filters your team needs.

• Create custom dashboards for project managers, accounting, and executives.

• Adjust approval workflows for change orders, timecards, purchase orders, and billing.

• Automate routine tasks like notifications, approvals, and status updates.

• Tailor processes to match how your business actually operates—not the other way around.

These customization tools help teams stay organized, consistent, and aligned across every project.

Yes. Acumatica lets contractors break down job costs at the level of detail they need:

• View costs by cost code, phase, task, or sub-job depending on your project structure.

• Drill into labor, materials, equipment, and subcontractor costs for each code.

• Compare budget vs. actuals at the code or phase level to spot overruns early.

• Track productivity and performance for each section of the job.

• Use reports and dashboards to see where projects are profitable—or where costs are slipping.

This level of detail makes it easier to manage complex projects and improve the accuracy of future estimates.