See What Each Job Left Behind, Not Just What You Charged

A full diary and a healthy turnover can hide jobs that made far less than expected. Materials rise, labour runs over, a subcontractor returns or an extra skip is needed. Unless every figure is connected to the project, the loss of margin can remain hidden until the money has gone.

Tools2Done is job profitability software for UK trades. It brings the quote, project costs, invoices, payments and commercial result together so you can see what each job was expected to make and what it actually left behind.

Turnover does not tell you which jobs made money

Knowing that the business invoiced £20,000 this month does not show whether the right work was taken on at the right price. You need to know what it cost to deliver each job.

Consider a bathroom project sold for £6,200 with expected direct costs of £4,000. The expected job profit was £2,200, giving a margin of 35.5%.

During the work, materials cost £300 more than planned, two extra labour days added £640 and waste charges increased by £120. Final direct costs became £5,060.

£6,200 revenue − £5,060 direct costs = £1,140 job profit

£1,140 ÷ £6,200 × 100 = 18.4% margin

The job still made money, but it produced £1,060 less than expected. Without project-level costing, the owner may price the next bathroom using the same weak assumptions.

Keep the commercial job record connected

Tools2Done follows the working path of a trade job:

Customer → quote → project → schedule → costs → invoice → payment → profitability

Instead of comparing a quote in one system with receipts, bank transactions and invoices stored elsewhere, you can build the commercial picture around the project.

Start with the quote and expected result

Detailed quotes provide a baseline for the agreed scope, selling price and payment structure. Tools2Done also supports business pricing settings such as internal labour rates and mark-ups, helping you apply your own costing approach rather than relying on generic trade rates.

Quotes and variations remain linked to the project, making it easier to understand how the agreed value changed during the work.

Allocate spending to the right project

Expense records can include the supplier, category, date, net amount, VAT, total, payment method and supporting receipt. When an expense belongs to a particular job, it can be allocated to that project so it contributes to its job-cost and profitability figures.

Materials, hire, waste, subcontractor charges and other project spending should not disappear into a general pile of business receipts. Attaching them to the job gives the owner a usable cost record rather than just evidence for the accounts.

Keep overheads separate from direct job costs

Insurance, van finance, telephone services, accountancy and software still matter, but they are not necessarily caused by one project. Tools2Done keeps unallocated expenses as business overheads instead of automatically mixing them into a single job.

This allows you to review direct job performance and then use Management Accounts to consider completed profit alongside non-job business costs.

See the job's financial position

The project financial view can bring together:

• Quoted value
• Amount invoiced
• Project expenses and job spend
• Customer-paid materials
• Payments received
• Remaining amount to invoice
• Forecast or actual profitability

This helps expose a job where costs are rising faster than revenue, an accepted extra has not yet been invoiced or the expected margin has fallen.

Review performance across completed jobs

The Job Profitability report helps owners review commercial results beyond a single project. Management Accounts also separate completed revenue, completed job costs and unallocated overheads, giving a clearer view of how job performance affects the wider business.

Profit and cash are not the same figure

A profitable job can still create a cash-flow problem if materials and wages must be paid before customer payments arrive. An unprofitable job can temporarily make the bank balance look healthy if a large deposit has just been received.

Tools2Done tracks invoices and payments while distinguishing customer deposits from earned income in relevant financial reporting. That means the presence of cash does not have to be treated as proof that the job has made a profit.

For the calculation itself, read How to Work Out Profit on a Trade Job. It explains direct costs, overhead recovery, markup, margin and the treatment of owner labour in plain terms.

A practical workflow for better job-cost information

1. Create the project from the customer and scope. Give the work one commercial record from quotation onwards.
2. Use the quote as the starting baseline. Record the agreed scope, selling value and payment structure.
3. Allocate expenses as they occur. Add the receipt and select the correct project instead of sorting everything at month end.
4. Account for labour and subcontractor costs. Use a consistent internal method so the job does not appear profitable simply because time was omitted.
5. Record variations and additional invoices. Keep approved changes connected to the original project.
6. Review before completion. Compare the expected final value with current and remaining costs while there is still time to act.
7. Close the job properly. Check supplier credits, final labour, snagging, invoices and outstanding payments before relying on the final margin.

Common questions about job profitability software

Will Tools2Done know a cost if I have not recorded it?

No. Profitability is only as reliable as the records behind it. Tools2Done gives costs, receipts and projects a connected place to live, but the business still needs to record spending and allocate it correctly.

Does it treat every business expense as a job cost?

No. Expenses linked to a project contribute to its job-cost figures. Unallocated costs remain general business overheads, helping prevent insurance, rent or software from being confused with the direct cost of one customer job.

Is a payment received the same as job profit?

No. A payment affects cash. Profit depends on earned revenue and the cost of delivering the work. A deposit may be received before the related work is completed, while an unpaid invoice may relate to revenue already earned.

Can I use it when a project has changed since the quote?

Yes. Projects can contain quotes and variations, while off-schedule invoices can be created for extra work or one-off amounts. The business remains responsible for agreeing the change and checking that the additional price covers its cost.

Does this replace an accountant?

No. Job profitability is owner-focused management information. Tools2Done also includes read-only accountant access, but commercial reports do not replace professional accounting, tax or legal advice.

Find the jobs worth doing again

Better job costing is not only about spotting losses. It helps identify the types of work, customers and delivery methods that reliably produce a worthwhile return.

Use Tools2Done on your next live project to connect the quote, costs, invoices and payments. Review the forecast during the job, complete a proper close-out and use the result to price the next piece of work with better information.