How to show job cost hours for salaried owner

Hi there, @plumbuddy.

I appreciate you for paying your estimated tax each quarter. Yes, there is a way to do this in QuickBooks Desktop. I'm happy to walk you through the complete instructions. 

Let's make sure that your job costing feature is turned on. This way, the hours will show up in the job cost sheets. 

Here's how to check: 

1. Select the Edit icon on the top menu bar, then Preferences.
2. Choose Payroll and Employees.
3. Make sure there is a checkmark in the Job Costing, Class, and Item tracking for paycheck expenses box. 

Once confirmed you can now enter the transaction either recording a bill, check, or timesheets. Then, to get a complete job cost picture, ensure to assign all your expenses to jobs. Select the appropriate job in the Customer: Job column. 

For the complete steps, visit this link: Tracking job costs in QuickBooks Desktop.

After that, the job cost hours for the salaried owner will show up either in the Time by Job Detail or Time by Name Report. 

Let me show you how. 

1. Go to the Reports tab on the top right. 
2. Choose Jobs, Time & Mileage. 
3. Select either of the two mentioned reports above. 
4. Click Customize report, then filter the necessary information you want to show in the report. 

For more details about customizing, visit this article: Customize reports.

For future reference, you can check out a customizing customer, job, and sales reports in QuickBooks Desktop.

Let me know if you have further questions about job cost hours. I’d be glad to back you up. Take care.

Thank you for your response, this is helpful. My problem is I own the company yet I still work on the jobs. I pay myself through a journal entry since I don't pay workers comp or unemployment insurance on myself. I don't know how to pay myself through QuickBooks. I use assisted payroll for my employees. I use QuickBooks Contractor Pro. Is there a way I can pay myself through Quickbooks other than a journal entry? If so I would be able to track my hours on each job for job costing purposes.

Yes, there is, plumbuddy.

We'll have to set up and process an owner's draw account. This is an equity account in which QuickBooks Desktop tracks withdrawals of the company's assets to pay an owner.

To create an owner's draw account:

1. Go to the Lists menu, select Chart of Accounts.
2. At the bottom left choose Account > New.
3. Click Equity > Continue.
4. Enter the account name (Owner's Draw is recommended) and description.
5. Click Save & Close.

To write a check from an owner's draw account:

1. Go to Banking and select Write Checks.
2. In the Write Checks window, go to the Pay to the order of section, select the owner, and enter an amount next to the $ sign.
3. In the detail area of the check, assign the amount of the check to the equity account you created to record the owner's draws.
4. Click Save & Close to record the check.

I also recommend seeking expert advice from an accountant to verify if they have other option other than this.

That's it! If you have any other questions on paying yourself in QBDT, do add them below. I'm here to help.

Hi, 

I'm having the same issue. I've read your response and I understand how to create an owner's draw account and write a cheque from it. 

I do not understand how this connects to tracking the owner's hours against a job to see accurate costs. 

Thanks!

Thanks for joining the conversation, sylviephasefive. 

Let me share some insights about tracking the owner's hours against a job to see the costs in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

You can use time tracking to track the job cost. This way, you can track the expenses for a job and compare those expenses to your revenue. Also, you can see how much money you spend and make for each job.

To begin, let's make sure that your item is set up correctly. Thus, your job cost reports are accurate and precise. Once confirmed, you can now set up a Customer: Job for each of your job. 

Here's how: 

1. Go to the Customers menu, then choose Customer Center.
2. Right-click the customer name and choose Add/Edit Multiple Multiple Customer: Jobs.
3. Follow the onscreen instructions.

Then, you can now assign all your expenses to jobs. Choose the suitable job in the Customer: Job column whenever you enter a bill, check, etc. The next step is to create estimates and invoices in your account. See this article for details: Tracking job costs in QuickBooks Desktop.

Once everything is done, I'd recommend running the job costing reports to see how your business is doing on a job-by-job basis.  See the available reports below for your reference: 

I'm adding these articles about handling classes, costing, and customizing reports: 

• Set up job costing and item tracking
• Understand reports

If you have additional questions about job costing, don't hesitate to leave a reply. The Community team is here to assist. Stay safe and have a good one!