Job Profit & Loss Reports

Thanks for taking the time in reaching out to us here, Speelmon.

I'd like to verify, did you make the time billable to a customer or job? If not, let's open the time activity and put a check mark on the Billable box.

You'll want to run a Time Detail report to open the transactions. Here's how:

1. Go to Reports > Jobs, Time & Mileage > Time by Job Detail.
2. Find and double-click the item. 
3. In the Time/Enter Single Activity window, put a check mark on the Billable box.
4. Click Save & Close.

Once done, go to Customers > Customer Center and select the customer or job. You can create a sales receipt or invoice and add the time/cost. I've got a sample screenshot for reference below.

Also, the figures will show on the account where your items are linked. Let's make sure to check the account of that item by following these steps:

1. Go to Lists > Item List.
2. Find and double-click on the item.
3. Check the account selected from the Account drop-down menu.
4. Click OK.

Once done, we can run the Profit & Loss by Job report and look for the account. 

In my sample screenshots below I've added an item named Service 1 and linked it to an account called Sample account for income.

I'm also adding this article that you can bookmark: Understand the chart of accounts in QuickBooks.

I'll be around if you have any follow-up questions or other concerns. We're always here to help. Take care and stay safe.

Thank you for your help.  These are the steps I have taken.  I am thinking that the labor cost does not show up on the P & L by Job report because the payroll is outsourced and not prepared in QB.  Is there a way to pick up labor cost from the time sheets alone? 

Thank you, Nora

Hi there, @Speelmon.

You'll have to create to set up a job cost in QuickBooks so that it will appear in the Profit and Loss as labor cost. There will be no labor cost if there's no expense generated from the timesheet. I'll show you how to set up job costing in QuickBooks.

First, set up a customer for each of your jobs. Here's how:

1. Go to the Customers menu, select the Customer Center toolbar.
2. Click New Customer & Job.
3. Select New customer.
4. In the Customer Name field, enter a unique name or code for this customer to make it easier to identify.
5. Enter other necessary details.
6. Select OK.

Then, assign the billable time to the job. Please refer to the detailed steps in this article: Tracking job costs in QuickBooks Desktop. 

Furthermore, I'd like to share this article to help you customize your report effectively in the future: Understand reports.

I'll be a few clicks away if you need further assistance or if you have other questions. I'd be happy to answer them for you. Have a wonderful day.

I have a similar problem.  Our employee time is collected by a cloud-based system, and the payroll is outsourced.  I want to add labor costs to the job P&L reports.  Your last response on this topic referred me to "Tracing Job Costs in QuickBooks Desktop" and to the section of billable time.  However, there are no details other than use timesheets or a single activity entry.  Can you be more specific on how I can enter labor costs to show in the job P&L?

Thank you

Thank you for joining the thread, @ScottG-6315.

Let me show you the complete steps on how you can track the labor cost in the Profit and Loss report.

The data showing in this report are your income and expense accounts. If you created an account for labor cost, then this should show in your report.

Before we proceed, may I know the steps you've made when tracking the labor cost in the program? 

If you use Timesheet to track this expense, make sure that the billable box is checked. 

Then, create an invoice and link the billable time on it. Just select the same customer on the CUSTOMER:JOB drop-down list. Once the Billable Time/Costs prompt shows, choose Select the outstanding billable time and costs to add to this invoice? and click OK. 

This will automatically show the list of time entries in the Time section. Just select the line item to add it to your invoice. Then, add the rest of its details and close the transaction.

This should now reflect in the Profit and Loss report. Please take note that the income account you're using when creating the item will only show in this report. On my end, I've created an expense account and mapped it to the item so I can easily find it on the report.

Additionally, you can customize your report to have a better view of your business. 

Should you have any follow-up questions or concerns, don't hesitate to post again here in the Community or leave a comment on this thread. Take care and have a good one.

Hello, I just want to share that I am working for a construction company which is tracking the costs by Job and Class on QuickBooks desktop. Now I would like to ask How do you guys work with overhead and other expenses that are not classify at an specific project?