Job Estimates vs Actual Reporting

Thanks so much.  I'm proud of myself for coming close!  Thanks for the details you provided.  I have a lot of work to do now to re-structure our items list, and also how I will have to input our estimates !  Job security, ha ha!

I am new to estimates, and also billing from estimates. Below is my process:

Created the estimate

Created an invoice from estimate

Ran Job Estimate vs Actual report.

Report shows Estimated Cost, but no actual cost.  THIS IS A PROBLEM.

Report shows Estimated revenue and Actual Revenue. THIS PART IS GOOD.

There ARE vendor bills with costs assigned to the job.  Why do these amounts not show up as actual costs?  These are showing up as "No Item" at the bottom of the report.  I need to have these expenses that were incurred to show up as actual job costs on this report and also need to have them post to our P&L for this Job.  If I enter the bill and use the "items" tab, the costs will show up on the Job Estimates vs Actual Costs report and my accounts payable aging report; but I need these to show on the P&L for this job.  If I add the bill and use the "expense" tab the cost does not appear on this report as actual costs, but will show up in accounts payable aging report and the P&L for the Job.  My issue is that I need the costs associated with the Job to show on the Job Estimates vs Actual Costs report as actual costs, in accounts payable as a bill that needs to be paid, and on the P&L as an expense for this Job.  Is there a way to account for the expense in this way. 

Any help would be greatly appreciated in this effort.

Thanks for sharing the details of your concern in this thread, @Witneysmom2022. I'm here to share some insights about the Job Estimates vs. Actual Costs report in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT).

The Job Estimates vs. Actual Cost report in QBDT shows the costs set up for the items. The option to show the transactions associated with an expense account is unavailable. The reason why it's showing as No item is because you have used the Items tab and not the Expense tab.

Since this option isn't available yet, I'd recommend sending a feature request directly to our Product Development team. This helps us improve your experience and the features of the program. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu and then select Send Feedback Online.
2. Choose Product Suggestion.
3. Add the type of feedback.
4. Type in your feature suggestion.
5. Once done, click Send Feedback.

For your visual reference, I've attached some screenshots below.

Furthermore, to assist you in customizing reports and learning more about how QuickBooks generates them, I recommend checking out this article: Understand reports.

For tips and other resources, I recommend visiting our website for future reference: QBDT self-help articles.

Please feel free to add a comment below if you have any other questions about managing your reports in QBDT, I'll be right here to help you. Have a good day, Witneysmom2022!

I am having this same issue. Did you resolve it? If so could you please share.thank you 

Hi there, @Racingh2.

Can you tell me which scenario in this thread are you getting the same issue with? Any additional info would be much appreciated.

Please add your details here so I can provide you with the right response to fix the problem. Take care and stay safe.

My report for Job Estimates vs Actual does not show the estimate.  What can I do to fix this?

Hi there, JLH1212.

I can guide you through the steps on how to show estimates when running the Job Estimates vs Actual report.

You'll want to customize the report by selecting the Either status when you filter Estimate Active. Let me show you how to do it.

1. On the Job Estimates vs Actual report, click Customize Report.
2. Go to the Filter tab.
3. Find Estimate Active, then select Either.
   
4. Click OK to save the changes.

To see the estimates, click the amount under the Est. Revenue column. This will open the Job Estimated Revenue Detail report and shows you the list of estimates for a specific customer.

If you want to save the customized report, you can memorize it. That way, you don't have to go through the same customization again.

Get back to me if there's anything else I can help you with your Job Estimates vs Actual report. I'll be right here to help you.

QB Team: 

I'm wanted to share this in a query in Power BI as an essential metric.  How are the two tables linked Estimate/ Invoice? 

Thank you for bringing your concern to our attention, Bear.

I'd love to answer your concern today, but to give you the right amount of information, may I know what specific tables you're referring to? You may attach a screenshot for visual reference.

Your reply is much appreciated. Have a great day ahead!

I am trying to run an "Estimate vs Actual" report for a customer but I want the report to be sorted in the order it appears on the Estimate.  How do I sort it to do that?  I am using the QB Desktop Pro Plus 2024.

Sorting the Job Estimate vs the Actual report to view the order on your Estimate would be a great option, MargeS. The closest way to achieve this is by exporting the report to Excel to modify it based on your needs.

I know this functionality to sort Job Estimates vs Actual reports would be beneficial to your business. I'd suggest sending feedback directly to our Product Development team. Doing so helps us improve your experience and the features of the program. 

Here's how:

1. Go to the Help menu and then select Send Feedback Online.
2. Choose Product Suggestion.
3. Add the type of feedback.
4. Type in your feature suggestion.
5. Once done, click Send Feedback.

Additionally, I will provide you with some resources that can assist you in making modifications and exploring certain reports:

• Customize and modify columns on reports
• Memorize reports in QuickBooks Desktop

If you require additional assistance with managing your reports, feel free to reach out. I'm here to help and make sure everything is running smoothly for you.