QBO Job Cost - Est vs Actual?

Hi there, @skoz5555.

Currently, the Job Costing feature is unavailable in QuickBooks Online (QBO). As a workaround, you can use the Project feature since it works like job costing in QuickBooks Desktop. This feature will help you to track and calculate your project income, expenses, and profitability to your specific customer.

To do so, let's first turn on the Projects feature:

1. Select Settings, then choose Account and Settings.
2. Go to the Advanced tab.
3. Find the Projects section and click Edit to expand it.
4. Tick the Organize all job-related activity in one place checkbox.
5. Hit Save and close your settings.

Once done, please proceed to Step 2 of this article to create your first project: Set up and create projects in QuickBooks Online.

Then, to have a summary of the transaction data, you can run the Profit and Loss by Customer report. Here's how:

1. Go to the Reports menu.
2. Scroll down to the Business Overview section and click Profit and Loss by Customer.
3. You can also customize this report so you can filter to show specific info. 

Also, for any updates about the future product features and enhancements of the software, you may visit our QuickBooks Blog. Here is what’s new in QuickBooks Online: August 2020, new features such as invoice approval workflow, batch create bank deposits, a new tab in QuickBooks Online Advanced named Tasks, etc. 

Feel free to post a reply below if you have any other questions. I'm always around to help. Stay safe and take care always.

@skoz5555 

You need a 3rd party app to do so.

Thanks Devina.  Do you know if there are plans to include it.  The contractor reporting is a major reason that I, nor may other contractors I know won't switch over.

Do you know of any third party apps that will do this?

Thanks for getting back to us, @skoz5555.

Allow me to chime in and share additional insights about your concern in QuickBooks.

We're unable to provide the exact time frame on when we can integrate this with the program. On the other hand, I'll take note of this, so I'll be able to pass along the suggestions for you. I understand how beneficial this feature is to your business.

Also, we can't provide any suggestions or recommendations as to which third-party application to use. I suggest you visit the QuickBooks Apps site and look for an app that meets your business needs. You can also do this inside your company, I'll guide you how:

1. Login to your QuickBooks Online account.
2. Go to Apps from the menu tab.
3. From there, enter a keyword in the search field or use the Filters section to narrow down the process.
4. This action will display a list of apps.
5. Click on the View Profile button to see more details about the software.

You can visit our Firm of the Future page. This is where we share recent happenings and future developments, such as updates to newly added features.

Also, I've included these resources that explain how project feature work in QuickBooks:

• Projects FAQ
• Change sub-customers into Projects

If you have other questions concerning QuickBooks, let me know by commenting below. I’m here to help. Have a great day!

@skoz5555 

What kind of business do you run?

I need this app for an audio/video integrator.  Switching to QBO was their worst decision but it is going to be too labor intensive to switch back.  Please help with an app that works

Let me route you where you can find apps that work on QBO, @glen1212.

You can use the QuickBooks Apps store to search for third-party apps that can help you work with Job Costing in QBO. Let me guide you through the process:

1. Head to the QuickBooks Apps store at this link.
2. From the Find the right apps for your business field, enter a keyword of the app you need. 
3. You'll see a list of apps and from there, and then choose which suits best for your business.

Also, you can always seek self-help articles on our QuickBooks help articles page, to help you get your QuickBooks task done in no time. 

Don't hesitate to post here again if you have further questions about integrating an app to QBO. I'm always here to help you in any way I can. Have a wonderful day ahead.

@glen1212 

Explore these apps to integrate with your QBO.

https:// paymo.grsm.io/quickbooks

https:// teamwork.grsm.io/quickbooks

Anyway, did you migrate data from QBD?

Yes it was before my time.  They were using QB Premiere Contractor Edition (which I haven't used but looks perfect for what we need) the company grew and needed to have access to the books from multiple locations.  They were sold all of the lies about QBO being able to do what they needed rather than hosting Premiere and now fast forward 3 years and it has been nothing but a struggle.  Premiere is no longer supported by Intuit and we would have to switch to Enterprise, but at that price we would be better off spending a little more and switching to Sage for Contractors which would be perfect albiet expensive. 

Thanks for your suggestions I will look into them and hopefully they will patch some of the issues until we can decide where to go.

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@glen1212 wrote:

Premiere is no longer supported by Intuit and we would have to switch to Enterprise, but at that price we would be better off spending a little more and switching to Sage for Contractors which would be perfect albiet expensive. 

@glen1212 

You may still consider migrating back to QB Desktop 2021 Premier with a one time license. Deploy a private cloud if required. Should you need more than 5 users to access your data, consider having a construction management app to integrate with your QB Desktop file as a workaround.

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@Anonymous wrote:

A more robust projects module would also be great. But I keep sending request to Intuit and hope to see these updates one day. 

@Anonymous 

Consider having a construction management app to integrate with your QBO. Intuit is still focusing to strengthen their position in retail/wholesale industry at the moment. It is why they bought an inventory management app and a connector app at the beginning of this year.