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brooksideres
January 21, 2020
Question

Is there a way to run a report for estimate vs actual job costs? Desktop had this report available, but now I do not see the option.

  • January 21, 2020
  • 5 replies
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Original commenter did not share additional details

    5 replies

    M
    mv32
    January 22, 2020

    Welcome back to the Community, @brooksideres.

     

    Currently, we're unable to run a report for estimate vs. actual job costs the same what QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) can do.

     

    I'll submit this feedback to our product engineers. They can check to see how to implement this report the same with QBDT, and the implementation varies on the number of feedback we receive.

    You can use this video article as your reference in tracking your profitability by projects: Track income, costs, and profitability by project. It includes how to add existing expenses and invoices, and create estimates.

    I'll add this article as your basis in modifying reports and save the customized reports: Memorize reports.

    Please feel free to leave a message to this post if you need assistance. I'm always here to help. Have a good one!

    K
    klittle0602
    July 23, 2020

    Is there any update to getting the process of tracking/reporting estimated vs actual on job costing?  It is the key to tracking how your job cost variances effected your profits.

      J
      JamesDuanT
      July 23, 2020

      Thanks for joining in on the thread, klittle0602.

       

      This type of report is not yet available in QuickBooks Online, unlike the Desktop version has. The only suggestion we can make is to customize the available report to get the data you need.

       

      Meanwhile, I'd recommend sending feedback through the articles. The more users sending feedback or suggestions, the faster the reports or functions are implemented to the program.

      1. Log in to your Community account.
      2. Open the article mentioned by Jovychris_A and scroll-down to the Was this helpful section.
      3. Enter your suggestion or feedback and click Submit.

      You can also visit the QuickBooks Blog to see any updates or changes about the program.

       

      We'll be right here if you need anything else.

      S
      SquareTriangle
      March 11, 2021

      It's been a over a year since this thread was started—any idea when this feature will be available? I have a client I am trying to get to switch from desktop to online but this feature is a major sticking point.

        JasroV
        JasroV
        March 11, 2021

        I admire you for taking your time in the loop about the availability of this report, @SquareTriangle.


        I can see how beneficial it is to your client to run a report for estimate vs. actual job costs in their QuickBooks Online (QBO) account.

         

        As of now, I’m unable to share with you a specific time frame as to when this report will be available. Rest assured our Product team is aware of this and is working on implementing this in the future.

         

        You can also submit a feedback so they can have a look and review it. Let me show you how.

         

        1. Go to the Gear icon.
        2. Select Feedback.
        3. Enter your comments or product suggestions. 
        4. Then select Next to submit feedback.

         

        You can also check this link for more details: How do I submit feedback?

         

        In the meantime, you’ll want to customize your available reports as suggested by my colleagues above to show the information you need. Also, I recommend checking ourQuickBooks blog page from time to time to stay current on the latest news about QuickBooks.

         

        Keep me posted if you have any other concerns managing your reports or if there’s anything else I can be of help with. I’m always around ready to assist you. Have a good one stay safe!

          H
          hbzconstruction
          April 17, 2021

          I use this in our desktop company, but it is very annoying to not have in the online version.  Is there a release date on this yet?

            K
            Kenny2g12
            January 9, 2022

            Hi guys, let me share some ideas on what you can do in the mean time.

             

            1. Set up class for your project

             

            2. Set up a budget for the project using your various cost items and make sure you do this by class

             

            3. use the budget report feature to generate report by class to analyse your estimated cost and actuals report

              A
              Aaronnickell
              July 27, 2022

              I'm trying to set it up this way now, I called Intuit and they were no help at all with this. Would you mind please giving a more step-by-step process to this report? I can't seem to get it to group by item/service and filter by class at the same time.

              J
              JamaicaA
              July 27, 2022

              Yes, we can personalize the report to get the details you need, @Aaronnickell. I’ll share some steps and help you go over your report, then filter it properly.

               

              Classes are generally for categorizing business departments or different services your business may provide. Projects are for tracking and analyzing the profitability of a job. If you have a project-based business, you’ll want to run an individual profitability report for each project.

               

              Here’s how:

               

              1. On the left pane, select Reports.
              2. Search for Project Profitability report.
              3. Select Customize.
              4. Go to the Filter dropdown, tick Class and Product/Service.

              Please know you can also run the report from the Projects menu.  From there, select the project name, then the Project Reports tab. You can also include other projects using this report. 

              You also have the option to pull up the Profit and Loss by Customers. This will help you view your income, expenses, and net income (profit or loss) to all customers or projects.

               

              If you have any other concerns about pulling up or customizing a report, feel free to leave a comment below. I'm always here to help. Have a good day and more success in your business.

              R
              radiusdesign
              May 31, 2022

              I was also tricked into going back to QBO after being a desktop user for 4 years. I was told they had updated the software and would function like the desktop. This is basically a lie. The 2 software do not function at all alike. Here is another example, the MOST useful feature for billing is to run the estimate vs actual report. This does not exist. and like everything else, most likely will never exist. the class workaround seems like a huge hassle. so...

               

              Is there any report or setting that can tell me how much of a service item has been billed for a customer project? I can then have another window open with the estimate and compare the 2 visually?

                M
                MirriamM
                May 31, 2022

                Hi there, @radiusdesign.

                 

                I can see how you wanted to generate a report that shows the service item billed for a customer project. As of now, it's still unavailable in QuickBooks Online (QBO). You can consider running the Project profitability report to see all transactions on a specific project. I understand that you'll have to run this report one at a time. However, this will be the best option we can consider right now.

                 

                I also get your point that there are features in QuickBooks Desktop (QBDT) that weren't in QBO. As mentioned by my colleagues above, these two products are different QuickBooks platforms with distinct components. 

                 

                In the meantime, I recommend sending this request straight to our product engineers through feedback. Sharing features and options that you would like implemented is how our engineers look for new product updates.

                 

                To send feedback, follow the below steps:

                1. Go to the Gear icon at the top.
                2. Select Feedback.
                3. Enter your comments or product suggestions. 
                4. Then select Next to submit feedback.

                 

                You may also visit our Feedback forum page. From there, you'll see a list of QuickBooks users who also submitted feedback, as well as the recent updates in QuickBooks.

                 

                Additionally, to learn more how to run report in QBO, visit these articles:

                 

                If you need further assistance in managing your account, leave me a comment below. It's always a pleasure to help you. Take care.

                 

                A
                Aaronnickell
                July 27, 2022

                This just seems insane to me. I've read through YEARS of complaints about this feature, AND complaints by people that also felt like they were lied to so they would switch over. Contractors everywhere are switching to other systems that cost 5 times as much just because this reporting feature is CRUCIAL to our work. I've sent in many requests myself for this feature. We've used desktop for 6 years, we are using QB Desktop 2022 AND QBO right now because we didn't trust QBO to do what we needed it to. SO GLAD we did. Someone DO SOMETHING!!!!!!

                A
                advspr2022
                March 3, 2023

                Any update on this issue yet? Looks like its been a couple of years without any results.

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