> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.inventory-hq.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Job Costing Reports: View Margins and Material Costs

> View itemized material costs, total job cost, and real-time margins. Export to your CRM or accounting software, or use the Profit Recovery Calculator.

Job costing reports turn your material usage logs into financial clarity. For every job in InventoryHQ, you can see exactly which materials were used, what each one cost, what the job cost in total, and how that compares to your estimated margin — all without exporting anything to a spreadsheet. When something looks off, the User Activity Report tells you exactly who logged what so you can trace the source of any discrepancy quickly.

## What job costing reports show

A job costing report gives you a full financial breakdown of a single job, including:

* **Materials used** — every item logged against the job, with quantities and unit costs
* **Total material cost** — the sum of all material costs for the job
* **Labor cost** (if entered) — any labor costs associated with the job
* **Total job cost** — materials plus labor
* **Estimated margin** — the difference between your contract value and total job cost, expressed as a dollar amount and percentage
* **Cost-to-date vs. estimate** — how actual costs track against what you projected at the start

<Info>
  Unit costs in job costing reports reflect the cost recorded in your inventory at the time the material was used — not today's price. This gives you an accurate picture of what each job actually cost at the time of the work.
</Info>

## View a job costing breakdown

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Jobs list">
    Go to **Jobs** in the main navigation. Active and completed jobs both appear here. Use the status filter to narrow your view.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select a job">
    Click the job name to open the job detail page.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Costing Report tab">
    Click the **Costing Report** tab on the job detail page. The full cost breakdown loads immediately, reflecting all material usage logged to date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review line items and totals">
    Scroll through the material list to review individual line items. The summary section at the top shows your total cost, contract value, and margin at a glance.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Review job costing reports while the job is still in progress — not just at close. Catching cost overruns mid-job gives you time to adjust scope, renegotiate materials, or have a conversation with the customer before the invoice is finalized.
</Tip>

## Use the User Activity Report

The User Activity Report shows you every material usage entry across all jobs, filtered by user, date range, job, or item. Use it to:

* Confirm that field techs are logging materials consistently
* Identify a specific entry that may have caused a cost discrepancy
* Review a particular crew member's activity over a pay period
* Verify that commission calculations are based on accurate cost data

<Steps>
  <Step title="Go to Reports">
    From the main navigation, select **Reports → User Activity**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Apply filters">
    Filter by date range, user name, or job to narrow the results. You can also filter by item if you're looking for a specific material across multiple jobs.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Review entries">
    Each row shows the job name, item logged, quantity, unit cost, the user who created the entry, and the timestamp. Click any row to jump to the full job record.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Export job costing data

InventoryHQ lets you export job costing data for use in your CRM, accounting software, or external reporting tools.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Costing Report for a job">
    Navigate to the job and click the **Costing Report** tab.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Click Export">
    Click the **Export** button in the top-right corner of the report. Choose your preferred format — CSV or PDF.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use the exported file">
    Import the CSV into QuickBooks, your CRM, or any reporting tool that accepts tabular data. The PDF version is formatted for sharing with clients or project stakeholders.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  If your account is connected to a CRM integration, job cost data can sync automatically — no manual export required. Check **Settings → Integrations** to see which CRM platforms are available for your account.
</Note>

## Recover profit you didn't know you were losing

Poor inventory tracking leads to commission overpayments, material shrinkage, and equipment loss that add up over time. The **InventoryHQ Profit Recovery Calculator** estimates how much revenue your business may be losing right now based on your job volume and current tracking practices.

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Profit Recovery Calculator" icon="calculator" href="https://inventory-hq.com/calculator">
    Enter your average job count and contract values to see a projection of commission overpayment, material shrinkage, and equipment loss recoverable through better inventory tracking.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What does the Profit Recovery Calculator measure?">
    The calculator breaks your potential recovery into three categories:

    * **Commission overpayment** — when job costs are understated, commission percentages apply to inflated margins, overpaying your team relative to actual profit
    * **Material shrinkage** — untracked materials that leave your warehouse or trucks without being assigned to a job represent direct cost with no corresponding revenue
    * **Equipment and asset loss** — tools and equipment that aren't tracked to a location are harder to recover when they go missing

    The CFMA estimates that job costing mistakes driven by poor inventory tracking average **3–6% of project cost**. The calculator applies that range to your numbers so you can see the dollar impact specific to your business.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>