Quoted vs actual on one screen
Every job shows what you quoted next to what it really cost, with gross profit and margin percentage updating as costs land.
Jobs & Scheduling
See the real profit on every job, not just the invoice total
Gaffer's job costing tracks labour, materials and margin per job in real time — so you know which work actually makes money, where the slippage is hiding, and exactly how to price the next quote.
No credit card required · Web & Android (iOS coming soon) · Built for UK trades
How job costing works in Gaffer
Labour at your real rates
Engineers clock time against the job and Gaffer values those hours at your cost and charge rates, so labour is never a guess.
Materials from POs and bills
Purchase orders, supplier invoices and parts used on site feed straight into the job cost — no spreadsheet reconciling at month end.
Expenses and subcontractors
Add fuel, plant hire, skips and subcontractor day rates as cost lines so the margin reflects the whole job, not just the parts.
Live margin alerts
When a job starts eating its margin you can see it early — while there is still time to vary the scope or have the conversation.
Costing that informs the next quote
Patterns across jobs show where you consistently under-price, so your quoting gets sharper every month.
What you get
Job costing built for the way trade businesses actually run — from sole traders to teams of engineers.
- Real-time gross profit and margin percentage on every job
- Labour costs from engineer time logged on the job
- Materials pulled from purchase orders and supplier bills
- Expense and subcontractor cost lines for the full picture
- Quoted-versus-actual variance so nothing slips quietly
- Costs syncing to Xero and QuickBooks without double entry
- Profit insight across all jobs to guide your pricing and growth
Common questions about job costing
How does Gaffer work out the margin on a job?
Gaffer compares what you quoted against the real costs logged on the job — labour hours at your charge rates, materials from purchase orders and invoices, and any subcontractor or expense lines — then shows the gross profit and margin percentage in real time.
Can my engineers log time and materials from the mobile app?
Yes. The offline-first mobile app on Android (iOS coming soon) lets engineers clock time, scan or add materials and capture expenses on site with no signal. Everything syncs to the job cost as soon as they are back online.
Does job costing connect to my accounting software?
Yes. Supplier bills, expenses and invoices flow through to Xero and QuickBooks, so your job costs and your accounts stay in step without double entry.
Is job costing included in the free trial?
Yes. Job costing is part of Gaffer and included in the 14-day free trial with full access and no card required. See our pricing for plan details.
Stop guessing which jobs make money
14 days free. Full access. No card needed.