The Costs tab within a job record is designed to give you a complete view of all financial entries related to a job, enabling accurate tracking of internal costs and client charges. Below is a breakdown of how each section functions, alongside how rates like cost rate, sales rate, and travel rate influence this data.
📅 What You'll See in the Costs Tab
Each cost category shows itemized financial data associated with the job. If no data is entered yet, all sections will display a value of £0.00. Here's what each category means:
1. Labour
This area reflects the labour-related expenses:
Cost Rate: The internal cost to your business per hour worked (e.g. engineer wages).
Sales Rate: The rate you charge the client for that same labour.
For example, if an engineer works 2 hours at a cost rate of £20/hour and sales rate of £50/hour:
Internal cost = £40
Client charge = £100
These values are pulled automatically from the user profile unless overridden by specific labour rates on the job or customer profile.
2. Travel
Applies to vehicle usage costs like fuel and depreciation.
Does not include engineer time.
Controlled by a global travel rate set in the system settings.
This ensures consistency across all jobs and helps recover vehicle overheads.
3. Open Purchase Orders / Supplier Invoices
Tracks costs of materials or subcontracted services.
Can be entered manually or imported via supplier invoices.
4. Returns
Reflects items returned to suppliers.
Helps offset total costs when credits are issued.
5. Credit Notes
Includes any credits from suppliers or credits issued to clients.
Useful for adjustments or reconciling supplier mistakes.
6. General Items
Shows internal stock or parts used on the job.
Pulled from your inventory.
7. Summary Totals
At the bottom of the tab, you’ll see:
Total: Combined cost of all entries
Taxes: Based on configured tax settings
Grand Total: Inclusive of all tax and cost elements
🔧 Setting Up Cost, Sales, and Travel Rates
📄 User-Level Rates
Found in: Settings > Users > Select User > Business Details
Cost Rate: How much the business pays for that staff member’s time.
Sales Rate: How much the business charges clients for that staff member’s time.
Note: If labour rates are explicitly defined on the customer or job level, these override user-level rates.
📍 Travel Rate (Global)
Found in: Settings > Search for 'Travel Rate'
Applied uniformly across the system
Includes vehicle-related expenses like fuel, depreciation, and road tax
Not tied to engineer wages or travel time
✅ Best Practices
Ensure all engineers log diary events for labour and travel.
Keep user profiles updated with accurate cost and sales rates.
Use supplier invoices and returns to track material costs properly.
Review the cost tab before invoicing to ensure margin accuracy.