Labour budget left
Compare the estimated labour allowance with the cost created by regular and overtime hours.
Three budgets, three clear positions
A single project total can hide the source of an overrun. ActualCost keeps estimated labour, materials and subcontractors visible separately and calculates the remaining budget for each category.
Budget left = Estimated cost − Actual cost
Material budget left
Compare the estimated material allowance with supplier costs assigned to the job.
Subcontractor budget left
Compare the outside-work allowance with subcontractor entries without mixing them into team days.
Total actual cost
Combine all three actual-cost categories to understand the complete current position.
Useful before the job is finished
Budget-versus-actual tracking is most valuable while there is still time to investigate a loss, correct purchasing, adjust labour planning or price similar work more accurately next time.
Read the practical guide: Estimated cost versus actual cost in construction.
A worked example
Two jobs from the same demo renovation, five weeks in:
| Job and category | Estimated | Actual | Budget left |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wall plastering — labour | 4 800,00 € | 5 924,00 € | −1 124,00 € |
| Wall plastering — materials | 1 900,00 € | 1 942,00 € | −42,00 € |
| Bathroom tiling — labour | 3 600,00 € | 2 800,00 € | +800,00 € |
| Bathroom tiling — materials | 2 800,00 € | 1 872,00 € | +928,00 € |
The project total is still in profit, so a project-level view would show nothing wrong. Per job and per category, the picture is clear: plastering labour is the problem, not materials and not tiling.
What to do when a job turns red
- Check the allocation. Were hours or invoices recorded on the wrong job? Edit the entries, or merge duplicate jobs.
- Check for extra work. If the client asked for more than the estimate covered, record it as extra work and bill it.
- Adjust the plan. Change the crew or the method while the job is still running.
- Learn for the next price. If the estimate was simply too low, use the real figures when pricing similar work.
Frequently asked questions
What does “budget left” mean?
Budget left is the estimate minus the actual cost so far, shown separately for labour, materials and subcontractors. A positive number is still available; a negative number means the job has already cost more than estimated.
Does billing change the budget left?
No. Budget left compares the estimate with actual cost. Billing is compared separately: real profit is total billed minus total actual cost.
What is a team day?
A team day is 8 logged hours. The labour result per team day divides the labour budget left by the team days spent, which makes jobs of different sizes easy to compare.
What if subcontractors do work that was estimated as our own labour?
If a job has no separate subcontractor estimate, subcontractor costs on that job use up its labour budget, because they replaced your own team. If the job has its own subcontractor estimate, the two are compared separately.
How often should I check?
Weekly during active work is a good rhythm. The earlier an overrun is spotted, the more can still be done: correct an allocation, change the plan or agree extra work with the client.