ActualCost — Know your real price

Material costs

Put every material cost against the work that used it.

A supplier invoice tells you what was bought. ActualCost adds the project and job context needed to understand profitability.

Record the useful detail

Material entries can include a date, description, quantity, unit, cost excluding VAT, invoice number, project, job and notes. Entries remain editable and deletable when a source document or allocation needs correction.

Compare spending with the material estimate

Material budget left = estimated materials − actual material cost

The job list keeps the estimate and accumulated cost visible together. Optional colour signals make positive and negative remaining allowances easier to scan.

Job allocation

Separate material performance between different kinds of work in the same project.

Invoice reference

Keep a practical link back to the source invoice without requiring invoice-level accounting.

Without VAT

Record the cost basis used for ActualCost’s current construction-profit workflow.

Corrections

Edit or delete an entry when the original allocation was wrong.

ActualCost material register for a demo project with the add form open and the job picker suggesting Bathroom tiling
Materials for one project. The add form follows an invoice line: date, job, material, quantity, unit, cost, invoice number and comment. Demo data. Open full size.

A worked example

The demo project estimated 1 900 € of materials for Wall plastering. Three purchases have been entered against that job:

PurchaseInvoiceCost excl. VAT
Gypsum plaster 30 kg, 60 bagsSF-20411 140,00 €
Gypsum plaster 30 kg, 36 bagsSF-2107684,00 €
Primer 10 l, 4 pcsSF-2107118,00 €
Total1 942,00 €

Material budget left: 1 900 € − 1 942 € = −42 €. Together with the labour overrun on the same job, it is a clear signal to check the quantities in the estimate before pricing similar work again.

Line by line, or in batches

Enter material costs at the level of detail that suits you. For a quick weekly routine, enter one line per invoice and job: quantity 1, the invoice total without VAT as the cost and the invoice number. When an invoice covers several jobs, split it into one line per job.

The form follows the invoice

  1. Date is filled in with today.
  2. Job — type part of the name and pick it; groups open into their jobs.
  3. Material — a short description.
  4. Quantity is 1 unless you change it.
  5. Unit is optional (pcs, m², m).
  6. Cost excl. VAT — the line or invoice total.
  7. Invoice number for reference.
  8. Comment is optional.

After saving, the form stays open for the next line of the same project.

Frequently asked questions

Should material costs be entered with or without VAT?

Without VAT. ActualCost compares costs with estimates and billed amounts excluding VAT, so profit is not distorted by tax that you reclaim.

Do I have to enter every line of every invoice?

No. Many companies enter one line per invoice and job: quantity 1, the invoice total excluding VAT as the cost, and the invoice number for reference. Enter individual items only where the detail is useful.

What if one invoice covers several jobs?

Enter one line per job, each with that job’s share of the total and the same invoice number. Job-level profit is only accurate when each cost is attached to the right job.

Can I correct a wrong allocation?

Yes. Edit the entry to move it to another job or change the amount, or delete it. Deletes can be undone for a short time.

Does ActualCost read invoices automatically?

Not at the moment. Material costs are entered by hand in a short form; the invoice number keeps the link to your accounting records.

See where material spending changes the job result.

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