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#job-costing

Job Costing

Track costs per project or job for accurate profitability analysis

Senior Move Management Bookkeeping: Project Fees, Estate-Sale Proceeds, and the Vendor Maze

Senior move managers bill roughly $3,000 per three-to-five-week project across hourly labor, flat fees, marked-up supplies, and estate-sale commissions. This guide shows how to split that revenue by stream, hold deposits and client sale proceeds as liabilities, keep pass-through vendor bills off the P&L, and budget NASMM dues and certification — plus the five numbers to review monthly.

California's New 5% Retention Cap: What Contractors Must Change About Retainage in 2026

California SB 61 caps retention on private construction contracts signed on or after January 1, 2026 at 5% per progress payment and 5% of the contract price in total, down from the 10% industry norm — here is who it covers, the residential and bonding exceptions, and how to rebuild your retainage receivable schedule so the freed-up cash actually reaches your account.

Crane Rental and Rigging Bookkeeping: What Your Boom Truck Really Costs Per Lift

A crane rental company is three businesses sharing one yard — equipment, labor, and logistics. This guide covers 5-year MACRS treatment for cranes, the $2.5M Section 179 limit and permanent 100% bonus depreciation, splitting bare from operated rental in the chart of accounts, per-lift job costing including mobilization, and the utilization math behind an idle fleet that can cost $209,000 a year.

Fire Extinguisher Service Bookkeeping: Tag Routes, 6-Year Tear-Downs, and the NFPA 10 Calendar That Pays You

How a fire extinguisher service company should structure its books around the NFPA 10 calendar — separate revenue lines for annual tags, recharges, 6-year internal maintenance ($30–$60 per unit) and hydrostatic testing ($20–$100 per unit), deferred revenue for prepaid contracts, MACRS depreciation for vans and recharge rigs, and the route-density KPIs that decide whether the truck earns money.

When Steel and Copper Prices Move After You Bid: A Contractor's Guide to Estimates and Change Orders That Hold

Steel mill products are up roughly 21 percent and copper products 16–25 percent year over year after the April 2026 Section 232 tariff restructuring set a 50 percent duty on metal-heavy goods. This guide shows contractors how to break out metals as dated line items, tie escalation clauses to a published BLS index with clear thresholds and proof requirements, and run monthly job-cost reviews so price spikes become approved change orders instead of lost margin.

Elevator Service Company Bookkeeping: Costing Every Callback at the Burdened CET Rate

How elevator service companies job-cost full-maintenance and exam-and-lube contracts per unit — booking prepayments as deferred revenue, costing callbacks at a burdened CET mechanic rate of 85 to 100 dollars an hour rather than the 52-dollar wage, carrying truck stock as inventory, and pricing renewals from twelve months of callback history.

Wall Street Can't Buy That House Anymore: What the ROAD to Housing Act's Ban on Large Investors Means for Small Landlords and Property Managers

The 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act (Public Law 119-101, enacted July 11, 2026) bans institutional investors controlling 350+ single-family homes from buying more, with exceptions for build-to-rent, renovate-to-rent rehabs costing at least 15% of purchase price, and rent-to-own programs. Here is how the thresholds, exceptions, and a two-year grace window affect small landlords and property managers — and the ownership-count and job-cost records to set up now.

Custom Sign Shop Pricing That Actually Pays: Separating Materials, Labor Burden, and Installation

A flat $55 shop rate quietly underprices illuminated and digital sign work while vinyl subsidizes the loss. Learn how to split every quote into materials with 7% indeterminates and 1.5x markup, fully burdened labor including payroll taxes and workers comp, and installation as a separate crew and equipment profit center — with a sample channel letter worksheet and a bookkeeping setup that makes estimates match actuals.