Why AccuLynx job profit does not match QuickBooks
AccuLynx says the job made $8,400. Your bookkeeper says the month lost money. Both are looking at real data. They are measuring different things.
What AccuLynx measures
Job profit in AccuLynx or JobNimbus is contract price minus the costs somebody entered on the job. Usually that is the material order and the sub's labor rate. It is a great number for running the job. It is an estimate.
What QuickBooks measures
Reconciled books show what actually left the bank and what actually came in, matched to the job. That includes the things nobody enters on the job board.
The seven gaps
- Labor burden. The job board has the crew's wage. It does not have payroll tax, workers comp, or the day they sat in the truck waiting on material. Add 20% to 35%.
- Sales commissions. Rarely entered as a job cost on the board. Always a real cost of the job.
- Material returns and credits. The supplier credit lands next month on the statement. The job board still shows the full order.
- Supplements not collected. The board counts approved supplements as revenue. The bank only counts the ones that got invoiced and paid.
- Depreciation not collected. Same. The board says $6,000 of depreciation. The carrier has not released it. It is not in the bank.
- Permits, dump, equipment, callbacks. Small line items nobody enters. They add up to real margin.
- Merchant and financing fees. A financed retail job carries a dealer fee. Card payments carry processing. The board shows the full price.
Which one is right?
Both, for their purpose. Use the job board to run the job today. Use the books to know what it made after everything cleared. If you price the next job off the board number, you will bid too low every time.
How to reconcile them each month
- Export closed jobs from AccuLynx with contract, supplements, and entered costs.
- Pull the job profitability report from QuickBooks for the same jobs.
- Line them up. The difference on each job is one of the seven gaps above.
- Fix the process, not the number. If commissions are always missing, add them to the board. If returns are always late, tag them to the job when the credit arrives.
This tie-out is included with our job costing service.
Questions
Can AccuLynx sync to QuickBooks?
Yes, it can push invoices and some costs. The sync does not add labor burden, commissions, or late credits. Someone still has to reconcile.
How big is the gap usually?
On jobs we have looked at, the job board margin is often 8 to 15 points higher than the reconciled margin. The two biggest reasons are labor burden and uncollected insurance money.
Should I stop using the job board profit number?
No. Use it to manage the job. Just do not use it to set prices or pay commissions.