Cost Code Articles | Better Job Profitability Tracking

Construction Break-Even Revenue: How to Calculate Yours

Every builder I've worked with can tell me their revenue. Almost none can tell me their break-even — the minimum revenue needed to cover all overhead and pay themselves a market salary. That number runs everything: your minimum bid volume, your markup floor, your go/no-go on growth decisions. Here's how to calculate it and use it.

9 min read Apr 20, 2026

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QuickBooks

QuickBooks Profit and Loss by Job: The Report Every Builder Needs

A P&L for your whole company tells you if you made money. A P&L by job tells you which projects made money and which ones quietly destroyed your margin. Most builders running QuickBooks don't have this report set up correctly — and they're flying blind on job profitability as a result. Here's how to fix that.

Financial Systems

The Construction Weekly Financial Review: 30 Minutes That Protects Your Margin

Builders who review their financials monthly discover problems after the damage is done. The builders who consistently hit their profit targets review three specific numbers every week — and act on what they see before a bad job closes. Here’s the weekly review format and the three numbers that matter.

Job Costing

The Job Costing Mistakes Killing Your Construction Profit Margins

Most builders finish a job, look at the final numbers, and wonder where the profit went. The answer is almost never "we undercharged" — it's almost always a job costing problem that was invisible during the project. Here are the six specific mistakes that destroy margin data before you can act on it, and how to fix each one before the next job closes.

Accounting

Construction WIP Journal Entries in QuickBooks: Over and Under Billing Explained

Most construction QuickBooks files have no WIP accounting at all — meaning revenue and costs never match actual project progress. Over-billing and under-billing both create tax and cash flow problems builders don't see coming. Here's the journal entry structure that fixes it.

Job Costing

How to Calculate Your Construction Overhead Rate (And Stop Underpricing Jobs)

Most builders are underpricing every job they bid because they don't know their true overhead rate. They guess at a markup, add a little for profit, and wonder why the money disappears. Here's the exact overhead rate calculation I use with builders at every revenue level — and why getting this number right is the single highest-leverage financial move you can make.

Financial Systems

Construction Accounts Receivable: Stop Chasing Payments

Most residential builders at $1M–$3M in revenue have $30,000–$80,000 in past-due accounts receivable at any given time. Slow collections don't feel like a business problem until they become a cash flow crisis. Here's the AR system that prevents slow pay before it starts — and recovers outstanding balances when it does.

Cost Code Audit & Cleanup Articles