Standard categories, ready to use
Labor, Materials, Subcontractors, Permits, Overhead — and rename or add your own to match how you actually build.
Feature · Cost Categories
See exactly where every dollar goes.
BuilderSwift Cost Categories group every expense — labor, materials, subs, permits, overhead — so you always know where your money is going on every job. Real budgets. Real categories. Real margin.
Standard + custom categories
Budget vs actual per job
QuickBooks in sync
Why Cost Categories
A clear cost structure is the difference between profit and hope.
Without well-defined categories, costs sit in a single bucket and the real story of a job stays hidden until tax time. BuilderSwift gives every expense a category from day one — so margin is visible as work happens, not two months later.
The right granularity without the bookkeeping burden.
Pre-built categories (Labor, Materials, Subs, Permits, Overhead) plus custom categories you define — so reporting matches how your business actually does work.
Catch budget issues before they erase margin.
See committed and actual costs by category on every job, in real time. Combined with QuickBooks, you get the same view in your books — without end-of-month reconcile.
1
Standard categories out of the box
Labor, Materials, Subs, Permits, Overhead — and rename or add categories to match how you work.
2
Budget vs actual per job
Every job has a category budget. Variance shows the moment a category goes off-plan — not at the end of the project.
3
Custom categories
Add what matters to your business — Appliances, Tile, Cabinets — and report consistently across jobs.
4
QuickBooks alignment
Categories map to QuickBooks Classes so customer, invoice, and cost data reconcile cleanly in your books.
What you get
Capabilities built for real-time job costing.
Budget vs actual
Every job has a category budget. Variance shows the moment a category goes off-plan, with the dollar delta visible.
Real-time visibility
Committed, invoiced, and paid — three stages of every category cost, updated as work happens, not at month-end.
Custom category hierarchies
Add granularity that fits your business — Tile, Cabinets, Appliances — by phase, by trade, or by project type.
QuickBooks sync
Categories map to QuickBooks Classes. Customers, invoices, and cost data reconcile cleanly — no end-of-month scramble.
Cross-job reporting
See total spend by category across every active job. Spot where categories are consistently over- or under-budget.
Outcomes
Visibility that protects margin.
+%
Margin recovered
Catching categories that are drifting over budget before the job closes means margin that would have been lost is now visible — and recoverable.
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Faster close
Pre-categorized costs and QuickBooks Classes mean month-end takes hours — not days — and your accountant gets clean data.
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Every dollar accounted for
No expense slips between labor, materials, subs, permits, and overhead. Reporting tells the truth about every job.
From the field
What contractors tell us about this feature.
“We finally see labor vs. materials vs. subs in real time. Overage stopped being a surprise and became a decision we could make on Tuesday instead of after tax season.”
Designed for
Built for owners who want to know margin before month-end.
Owners flying blind on margin
If you only learn a job went over budget when tax returns arrive, categories will give you visibility as work happens.
Project managers at the job level
See at a glance if a job's labor or material spend is drifting — and act on it before the month closes.
Accountants who love clean books
Categories that map to QuickBooks Classes mean the books don't need rework — and tax time is fast.
FAQ
Cost Categories questions, answered.
What kinds of cost categories does BuilderSwift support?
BuilderSwift ships with standard categories — Labor, Materials, Subcontractors, Permits,
Overhead — and you can add or rename your own. Categories can nest so you can drill from Job → Phase →
Category in one click.
How do categories help me protect margin?
When costs are split into clear categories, you see exactly where a job is over (or
under) budget and can act on it before margin disappears. Combined with QuickBooks, you see the same
categorization in your books.
Can I customize categories per trade or business?
Yes. Add custom categories or rename existing ones to match how your business does work.
Categories are shared across jobs so reporting is consistent.
Do cost categories sync with QuickBooks?
Yes. BuilderSwift categories map to QuickBooks Classes and Items so customer, invoice,
and cost data reconcile cleanly. Your accountant sees the same categorization in the books.
What if my business has different categories by trade?
BuilderSwift lets you use the standard categories plus any custom ones that fit your
work. Categories are consistent across jobs, so reporting stays comparable.
Margin in real time
See exactly where every dollar goes — and protect the margin.
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