Check what a job actually made before quoting the next one
Compare your allowed and actual job costs, account for your own time and use the result to improve the next electrical quote. Includes a worked example.
Start with one finished job
A job can finish on time, get paid and still leave less than you expected. The extra materials run, the second visit and the hour sorting the paperwork all need to go somewhere.
I would start with one recent job you can remember clearly. Put the sent quote beside the completed job notes and supplier records. Compare what you allowed with what happened before changing the price on every quote.
Use the same basis on both sides
Write down the agreed job value, including approved changes. Alongside it, record materials used, labour and any other costs you have chosen to assign to that job. Keep the estimated and actual columns consistent.
Treat VAT consistently on sales and costs. If it affects your figures, agree the method with your accountant; recoverable VAT should not inflate one side of the comparison. This worksheet is a management check, not a tax calculation.
Include your own time. For a sole trader, a planning allowance for your hours helps you compare jobs even though that allowance is not a wage paid out. Label it as your time allowance and use the same rate for the estimate and actual review. Do not count it again as an overhead.
- Use the materials that belong to this job, allowing for returns or stock kept for another job.
- Count agreed extras separately from work you did without an agreed price.
- Record employee or subcontractor costs on the basis you used when quoting.
- Include the extra visit, job-specific hire or disposal cost if it belongs in your chosen comparison.
- Mark any missing supplier bill as estimated, then return to it when the actual figure arrives.
A worked example with a missing extra visit
These are made-up figures to show the calculation, not a client result or a recommended price. Assume the figures are on a consistent basis and use the same labour costing method.
You quoted £2,000. You allowed £500 for materials, £700 for labour and £100 for other job costs. The worksheet balance was £700. The actual materials were £600, labour £900 and other costs £100. With the same £2,000 job value, the balance falls to £400.
The £300 difference came from £100 more materials and £200 more labour. Go back to the notes: was that a poor allowance, an extra visit, an agreed change you have not invoiced, or something else? The figures tell you where to look; they do not tell you why on their own.
Estimated: £2,000 − £500 − £700 − £100 = £700. Actual: £2,000 − £600 − £900 − £100 = £400. Actual minus estimated: £400 − £700 = −£300.
Do not call the worksheet balance take-home profit
The balance after the job costs you entered still has to be understood alongside the rest of the business. Costs not included in that calculation, such as office support or insurance, still need covering. Your tax and personal take-home pay are separate again.
Contribution has a particular accounting meaning: revenue less variable costs, available to cover fixed costs and profit. The toolkit subtracts the cost categories you enter, which may include labour allowances or allocated costs. Its job balance is therefore a useful comparison, not automatically an accounting contribution figure.
A completed invoice is also different from money received. Keep an unpaid invoice on the payment list even when this job review is finished.
Turn the difference into a change you can use
Choose a specific correction. If the same job takes longer than the template allows, change that allowance. If materials were missed, add them to the scope checklist. If the customer asked for more work, check how you recorded approval and the extra price.
Keep a reason beside the figure. “Labour £200 over: second visit because access was unavailable” is more useful next time than “bad margin”. You may need to confirm access before booking rather than charge every future customer for the same problem.
Review more than one similar job before assuming the result is typical. Keep any unusual event visible so a one-off delay does not become a permanent pricing rule.
Give the desk the records to prepare the check
The desk can bring the quote, invoices, material records and time notes together, flag missing costs and prepare the comparison. You decide whether the scope, time allowance or price needs changing.
Use the free Admin Toolkit for one completed job today. Enter the estimated and actual figures on the same basis, write down the reason for the biggest difference, then update one part of your quote template. Keep the supporting records with the job so you can check the figures later.