See job costing and margin per job
Add a cost price next to each invoice line and TradeBooked shows your gross profit and margin in real time. Catalogue items prefill the cost automatically. Owner-only, customers never see it.
What it does
Job costing turns the invoice line items into a live profit calculator. For each line you sell to the customer, you record what it cost you. TradeBooked shows the gross profit (price minus cost) and the margin percentage per line and across the whole invoice.
It is "gross margin, before your overheads", so it is a working number for pricing decisions, not a substitute for your accountant.
Who sees what
Costs and margin are owner-only. The invoice PDF the customer sees only shows the sell prices and the total. Staff members on team accounts do not see cost figures either; the API strips them out.
Before you start
You will need a TradeBooked account on the Pro or Autopilot plan, line-itemised invoicing turned on (default on Pro), and ideally your repeat items already in the materials catalogue so costs prefill automatically.
Setup steps are in your dashboard
This is a Pro feature. Sign in on a Pro plan to see the step-by-step setup for your number.
Common questions
Does the customer ever see costs or margin?
No. Costs and margin are owner-only. The customer's invoice PDF shows the sell prices and total only.
Do staff members on my account see margin?
No. Cost and margin visibility is gated to the owner. Non-owner team members do not see them in the UI or in the API.
Where does the cost come from?
From your materials catalogue when you pick a catalogue item, or from the cost field you fill in manually for free-typed lines.
What if I leave cost blank?
No margin is calculated for that line. The line still appears on the customer invoice as normal.
What plan do I need?
Job costing is on the Pro and Autopilot plans.
Related guides
Still stuck? Email support@tradebooked.co.uk.