Question

QB Desktop - Job profitability reports

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
July 2, 2025
1 reply
14 views

I am using QBs Desktop. When creating a Job Profitability Report, the financial columns are listed in the following order: Cost, Revenue, and Difference. If I add percentage % in customize report, it should calculate the gross margin for the job. But instead, it gives me the % of the cost. Instead of Diff./Revenue, it is giving me Diff./Cost. How do I correct this?

QuickBooks Desktop

BigRedConsulting

Level 15

There's no way to change how the report works.

Both the Diff fields show the same thing, effectively:

Diff. would better be titled Profit $: Revenue - Cost, as a $ amount.

(%) Diff. would better be titled Profit %: Profit / Cost, as a percentage.

For example:

Diff/Revenue would essentially be Profit/Revenue. In the case above that would be 800/1000, or 80% - meaning that 80% of the Revenue is profit.

The report isn't designed to show that percentage. The only way to get it is to export the report to Excel and add a column and related formula.

P

PallynAuthor

Why would the report show me the percentage of profit related to cost? I want to know the Profit margin (Profit percentage related to Revenue). I think that is what is intended but the columns are backwards. This is a screwed up QBs thing. The columns should read Revenue then Cost. Not the other way around. Very confusing when I try to give the reports to my managers. You expect profit to be the first column.

BigRedConsulting

Level 15

RE: Why would the report show me the percentage of profit related to cost?

I think it's the whole point of the report - So you can see your profit margin, in both dollars and as a percent. The Difference columns show the same data in two different ways.

The report shows the actual cost, the actual revenue, the dollar difference between the two, and the percentage difference between the two. This shows you the extent to which your job is profitable.

RE: I want to know the Profit margin (Profit percentage related to Revenue).

That sounds like a P&L. It's not what this report is for. I think the P&L, or a derivative report is the only report that will show net income as a percent of income.

RE: The columns should read Revenue then Cost. Not the other way around. Very confusing when I try to give the reports to my managers. You expect profit to be the first column.

These things can only be done if you send the report to Excel and then modify it.

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