Job costing for contractors and property managers
Run every job as a project with its own income and costs, from the quotation to the final invoice. Property managers bill rent and service charge every month without retyping.
Made for
- Building and civil contractors
- Electrical and plumbing contractors
- Interior fit-out
- Property managers
- Real estate agents
What you'll use
- Projects with income, costs and profit per job
- Quotations into invoices
- Service orders to subcontractors
- Withholding tax on supplier payments
- Recurring invoices for rent and service charge
The problems
What gets in the way, and how MannaBooks fixes it
Not knowing which jobs make money
Tag invoices, bills and expenses to a project and see its profit as the job goes, not after.
Subcontractors and withholding tax
Give subcontractors service orders, record their bills and keep back withholding tax when you pay.
Rent invoices every month
Set up recurring invoices once; they go out on the date, and tenants pay by paybill with the invoice number.
A day with MannaBooks
How the work flows
- 1
Quote
Send a quotation; when the client agrees it becomes an invoice in one click.
- 2
Buy for the job
Materials and subcontractor work are tagged to the project as they are bought.
- 3
Bill
Invoice the client and track what they still owe.
- 4
Review
The project report shows income, costs and profit for each job.
Worked example
A building contractor
A perimeter wall is quoted at KES 1,200,000 plus VAT. Materials cost KES 640,000 and a subcontractor's fee is KES 180,000.
- 1.The quotation is accepted and becomes an invoice for KES 1,392,000 (KES 1,200,000 plus VAT of KES 192,000).
- 2.Material bills and the subcontractor's service order are tagged to the project.
- 3.When the subcontractor is paid, 3% withholding income tax (KES 5,400) is kept back and recorded for remittance to KRA.
- 4.The project report shows the job's profit.
| Income before VAT | KES 1,200,000.00 |
| Materials | KES 640,000.00 |
| Subcontractor | KES 180,000.00 |
| Project profit | KES 380,000.00 |
| Withholding tax kept back | KES 5,400.00 |
Withholding tax rates depend on the service and the supplier; check yours with KRA or your accountant.
An illustrative example with made-up figures, not a customer.
Use cases
The jobs MannaBooks does for you
Cost every job
Projects with their own income, costs and profit, from quotation to final invoice.
Sell without keeping stock
Quote first, buy from your supplier once the client says yes, then invoice, and see what each order made.
Bill every month automatically
Recurring invoices for rent, fees, retainers and contracts, with reminders for late payers.
Stay right with KRA
VAT on every document, withholding tax on payments, and the VAT summary for your return.
Control spending
Approval chains, budgets against actual, cost centres and a fixed asset register.
Questions
Can I bill a client in stages?
Yes. Raise an invoice for each stage against the same project; the project report adds them up.
Can tenants pay by M-Pesa?
Yes. They pay your paybill with the invoice number as the account number, and the payment matches itself to the invoice.
More questions? Read the FAQ or talk to us.
Other industries
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