A quote can look profitable while the completed job tells a different story. Extra crew hours, fuel, subcontracting and materials can change the result. Track actual costs separately from estimates and compare them with a clearly defined revenue figure. Movers Pro’s private preview keeps those records distinct.

Define the figure you are measuring

For a simple job-level calculation, start with invoiced net revenue after credit notes and subtract recorded actual job costs. This is not automatically the firm’s net profit: overheads, tax, depreciation and other accounting adjustments may sit outside the job record.

Agree the treatment of VAT and recoverable costs with your accountant. Do not subtract gross costs from net revenue and assume the result is comparable to another job calculated differently.

A worked example

This is an illustrative calculation, not a suggested price. Suppose a job has £800 of net invoice revenue and a £50 net credit note. Its recorded revenue is £750. Actual job costs are £300 crew cost, £60 fuel, £40 materials and £100 subcontracting: £500 in total.

The job contribution on that basis is £250: £750 minus £500. If another £80 of equipment hire was only estimated and never incurred, it should not be silently treated as an actual cost. If it was incurred, record it and the actual result becomes £170.

Keep payment and revenue distinct

A payment received is a cash record. It does not by itself explain whether an invoice has been issued, whether part of the money is refundable or which service was billed. A credit note and a refund are also different records: one adjusts billing, the other records money paid back.

Reconcile the contract, invoice documents, payments and costs instead of using one total for all four. Separate services, such as storage outside the removal contract, need an explicit allocation so they are not accidentally deducted from the contract balance.

Record costs consistently

Choose a category and date, describe the cost and identify it as actual or estimated. Agree who can enter, correct or void records. Keep a reason for changes and do not erase the history of an incorrect entry.

Review missing costs after the job, not months later when memory has faded. Crew time records can support the process, but decide how they become cost entries and avoid counting the same labour twice.

How Movers Pro handles it

Movers Pro, which is in private preview (contact us for pricing and availability), displays actual and estimated costs separately and restricts profit information to authorised business users. Customers see their issued documents and balance, not the firm’s costs or profit. The feature is a job ledger, not VAT-return or accounting software.

Before real use, the accountant review needs to be completed. Read our enquiry-to-moving-day workflow for the operational context.

Does a positive job figure mean the business made a profit?

Not necessarily. It depends on the costs included and the wider accounts. Use the number as a defined operational measure and reconcile it with accounting advice.

Related guides

Compare House Movers built and runs Move Planner and Movers Pro, the apps described here; both are password-protected previews. This is general information, not legal, tax or accounting advice.