Project Allowances

Checking Detailed Costs

If you use a two-layer Cost Control worksheet for more detailed job costing, scroll down past the progress payment area to see a more detailed, itemized listing of your costs.

You can also choose *Go To Category from the FORMULA menu to jump to a particular construction category.

Allowances

The Cost Control portion of the MacNail construction accounting software lets you track any number of allowances. If you use the MacNail construction estimating software, you can combine the original project allowances with job cost information, and know exactly how to adjust for allowances at the end of the project.

NOTE-- Goldenseal construction accounting software replaced MacNail in 2000. It does a much better job of handling allowances-- both in estimates, and for later project billing. Goldenseal is an integrated program that also includes general accounting, job costing, payroll and project billing, plus estimating and other features.

To get allowance information from an estimate:
1. Be sure to 'flag' each allowance item in the Specifications part of MacNail Estimating (see the MacNail Estimating Manual).
2. While you are in MacNail Estimating, use *Extract Special and choose Allowances. A special allowance list for the project will be created.
Page 140 Cost Control
3. When you actually start the project, use *New Job Cost Sheet, from the FILE menu, to make a Cost Control worksheet for the project. With the project Cost Control worksheet open, choose *Get Allowances from the FORMULA menu.
4. For each item, decide whether to include labor as a part of the allowance, and choose a construction category for the allowance.
5. The allowances will be added to the worksheet, with the appropriate amount subtracted from the original bid price

As you spend money on allowanced items, enter them with a construction category of AL, and a subcategory equal to the assigned allowance number. At the end of the job, you can settle up for the difference between the original allowances, and the actual amount spent.