Start Using CrewCost

This guide is designed to get you up and running with CrewCost as quickly as possible. Whether you are transitioning from a general accounting software or starting fresh, our goal is to help you bridge the gap between your field operations and your back-office financials.

To start using CrewCost:

1

Create your account

Start by setting up a free account with a 30-day trial. During your trial, you can:

• Access every feature with no restrictions, including job costing, budgeting, reporting, and dashboards.

• Invite team members to test workflows collaboratively.

• Import sample data to simulate real scenarios before committing.

This gives you a full view of how CrewCost can support your business.

2

Configure your settings

You can customize CrewCost to meet your specific business needs by configuring your settings.

1. Update business information Add your company name, address, tax details, and display preferences so documents and reports reflect your brand.

2. Manage payroll periods Define how often you run payroll (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) to align labor costs with your reporting cycles.

3. Set up your cost codes Create or import cost codes that organize your project expenses into meaningful categories (e.g., labor, materials, subcontractors).

3

Add customers and products

You can add your customer database and your products or services.

1. Add customers Build your customer database and attach contacts, billing information, and default terms for quicker job creation.

2. Add products Configure the labor types, materials, equipment, or service items you sell, including unit costs, markup rules, and descriptions.

4

Create a job

With your framework configured, you can now create a job in the Job Center. Each job serves as a complete financial container and includes:

• Estimates Build detailed estimates using your cost codes and product catalog.

• Contract Define the job agreement, fee structure, and payment terms.

• Budget Establish planned labor, materials, subcontractor costs, and margins.

• Change orders Track all scope adjustments and their financial impact.

• Transactions Capture time entries, vendor invoices, material costs, and payments in one place.

Jobs are the central hub for tracking both operational and financial activity.

5

Monitor project financials

Once your job is running, use the dashboard to track performance in real time. You can monitor:

• Budget vs. actuals to identify variances early and course-correct.

• Cash flow to understand incoming payments vs. outgoing costs.

• Estimated profit and margin based on live cost accumulation.

• Labor productivity metrics.

This visibility helps keep projects on schedule and financially healthy.

6

Monitor company health

All job-level activity rolls up into the Company Dashboard, giving leadership a high-level view of overall performance. You can quickly review:

• Company-wide profitability based on all active and completed jobs.

• Cash position trends to support operational and financial planning.

• Job distribution and performance to identify which types of work generate the best returns.

• Labor cost trends to evaluate staffing efficiency.

This consolidated view helps you make strategic decisions backed by data.

With your initial setup complete, you are ready to explore help you manage jobs with confidence and clarity.

See also

Keep exploring our platform by taking the next step:

• Dashboard Overview: Learn how to read the , focusing on cash flow and profitability.

• Core Concepts Glossary: Learn the defining key accounting and construction-specific terminology used throughout the platform.