Every material entry you log contributes to the work order's Total Materials figure. That total is a live number — it updates each time an entry is added or removed — and it feeds directly into your job cost calculations.
How material costs feed into calculations
In the Admin Portal, admins can build custom cost calculations using formula variables including Total Materials, Total Team Labor Hours, Total External Contractor Hours, and Total Invoiced from Partners. These calculations can be applied to individual work orders from the Cost Summary tab inside the Edit Work Order modal.
Billing controls on a work order
Admins and managers have two billing controls available on the Information tab of the Edit Work Order modal:
- Retainer Work — Do Not Bill: toggle this on for retainer jobs where no invoice will be generated. Material costs are still tracked for your records.
- Cost Override (admin only): sets a fixed total for the work order instead of using the calculated value. Useful for fixed-price contracts where the final number is agreed in advance.
Accurate material logging is what makes your job totals reliable. A cost calculation is only as good as the data behind it.