Rave Timesheets - The Labour Budget By Task

Once you've created your Labour Budget in the project's Timesheets > Manage Tasks sub-tab, you can then click on the Budget tab, which is located directly next to it 

The Budget sub-tab functions as your labour back-costing screen, helping you track and manage labour costs against budgeted estimates.

Accessing the Budget Sub-Tab

If you can’t see the Budget sub-tab, it may be due to missing permissions. To gain access, someone with admin rights must enable the "Timesheet Budget" permission for you under Manage Users in Rave.

There are two reporting options to now choose from.

Budget by Task and Budget by User

This Article is for Budget By Tasks. You can view the article on Budget by User Here 

Budget By Task View Options

At the top right of the page, you can switch between:

• Simplified View (default) – ideal for quick insights
• Advanced View – offers more detailed breakdowns

Simplified View Overview

For each labour budget task, the following details are displayed:

• Estimated Total
  The budgeted amount for this task, as set in the Manage Tasks tab.
• Timesheet Total
  The total cost accumulated from your team clocking in/out on this task.
• Total Invoiced
  The amount you’ve converted to an invoice and charged to your client.
• Markup
  Calculated as: (Total Invoiced - Timesheet Total) / Timesheet Total
• Profit
  Calculated as: (Total Invoiced - Timesheet Total)

The Advanced View provides a detailed breakdown of all calculations shown in the Simplified View, including additional variance data. This view helps you dive deeper into your labour budgeting and back-costing.

Key Calculations Displayed:

• Estimated Total
  Hours Estimated × Per Hour Cost

• Timesheet Total
  Timesheet Hours × Timesheet Average Cost

• Variance Hours
  Hours Estimated – Timesheet Hours
  (Shows how much actual labour hours differ from what was budgeted.)

• Variance Budget
  Estimated Total – Timesheet Total
  (Highlights budget overruns or savings in dollar terms.)

• Total Invoiced
  Invoiced Hours × Invoiced Sell Rate

• Markup (%)
  Comparison of Total Invoiced vs Timesheet Total

• Profit ($)
  Total Invoiced – Timesheet Total

Viewing Timesheet Entry Details

• To see who logged time against a task, click the 'Person' icon to the right of the task name.

  • This will expand a panel on the right showing:

    • Team member names

    • Hours logged

    • Their hourly rate as set by their Profile or the override option in settings

    • Individual timesheet dollar value totals

• To show or hide all user breakdowns on the page, click the plus/minus "people" icon (labelled Expand/Hide User Breakdowns).

Simplified View 

Advanced View

At the bottom of the Budget report, you’ll find a summary of your overall labour budgeting figures:

Switching between Simplified and Advanced will give you basic or full column information

• Estimated Total
  Your current Total Labour Budget based on all task estimates.

• Timesheet Total
  The total labour cost incurred so far, based on timesheet entries.

• Variance Budget
  The difference between your Estimated Total and Timesheet Total.
  (Indicates whether you're under or over budget.)

• Invoice Total
  The total amount invoiced to the client to date for labour.

• Markup (%)
  The overall markup percentage applied to the labour costs.

• Profit ($)
  The total profit earned so far, calculated as:
  Invoice Total – Timesheet Total

For easy reference, the Budget Report uses red highlighting to draw attention to negative or concerning figures.

Lines will turn red in the following situations:

• Timesheet Total exceeds the Estimated Budget
  → Negative Variance Hours  (You’ve used more labour hours than budgeted.)

• Timesheet Total exists, but no amount has been invoiced
  → Negative Profit  (Labour has been recorded, but nothing has been billed to the client.)

• Total Invoiced is less than the Timesheet Total
  → Negative Profit (You’ve billed the client less than what the labour actually cost you.)

These visual cues help you quickly identify areas where your labour costs may be exceeding budget or where invoicing may be missing or insufficient.

Simplified View

Advanced View

To go back to the overview for ALL Timesheets Advanced features, click here 


Are you ready to use Rave's Advanced Timesheets?
If you would like to add the  Advanced Timesheets module to your Rave set-up, please contact us via help@ravebuild.co.nz