The Pavement Directory

Guide · Part 4 of 4

Asphalt Job Cost Report: Estimate vs. Actual Invoices

2 steps · Last reviewed October 18, 2026

The short answer

To check an asphalt estimate against what the job really cost, put the saved estimate beside the tons on the weigh tickets and the figures on the invoices, line by line, and read the difference. The Haul Planner's Reports tab does this: you type what each invoice says, and anything left blank stays "not entered" instead of being filled in from the plan. In the sample job the estimate was $25,840 and the invoices came to $26,600, which is $760 (2.9%) over. For what goes into an asphalt price, see estimating asphalt paving costs; for tracking any job against its budget, see our construction job costing guide.

Reports sets the estimate you saved against what the tickets and your invoices say happened, and exports it.

  1. Step 24: Compare the estimate with what happened

    Do this

    1. Open Reports.
    2. Under Costs: estimated and actual, type each invoice in the Actual (invoice) boxes.
    3. Read the total and the difference.
    4. Press Print or save as PDF, Report CSV or Tickets CSV for the file.
    5. Press Load all jobs to see every job on one table.

    On Reports, the estimate you saved sits beside the weigh tickets and Costs: estimated and actual. Type what each invoice says for material, trucking, old asphalt and anything else, and the difference shows line by line. Nothing in the actual column is worked out from the plan: a blank stays not entered, a 0 means the cost really was nothing, and the actual total appears only once every cost the estimate expected has an invoice figure. The cost per ton delivered appears once the order is nearly all delivered.

    Report CSV downloads the job report, and Tickets CSV downloads every ticket (voided ones marked), with the haul and the time at the job worked out. Print or save as PDF opens the report as a page laid out for the printer, where your browser offers Save as PDF. Load all jobs shows every saved job with its estimate, its actual total and the tons its tickets delivered, with totals over the jobs that have a full set of actuals.

    What this report cannot say lists what is missing: no estimate saved, no actual costs entered yet, tons past the order.

    Asphalt job cost report: estimated and actual totals, a costs table with invoice differences, and an all-jobs table.
    Reports: the estimate against your invoices, downloads, and every job on one table.
    Printable asphalt job report: tons planned, ordered and delivered, estimated and actual costs, times and cycles.
    The printable report: save it as a PDF for the file or the customer.

    Tips

    • The invoice figures are yours. The report never fills one in from the estimate.
    • Printed ticket prices are offered as a hint for the material line, never applied for you.

  2. Step 25: Tell us what to build next

    Do this

    1. Open Settings and scroll to What should we build next?
    2. Tick what would help, add a note and press Send.

    Under Settings, What should we build next? lists ideas for the Haul Planner. Tick what would help you most and add a note about what slows you down when you price or run trucking. We read every answer.

    Sending again replaces your last answer, so you can change your mind.

    The What should we build next card: a list of ideas with two ticked, a note box and a Send button.
    Tell us what is missing. The tool is built around how contractors really haul.

Report: common questions

How do you compare an asphalt estimate with the actual job cost?

Line up the saved estimate (mix, trucking, dump fees) against the invoice for each line, then against the tons the weigh tickets say were delivered. The Reports tab shows estimated, invoice and difference columns for each cost, the delivered tons against the order, and the times and cycles from the day, so you can see where a job ran over.

Can I export or print an asphalt job report?

Yes. Print the report or save it as a PDF, or download the job report, the weigh tickets, or every saved job as a CSV file. Spreadsheet cells that could run as formulas are neutralised in the export.

Why is the actual total or cost per ton blank?

The actual total only appears when every expected cost has an invoice figure, and the actual cost per ton only appears once at least 95% of the ordered tons are delivered. The report never fills a blank from the estimate: a blank means not entered, and a zero means the cost really was nothing.

Ready to try it on your next job?

Included free with a Pro, Featured or Sponsored listing, or $14.99/month ($149/year) on its own.

Open the Haul Planner