Smarter Projected Costs is an improved calculation method within the Job Costing Budget that provides a more accurate forecast of a job's total cost exposure, helping you identify risk sooner and forecast with greater confidence.  

Instead of separating different commitments across multiple columns, Smarter Projected Costs aggregates them into a single projection. This helps surface potential budget exposure earlier so builders can respond sooner. 

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Becoming the New Standard

Smarter Projected Costs is becoming the default calculation method for Buildertrend's Job Costing Budget.

Currently, jobs created before July 2025 can toggle Smarter Projected Costs on or off. Starting April 15, SPC will become the standard calculation, and legacy projected costs will no longer be available. 

Jobs created after July 2025 already use the new logic by default.

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What to Expect

When Smarter Projected Costs is enabled, you may notice a few changes in how projected costs appear:

• Projected costs now reflect total financial exposure, rather than comparing budget, committed, and actual costs separately. 
• Commitments such as sent purchase orders, standalone bills, and pending purchase orders are now aggregated into a single projection. 
• Some jobs may show earlier over-budget signals or slightly higher projected totals, particularly if they previously relied on separate cost columns. 
• A new Pending Cost column provides clearer visibility into released purchase orders that have not yet been finalized. 

This does not change your accounting or final job cost – it simply surfaces exposure earlier so you can respond sooner. 

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FAQ

Is this permanent?

Yes. Starting April 15, the legacy projected cost calculation will be removed, and Smarter Projected Costs will become the standard. 

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Why did my job suddenly go over budget?

In most cases, the job did not suddenly become more expensive. Smarter Projected Costs simply recognizes the full financial exposure earlier. 

Previously, costs such as POs, standalone bills, and sent POs could appear separately. Smarter Projected Costs e them into on projection, which may surface budget exposure sooner. 

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Did this change make me lose money?

This update does not change your job's costs or accounting. It only changes how projected costs are calculated. 

If a job was operating with tight margins and mixed cost types, those exposures may now appear together and show a potential overage earlier. 

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Why are my projected costs higher now?

Common reasons include:

• Sent purchase orders are now included in projected costs
• Standalone bills are combined with PO commitments
• Tight margins can make small differences visible earlier

For most builders, this results in timing differences rather than large cost changes. 

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Can I adjust the projection if I know I'll come in lower?

Yes. The Projection Reference can be adjusted at the line-item level to reflect the expected final cost. 

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Will this change what my client sees?

It can affect what clients see if you share the Job Costing Budget, because projected costs may appear slightly higher or earlier. 

However, this does not change the contract price or actual job costs.

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Does this affect my accounting or QuickBooks/Xero?

No. This update does not change accounting transactions or how costs are recorded. It only affects how projected costs are calculated within the Job Costing Budget. 

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Does this affect my WIP report?

Yes, specifically the Projected Cost column. The WIP report will now reflect the updated projection logic. This can cause projected costs on the report to appear slightly higher or lower compared to the legacy calculation. 

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Who will notice this change the most? 

Builders who:

• Use purchase orders heavily
• Enter standalone bills outside of POs
• Leave POs in a Sent status for extended periods 
• Operate with tight margins

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How can I keep projections stable?

• Approve purchase orders promptly
• Link bills to purchase orders when possible
• Use Projection Reference to reflect expected savings when costs will come in lower