P&L Reports

What's a P&L Report?

Profit and Loss (P&L) reports show you the money coming in, the money going out, and what's left over. It's the most important report for any business — it tells you if you're actually making money or just staying busy.

A.X.E.L generates P&L reports automatically from your invoices and expenses. No manual calculations, no spreadsheet gymnastics — just real numbers.

Accessing P&L Reports

1. Go to Expenses from the main menu
2. Tap P&L Report at the top
3. Choose your date range — this year, last year, or custom dates
4. The report generates automatically

Available on The Gaffer plan and above.

What the Report Shows

Summary Section:

• Income — total from paid invoices
• Expenses — total business costs
• Profit — income minus expenses (the money you actually made)

Expense Breakdown:

• Materials — £2,450 (45% of total expenses)
• Fuel — £380 (12% of total expenses)
• Tools — £290 (8% of total expenses)
• Insurance — £180 (5% of total expenses)
• Subcontractors — £150 (4% of total expenses)
• ...and so on

Monthly Breakdown:

Shows income, expenses, and profit for each month so you can spot trends and seasonal patterns.

Reading Your P&L

Here's what to look for:

Profit Margin:

• 20%+ is excellent for most trades
• 10-20% is decent but could be better
• Under 10% means you're working for peanuts

Expense Patterns:

• Materials should be 40-60% of expenses for most trades
• Fuel costs spiking? You might be taking jobs too far from home
• Tool expenses high? Check if you're buying or replacing stuff too often

Monthly Trends:

• Steady income month-on-month is better than big peaks and valleys
• Expenses should roughly track income — high-income months = high material costs
• Consistent losses mean you need to raise prices or cut costs

Using Different Date Ranges

This Year: See how you're doing so far

Last Year: Compare against your previous performance

Custom Range: Look at specific periods — "How did Q4 perform?" or "What were the summer months like?"

Exporting Reports

Need to share numbers with your accountant or bank? Hit Export CSV and you'll get a spreadsheet with:

• Monthly breakdown of income, expenses, profit
• Category-by-category expense totals
• All formatted and ready for Excel or Google Sheets

P&L Dashboard Widget

Your main dashboard shows a mini P&L widget with the current month's numbers. Quick snapshot of how you're doing without digging into the full report.

Common Issues and Fixes

Low profit margins?

• Review your hourly rates — are you charging enough?
• Check material markup — add 20-30% to supplier costs
• Look at job costing — which types of work are most profitable?

Irregular income?

• Build up a pipeline of quotes to smooth out the peaks and valleys
• Consider recurring revenue — maintenance contracts, regular customers

Expenses too high?

• Shop around for materials — small savings add up
• Combine jobs in the same area to reduce fuel costs
• Review tool purchases — are you buying stuff you don't really need?