Watch time: 8 minutes
The Allowances Report helps builders and remodelers clearly communicate material budgets to clients—especially for items clients will personally select (e.g., lighting, tile, flooring, hardware, countertops). Whether you operate on cost-plus, fixed price, or fixed price with allowances, this tool makes it easy to organize and present allowance items separately from the rest of the project estimate.
Watch this video to learn more(8 minutes):
Guide
1. When to Use Allowances
Allowances work best for materials the client chooses themselves, including:
Lighting fixtures
Tiles and flooring
Cabinet hardware
Countertops
Plumbing fixtures
Even cost-plus builders often use allowances to give clients clear guidance on budgets while they shop or work with vendors.
2. Marking Items as Allowances
You can mark allowances at several levels depending on how you organize your project.
To mark an item as an allowance, click on the Gear icon & select Allowance:
Single item → Marks only one line item
Group level → Marks all items in that group
Section level → Marks all items within that section
After marking your items correctly, BuilderBid automatically pulls them into the Allowances Report.
3. Viewing the Allowances Report
Open your project.
Go to the Proposal tab.
Navigate to the Allowances section.
Builderbid will display only the items marked with the Allowance type.
4. Report Filtering Options
Filter by Type
You can choose what types of costs to show:
Only allowance items
Material-only lists (popular for framers)
Labor-only lists
Or other cost types, depending on your workflow
Choose Which Sections to Display
You can show:
All sections
Only sections containing allowance items
Specific sections you select
Click Save after making changes.
5. Select the Level of Detail
Option A — Section-Level Summary (Most Common)
This shows high-level totals such as:
Lighting Fixtures
Tile & Flooring
Plumbing Fixtures
Hardware
Useful when clients only need an overall allowance per category.
Option B — Detailed Breakdown
Shows every individual item that makes up each allowance category.
Example:Tile shower wall tile
Tile shower floor tile
Fireplace tile
Use this when needed for clarity or vendor coordination.
6. Additional Visibility Options
Hide Section Totals or Cost Columns
If you prefer not to disclose internal pricing details:
Hide section totals
Hide cost & total columns
This is common for fixed-price with allowances projects where you only want to show a single total.
7. Remove Allowances From the Main Quote
To prevent allowance items from showing in the main proposal:
Enable Remove Allowances
This moves all allowance items exclusively into the Allowances Report.
