Use this when you want a clearer picture of consulting fees earned for a month, separate from amounts that recover subcontractor or other pass-through costs. Drum does not have a dedicated end-of-month report that splits each invoice’s total into fee lines versus cost-recovery lines. The steps below use the Insights and Costs tools that do exist, plus a cleaner budget pattern so fee and recovery stay visible on claims and invoices.
Before you start
You can open Insights (project and company Invoiced vs Costs views) and the account Costs list.
You know the month (or other period) you want to review.
Optional for a cleaner ongoing split: you can edit project budgets and convert progress claims to invoices.
What these numbers mean
Insights Invoiced vs Costs compares total invoiced amounts with costs recorded on projects (or companies for a period). That is a margin-style view: invoiced total versus cost total. It is not a breakdown of fee lines versus recovery lines on the invoices themselves.
The Costs list can approximate recovered pass-through amounts when you filter by period, billed status, and Direct Client Cost (or other billable costs you treat as recoveries).
For a lasting fee-versus-recovery split on claims and invoices, use a separate Disbursements or Reimbursements time-and-materials deliverable, then Extract T&M expenses when you convert. Map fee and recovery to the right accounts in your finance system.
Steps
1. Review Invoiced vs Costs by project
Open Insights, then Invoiced vs Costs.
Set the date range to the month (or period) you care about.
Optionally filter by status, team, project type, tags, or primary roles.
Read Total Invoiced, Total Costs, and Inv/Cost Difference. When a date range is set, also use Invoiced in Period, Costs in Period, and Inv/Cost in Period.
Export to Excel if you need to work the figures outside Drum.
Treat the difference as a margin proxy (invoiced total less costs recorded), not as “fees only” after stripping invoice recovery lines.
2. Review Invoiced vs Costs by company for the period
In Insights, open All Companies Invoiced vs Costs (Period) (the menu label may use your account’s client or company wording).
Set the start and end dates for the month.
Compare Invoiced (Period), Costs (Period), and Inv/Cost Difference (Period) per company, and the totals row.
Export to Excel if needed.
3. Approximate recovered pass-through from the Costs list
Open the account Costs list (not a single project’s Costs tab).
Set Start Date and End Date for the period.
Set billed status to Billed (costs already allocated to a client invoice).
Set billable to Direct Client Cost when those costs are your pass-through recoveries. Use Billable as well if some recoveries are recorded that way in your account.
Export or total the filtered list. That approximates amounts recovered from clients for the period. Subtract that approximation from total invoiced (from Insights or your finance system) for a rough consulting-fee figure.
This is an approximation. It depends on how consistently your team marks Direct Client Cost and allocates costs to invoices. It does not read fee versus recovery from invoice line layout.
4. Keep fee and recovery separate going forward
On each project’s live budget, add a Disbursements or Reimbursements time-and-materials deliverable and file pass-through costs there. Claim that line separately from fee deliverables. Step-by-step: How to show costs or reimbursements as a separate line on a progress claim.
When converting an approved claim, use one line per claim item and optionally Extract T&M expenses as their own line items. Step-by-step: How to extract T&M expenses when converting a progress claim.
On the draft invoice, set finance accounts (and tax) so fee lines and recovery lines map cleanly in Xero, QuickBooks, or MYOB before you push.
What you should see
Insights shows invoiced totals against recorded costs for projects or companies in the period. The Costs list, with period plus Billed and Direct Client Cost, shows a filtered set you can treat as recovered pass-through. With a reimbursements deliverable and Extract T&M, claims and invoices show recovery separately from fee lines so month-end review and accounting mapping stay clearer.
Troubleshooting
Looking for a report that splits invoice lines into fees vs disbursements for the month — That dedicated split report is not in Drum. Use Insights Invoiced vs Costs for margin context, the Costs list filters for a recovery approximation, and the reimbursements deliverable pattern for clearer invoices going forward.
Invoiced vs Costs looks like profit but pass-through is still inside invoiced — Expected. Invoiced is the full client invoice total. Costs are supplier and other costs recorded in Drum. Pass-through on the invoice is not stripped out of Invoiced.
Direct Client Cost filter is empty or too low — Many accounts record recoveries as ordinary Billable costs. Widen the billable filter, or retarget practice so pass-through uses Direct Client Cost or a dedicated reimbursements deliverable.
Need fee vs recovery in the general ledger — Structure invoice lines (and Chart of Accounts codes) so fee and recovery post separately in your finance system. Drum’s Insights views will not replace that split.