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Actual Cost of Work Performed

Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP)

EVM Terms Reviewed by forProject Technology - updated Sep 2026
Quick definition: Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP) is the cost incurred and recorded in accomplishing the work performed within a given time period, including all recorded incurred costs plus estimated actuals.

Actual Cost of Work Performed (ACWP), also called simply Actual Cost, is the real cost incurred for work actually completed in a given period — including costs not yet formally posted. It's one of the three core EVM data points, alongside BCWS (Planned Value) and BCWP (Earned Value), that every other performance metric is built from. Unlike BCWS and BCWP, whose names are written with for in the DoD EVM System Interpretation Guide and with of in NDIA's Planning & Scheduling Excellence Guide, ACWP is written as Actual Cost of Work Performed in both.

Why it matters

On its own, ACWP doesn't say whether a project is doing well — only comparing it to BCWP (what was actually earned) reveals that, via the Cost Performance Index. A project can look under budget and still be performing poorly, or over budget and still be efficient, depending on that comparison.

Also known as
Actual Cost (AC)
Used in
Cost Performance Index (CPI = BCWP / ACWP); Cost Variance (CV = BCWP - ACWP)

FAQ

Is ACWP the same thing as Actual Cost (AC)?
Yes — Actual Cost is simply the shorter, informal name for the same figure.
Does ACWP include costs that haven't been paid yet?
Yes, when they're recorded incurred costs or reasonable estimated actuals — ACWP isn't limited to cash that has physically gone out the door.
Definition maintained by forProject Technology.
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