Where contractors and trades books go wrong
A deposit lands in March, materials go on three different cards in April, the sub invoices in May and the final draw clears in June. Unless every one of those is tied to the same job, the profit and loss only tells you how the year went, not which kitchen or roof paid for itself.
Supply-house accounts, fuel and small tools get mixed with job materials. The truck payment ends up in cost of jobs one month and in overhead the next, so margins swing for no real reason.
Change orders are agreed on site and billed late, or never. Retainage held by a general contractor sits outside anyone's list of money still owed.
Accounts we set up for contractors and trades
Your chart of accounts is reviewed during onboarding. These are the lines that usually matter most in this kind of business:
| Account | Why it is separate |
|---|---|
| Contract revenue, by job | so each job shows billed to date against the estimate |
| Customer deposits held | deposits kept apart from earned revenue; how and when they become income follows the method your tax preparer uses |
| Retainage receivable | amounts a general contractor is holding back, visible until collected |
| Job materials | lumber, fixtures and supply-house purchases coded to the job |
| Subcontractor costs | each sub's invoices, linked to a W-9 on file |
| Equipment, trucks and small tools | kept out of job cost so overhead is honest |
| Permits and dump fees | job-level costs that are easy to forget when pricing |
Records the IRS describes
The IRS lists invoices, deposit information and receipt books among the documents that support gross receipts, and canceled checks, card statements and invoices for purchases and expenses. For a contractor that means the signed estimate, each draw invoice and every supply-house receipt. Source: IRS: What kind of records should I keep.
Truck and equipment purchases are assets. The IRS says to keep purchase and sales invoices and proof of payment for assets, which matters again when a truck is sold or traded. Source: IRS: What kind of records should I keep.
Before you pay a sub, collect a Form W-9 so the name and taxpayer number are on file for year-end reporting. Source: IRS Form W-9.
How long to keep them: the IRS says three years in most cases, longer in some situations, and at least four years for employment tax records (IRS: How long should I keep records?).
Cash through the year
Exterior trades usually earn the most from spring through fall and carry overhead through the slow months. Interior remodelers often see the reverse around the holidays. The monthly report shows cash against what is still owed to you, so a slow quarter is visible before it arrives.
Material costs are paid up front and draws come later. A short list of open invoices and retainage each month is often the difference between a profitable job and a cash squeeze.
Contractors, employees and year-end forms
IRS Publication 1099 says the threshold for reporting certain payments rose to $2,000 for tax years beginning after 2025 (it was $600) and will be adjusted for inflation starting in 2027. Your tax preparer decides which subs get a Form 1099-NEC; we keep the payment totals and W-9s ready.
Whether a helper is an employee or a sub is not settled by what you call them. The IRS looks at behavioral control, financial control and the relationship of the parties, and Form SS-8 lets the IRS decide. States can have their own tests. We record what you pay each person and flag questions; we do not decide the classification.
What the monthly service includes
Every month, the same close the bookkeeping page describes: transactions categorized, bank, card and loan balances reconciled to statements, a profit and loss and balance sheet delivered, and a short list of questions instead of guesses. The books stay ready for your tax preparer at year end. For contractors and trades, that close also covers:
- Every cost coded to a job, with a job list showing estimate, billed, spent and left
- Open invoices and retainage listed with their age
- Sub payments matched to invoices, with any missing W-9 flagged
Need more than the books? The service levels page describes a monthly review and CFO-style planning on top of the same close.
How remote onboarding works
- Tell us about your books. The short form asks what your books live in today, how many transactions you have a month, how many bank, card and loan accounts, how far behind the books are and what you need. You can ask for a 15-minute call instead of an email reply.
- Written quote and engagement letter. We review what you sent and reply with the scope and monthly price in writing before any work starts.
- Access, without passwords. QuickBooks Online: you invite us as an accountant user. Xero: you invite us with the Advisor role. Excel or Google Sheets: you share the workbook and we send a folder for statements. Nothing yet: we recommend QuickBooks Online or Xero and set it up in your name. You keep ownership and can remove our access.
- Opening balances and a close day. We confirm your accounts, collect recent statements and your prior-year return or financial statements, check opening balances, and agree the day each month's books are delivered.
What helps most for contractors and trades:
- Your list of open jobs with the estimate for each
- The names of subs you paid this year
- Supply-house and fuel card statements
Price
These are the starting prices the quote form uses. Your written scope sets the final price before any work begins.
| Transactions a month | Monthly bookkeeping | Catch-up |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 100 transactions a month | From $450 a month | $300 per month behind |
| 100 to 300 transactions a month | From $750 a month | $450 per month behind |
| 300 to 600 transactions a month | From $1,200 a month | $700 per month behind |
| Over 600 transactions a month | Custom quote | Custom quote |
- 2 bank, card or loan accounts are included; each additional account is $35 a month.
- Books kept in Excel or Google Sheets add $100 a month; starting from nothing adds a one-time $400 software setup.
- Reconciling the payroll your provider runs adds $100 a month.
- Receivables follow-up, with invoice reminders and an aging review, is $100 a month on top of current books.
Prices shown are starting estimates, not quotes.