Bookkeeping Services for Contractors and Home Service Pros
Accurate bookkeeping on a monthly basis for business owners in the trades. Stop flying your business blind, missing deductions & racking up penalties & interest.
Why It Matters
Why Construction Bookkeeping is Different From Regular Bookkeeping
Revenue Recognition
Subcontractor Management
Insurance Audit Readiness
Your insurance company will audit your books. If your records are messy, you’ll overpay on premiums — sometimes by thousands of dollars.
📊
Job-Level Financial Structure
Your chart of accounts and cost codes need to support job-level visibility. Most generic bookkeepers use a cookie-cutter setup that doesn’t work for construction.
Multi-State Complexity
Software Integration
Our Services
What Our Bookkeeping Service Includes
We handle your books monthly so you always know where your business stands. Every dollar categorized correctly, every account reconciled, every report meaningful.
Monthly Bookkeeping & Reconciliation
Every month, we reconcile your bank accounts and credit cards, categorize transactions, and make sure there are no ghost transactions — charges that shouldn’t be there or duplicates that throw off your numbers.
You’ll get a clean set of books, on time, every month. And you can access your records 24/7 through your client portal.
Why This Matters
Ghost transactions — duplicates and charges that never actually occurred — are more common than you think, especially in QuickBooks. Monthly reconciliation catches these before they snowball into real problems at tax time or during an insurance audit.
Construction-Ready Chart of Accounts
We set up (or restructure) your QuickBooks with a chart of accounts built for how contractors actually operate. Your expense categories, cost codes, and account structure are designed to capture the financial data you need.
When you track costs at the job level in your project management tool or spreadsheet, it flows cleanly into your accounting.
The Generic Problem
Most bookkeepers use a cookie-cutter chart of accounts that works fine for a retail store — but doesn’t separate materials from labor from subcontractor costs. We build it right for construction from day one.
Expense Categorization & Receipt Management
We categorize every transaction accurately — materials, equipment, fuel, subcontractors, insurance, permits, and overhead.
Whether you have digital receipts, paper files, or a shoebox full of gas station receipts, we’ll get it organized. Our Tactical clients also get receipt management software so you can snap a photo from the job site and forget about it.
Missed Deductions Are Real
We regularly find $5,000–$20,000 in missed deductions when we take over a contractor’s books. If you don’t know construction-specific tax categories, you’re leaving money on the table.
Workers’ Comp & GL Audit Support
When your insurance company comes calling for their annual audit, your books need to be clean, organized, and ready. We handle the audit completion process so you’re not scrambling at the last minute.
More importantly, clean records mean you’re not overpaying on premiums because your books don’t match reality.
The Cost of Messy Books
Contractors with disorganized records routinely overpay thousands on insurance premiums because their audit data doesn’t accurately reflect payroll and subcontractor classifications.
1099 Preparation & Filing
If you paid a subcontractor more than $600 in a calendar year, you’re required to file a 1099. We track all sub payments throughout the year, collect the necessary W-9 information, and file your 1099s on time.
No last-minute scramble in January.
Penalty Alert
Failing to file 1099s can result in IRS penalties of $60–$310 per form (up to $630 if intentional), with no maximum cap. You could also lose the ability to deduct those sub payments entirely.
Payroll Processing & Oversight
Payroll for contractors comes with its own complexity — different pay rates for different job types, overtime rules, and state-specific requirements.
We handle payroll processing and management so your employees get paid correctly and your payroll tax filings actually get submitted.
QuickBooks Payroll Warning
QBO Payroll frequently fails to actually file quarterly returns — even when the dashboard says it did. We’ve cleaned this up for more new clients than we can count. Let a human be responsible.
Our Services
What About Job Costing? Here's Our Honest Take
Most accounting firms either oversell this or aren’t clear about what’s included. We’d rather be upfront now than have you find out later.
We do not perform job costing for you. We don’t enter job cost data, determine what costs belong to which jobs, or set pricing and estimates. That’s your job — you know your projects better than anyone.
What we do is make sure your accounting system is set up correctly so that when you track job costs — whether in QuickBooks, JobTread, or a spreadsheet — that data flows accurately into your books and produces trustworthy reports.
Think of it this way: you’re the general contractor of your financial data. We’re the foundation.
What We Do vs. What We Don't
- Set up construction chart of accounts
- Map cost codes to QuickBooks
- Ensure data flows correctly
- Reconcile accounts monthly
- Build trustworthy reports
- Handle tax prep & filing
- Enter job cost data
- Assign costs to jobs
- Set pricing or budgets
- Manage estimates
- Set up JobTread workflows
- Train your crew on tools
Should You Do Your Own Bookkeeping or Outsource It?
We’re going to give you an honest answer — even if it means you decide you don’t need us. Hover or tap the cards to see the real cost.
🔧 DIY BOOKKEEPING
🠒 Lower upfront cost ($30–$100/mo for QuickBooks)
🠒 You see every transaction firsthand)
🠒 Deeper understanding of your finances)
🠒 Works if you're solo, under $200k, <50 transactions/mo)
🠒 Requires weekly commitment and discipline
↻ Hover for the real costThe Hidden Cost of DIY
24+ hrs/month
Average time spent on DIY bookkeeping
🏢 Outsource to Level
🠒 Flat monthly pricing from $225/mo
🠒 Construction-specific chart of accounts
🠒 Monthly reconciliation & reporting
🠒 Tax prep, payroll, audit support included
🠒 Dedicated team that knows your industry
↻ Hover for the savingsWhy Contractors Outsource
Up to 40%
Savings VS. In-House Bookkeeper
Software Guide
QuickBooks for Contractors: What You Need to Know
QuickBooks Online is the most widely used accounting software for small contractors. But not all plans are created equal, and there’s one major problem most contractors don’t know about.
Simple Start
No Projects feature. You can’t associate income or expenses with individual jobs. Fine for freelancers, not for contractors.
Plus
Advanced
Custom reports, batch invoicing, and higher transaction volumes. Best for contractors over $2M doing 100+ jobs/year.
⚠️ The QuickBooks Payroll Problem
Integration Add-On
Using JobTread? We Can Make It Talk to Your Accounting
Jobs look profitable in JobTread. The books say something else. That’s not a JobTread problem — it’s an integration problem. We fix that.
What Our JobTread Integration Includes
System Connection
Proper JobTread to QBO connection with cost codes mapped to the correct accounts.Data Flow Verification
Job costs flow correctly. No duplicate income, missing revenue, or misapplied payments.Payment Sync
Deposits, retainage, and invoice payments sync properly between systems.Standardized Reports
3–5 core reports configured: Job Profitability, WIP, Cost Variance, AR, and Monthly Summary.Diagnostic Review
We identify exactly why systems don’t match before any fix begins. Clear plan, no guessing.Ongoing Maintenance
Monthly alignment checks, profitability monitoring, and preventative fixes as your business evolves.What We Don’t Do With JobTread
We don’t enter or manage job cost data. We don’t set up projects, tasks, or workflows. We don’t train your team on JobTread features or determine what costs belong to which jobs. We make sure the accounting side works so your data comes out accurately.How Pricing Works
JobTread integration is an add-on to our bookkeeping and tax services — not sold standalone. JobTread doesn’t replace accounting; it depends on it.
$495/mo
Ongoing maintenance starting price
Getting Started
How Our Bookkeeping Process Works
Most contractors are up and running within two weeks.
Discovery Call
Free call to understand your business. We’ll give you honest advice — even if that advice is “you don’t need us yet.”
Book Review
We review your accounts, identify discrepancies, and clean up what needs to be fixed. Shoebox of receipts? We’ve seen it all.
System Setup
Construction-specific chart of accounts, proper categories, and integrations (including JobTread if applicable).
Go-Live
Meet your dedicated accounting team. Monthly check-in calls included. This isn’t a call center — it’s your team.
Transparent Pricing
How Much Does Bookkeeping Cost for a Contractor?
Startup
For businesses under $500k gross revenue. Get the basics right.
- QuickBooks File Setup
- Monthly Book Review
- Income & Expense Tracking
- Account Reconciliation
- Monthly Reporting
Operational
- Everything in Startup
- Tax Strategy & Planning
- Corporate & Personal Tax Returns
- 1099 Prep & Filing
- Payroll Processing
- WC & GL Audit Support
- Monthly Team Calls
Tactical
Optimize operations and prepare for expansion.
- Everything in Operational
- In-Depth Monthly Reporting
- Custom Financial Dashboard
- Receipt Management Software
Strategic
For established companies doing $2M+ who want a financial partner.
- Everything in Tactical
- Goal Setting Sessions
- Custom KPIs
- Quarterly Strategic Sessions
For comparison: a full-time in-house bookkeeper costs $35,000–$55,000/year plus benefits — and you’d still need a CPA for tax work.
Questions & Answers
Frequently Asked Questions
Construction bookkeeping requires an understanding of revenue recognition for progress billing and retainage, subcontractor payment tracking and 1099 filing, workers’ comp audit preparation, and multi-project financial management. Your chart of accounts needs to be structured specifically for construction so that job-level financial data is captured accurately. A general bookkeeper may not know how to handle these requirements.
Outsourced bookkeeping for contractors typically ranges from $225 to $1,125+ per month depending on transaction volume and complexity. Our Startup plan begins at $225/month for businesses under $500k, while our Operational plan starts at $900/month and includes bookkeeping, tax prep, payroll, and audit support. This is significantly less than a full-time bookkeeper ($35k–$55k/year plus benefits).
If you’re a solo contractor with under $200k in revenue and fewer than 50 transactions per month, you can probably manage your own books if you’re consistent. Once you have employees, subcontractors, or are doing more than $500k annually, outsourcing typically makes more sense. The average small business owner spends 24+ hours per month on bookkeeping.
No. We don’t enter job cost data, determine what costs belong to which jobs, or set pricing and budgets. Job costing is the contractor’s responsibility. What we do is set up your accounting system so that the data you enter flows correctly into your books and produces reliable financial reports. We build the infrastructure; you manage the job-level detail.
QuickBooks Payroll claims to, and the dashboard shows it as handled. But we’ve repeatedly seen cases where returns were never actually submitted, resulting in IRS and state tax notices with penalties. Verify directly with the IRS and your state agency — don’t rely solely on what QuickBooks shows you.
Yes. We offer a JobTread integration add-on for existing bookkeeping and tax clients. We start with a diagnostic review, implement the fix, and maintain the system monthly (starting at $495/month). This is not a standalone service — it’s layered on top of ongoing accounting work because JobTread depends on accurate accounting.
Yes, absolutely. Commingling personal and business funds creates messy books, makes deductions harder to substantiate in an audit, and can risk piercing your corporate veil — meaning a court could decide your LLC or S-Corp isn’t a separate entity, putting your personal assets at risk.
IRS penalties range from $60 to $310 per form depending on how late you file, with no maximum cap. Intentional disregard jumps to $630 per form. You could also lose the ability to deduct those subcontractor payments as a business expense.
For most contractors under $5M revenue, QuickBooks Online Plus is the best option — it includes the Projects feature for job-level tracking. Simple Start and Essentials lack this. Pair QBO Plus with a field management tool like JobTread, Buildertrend, or Knowify. Larger contractors ($5M+) may benefit from Sage 100 Contractor or Procore.
Ready to Get Started?
Get Your Books in Order
Whether you’re drowning in receipts, taking over from another bookkeeper, or just getting started — we’ll give you honest advice with no pressure to sign up.
FREE RESOURCE
Your Guide to Set Up Subcontractors the Right Way
Struggling to collect the right information from your subcontractors?
Our “Subcontractor Checklist Packet” makes it easy. Inside, you’ll find exactly what you need for 1099s, workers’ comp, and liability audits.
We’ve even included a contract for reduced liability.
