Bookkeeping for Contractors
Bookkeeping for Contractors
We know job costing, mileage logs, and the dread of a quarterly deadline creeping up.
- AIPB Certified
- QuickBooks ProAdvisor
- Xero Partner
- US-based team
Tell us about the business
Two quick taps and we are off.
Pick a business size and your software to continue.
Quote in your inbox within one business day. No follow-up sequence.
Contractors' books carry a different shape than most. Cash jobs go through one channel, checks through another, card payments through a third. The truck is half work, half everything else. Materials come from a supplier account, then again from a big-box run, then again as cash for the job that ran late. The quarterly deadline shows up four times a year and gets the panic it deserves.
We work with solo electricians, plumbers running a small crew, builders mid-job with subs on 1099s, and second-generation contractors trying to get their dad's spreadsheet onto QuickBooks. The work is the same: books that match how a contractor actually operates, quarterly deadlines met on time, and the IRS out of your kitchen.
What you stop having to do, once we are running: chase receipts on a Sunday, work out which fuel was for which job, sweat 1099 season at the end of January, panic about the cash payment you took on Tuesday and forgot to record. The mechanical stuff goes away. What is left is customer work and a margin you can actually see.
Where contractors bookkeeping actually helps
- I take cash on jobs and I have no idea if I am recording it the way the IRS wantsCash jobs recorded the day they happen, categorized correctly. The trail is clean and holds up if anyone ever asks.
- My truck is half work, half family vehicle and I have no mileage logMileage log started fresh, trips logged consistently, the standard mileage rate or actual expense method applied correctly, whichever fits your situation.
- I am paying subs and I do not know if I have to issue a 10991099-NEC requirement check done at onboarding, with W-9 collection built into the payment process from day one.
- My quarterly numbers are always a panic at the deadline because materials and cash and card payments all need sortingReconciliation is current weekly. By the deadline, the work is done. The deadline becomes a non-event.
- I bought new tools last quarter and I am not sure if I should expense or depreciate themSection 179 expensing applied where eligible. Higher-value equipment depreciated correctly. Year-end numbers are clean.
What's different about contractors bookkeeping
- Cash jobs handled the way the IRS expects, recorded clean, no shortcuts
- Vehicle mileage log and truck apportionment, standard mileage rate or actual expense method, whichever fits your driving
- Materials and supplies categorized properly so deductions are real and defensible
- Subcontractor payments and 1099-NEC issuance, W-9 collected before the check clears
- Tool and equipment depreciation under Section 179 where eligible
- Quarterly books kept tax-ready, ready before the deadline, not on it
Where contractor books usually break
Most contractor books we take over have the same handful of issues. Cash jobs recorded inconsistently or not at all. Vehicle expenses claimed without a mileage log (which won't hold up if the IRS ever asks). Materials receipts photographed but never categorized, sitting in a phone gallery. Sub payments made without collecting a W-9, which turns into a scramble every January. 1099-NEC filing either missing entirely or based on incomplete data.
Each of those is fixable, and each gets fixed at onboarding. The cleanup is part of the first month. From month two, the rhythm prevents the same issues coming back. Cash jobs go in the day they happen through a phone-friendly process. The mileage log lives in the glovebox or an app. Materials receipts are photographed and categorized inside Dext the same day. Subs get a W-9 collected at the time of the first payment. 1099-NEC filing is half-built by year end because the data has been clean all year.
The accounting result is unsexy: quarterly numbers that come together quietly, a year-end pack your CPA works through quickly, and a P&L that tells you which jobs actually made money. The business result is fewer Sundays at the kitchen table.
"I was running a business doing twenty grand a month off a notebook. They got me onto QuickBooks, sorted my mileage and tool deductions, and now my quarterly numbers come back ready before I even have to ask. Worth every dollar."
What's included
- Bank and credit card reconciliation, weekly or monthly
- Categorization of cash, card, and check transactions with correct tax treatment
- Materials, fuel, tools, and vehicle expense tracking
- 1099-NEC prep support for businesses paying subs
- Books kept tax-ready ahead of every quarterly deadline
- Payroll with W-2 tracking if you have employees or a lead hand
- Monthly profit and loss, one-paragraph plain-English summary
- Year-end handover to your CPA or EA
Why contractors pick us
We speak contractor
Cash jobs, mileage logs, supply-run receipts, materials margins, the dread of 1099 season. We have heard it all and we run it weekly.
1099s done right
Sub W-9s collected at the time of payment, not at year end. 1099-NEC filing goes smoothly because the data was clean all year.
Vehicle expenses, IRS-defensible
Standard mileage rate or actual expense method, depending on your situation. Either way, the deduction is documented and holds up.
Cash jobs handled cleanly
We record cash jobs the way the IRS expects. The trail is clean. No shortcuts and no panic if anyone ever asks.
Materials margin in your reports
Monthly P&L breaks materials cost out as its own line so you can see whether your job pricing is actually keeping margin or eating it.
Quarterly numbers, no scramble
Books sit ready a couple of weeks before the deadline. You spend five minutes reviewing. Your CPA gets a clean handoff with buffer to spare.
Get the books off the kitchen table
Tell us about the business and your filing rhythm. Quote in writing the same business day.
Three contractor shapes
Just you, the truck, and a few materials suppliers
Sole proprietor on QuickBooks, sales tax registered in one state, quarterly estimated tax. Maybe 100-150 transactions a month, mix of card and cash. No employees, no subs. Wants the lowest tier that keeps everything compliant.
What changes
- Light retainer scaled to volume
- Cash jobs recorded the day they happen
- Mileage log fresh and current
- Quarterly deadlines met on time
How contractor books typically run
DIY (Sundays) Solo contractor phase | Family member Common for small crews | Outsourced (us) Books off the kitchen table | |
|---|---|---|---|
Cash jobs recorded properly | Partial | Partial | Yes |
Mileage log maintained | No | Partial | Yes |
1099-NEC filed on time | Partial | Partial | Yes |
Materials margin visible | No | No | Yes |
Books reviewed by an AIPB-certified bookkeeper | No | No | Yes |
Coverage when owner is on vacation | No | Partial | Yes |
Sundays back | No | Partial | Yes |
How we price contractors bookkeeping
Contractor bookkeeping pricing depends on whether you are a solo operator running cash and card, or a small crew with a couple of subs and an apprentice on payroll. Volume of materials invoices, vehicle count, and how many 1099s you issue all shift the work.
Fill the quote form, tell us roughly the size of the business, and we will come back with a written number the same business day. No flat tier you have to wedge yourself into.
What clients say
"I was running a business doing twenty grand a month off a notebook. They got me onto QuickBooks, sorted my mileage and tool deductions, and now my quarterly numbers come back ready before I even have to ask. Worth every dollar."
Contractors bookkeeping FAQ
Two things to remember
Every account is reconciled and kept tax-ready by an AIPB-certified bookkeeper. Every account is run inside the US. Those two anchors shape how we handle compliance for contractors specifically.
Services we provide
Service
Outsourced Bookkeeping
Full delegation, compliance-heavy. Contractors, hospitality, construction, allied health. AIPB certified.
Service
Quarterly Tax-Ready Bookkeeping
Books reconciled ahead of every quarterly deadline. AIPB certified.
Service
Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Months behind? We do the cleanup so the IRS stops being scary.
Done with the spreadsheet?
Tell us about the business and your filing rhythm. We will quote your retainer the same day.