Trades and home services
Bookkeeping for trade contractors
You know which jobs felt profitable. Job costing tells you which ones actually were.
Updated October 4, 2026
In short
Roofing, electrical, plumbing, HVAC and concrete contractors carry real costs on every job: materials, subcontractors and labor, with supplier accounts and progress payments on top. We track costs by job, keep subcontractor 1099s and insurance certificates organized, and reconcile supplier statements. Most trade contractors fit our Complex tier.
How the money moves
How money comes in and goes out
Residential work is often paid by card or check at completion, sometimes with a deposit up front. Commercial and larger jobs bill in progress payments, by check or ACH, sometimes weeks after the invoice.
Money goes out to supply houses on account, subcontractors, crews, truck payments, fuel and insurance. The supply house statement alone can run to dozens of tickets a month.
Common problems
Where the books usually go wrong
No job costing
If materials and subs aren't tagged to jobs, you can't tell which kind of work, or which estimator, makes money.
Subcontractor paperwork
Every sub needs a W-9 and a current certificate of insurance. Missing ones cause headaches at 1099 time and audit time.
Supplier accounts
Supply house statements with dozens of tickets need matching, or you pay for materials twice or not at all.
Checks that never hit the feed
Paper checks and job-site deposits don't always show up cleanly in a bank feed.
Every month
What we do every month
- Tag materials, subs and labor to jobs so you get job profit
- Reconcile supply house statements ticket by ticket
- Keep subcontractor W-9s and insurance certificates tracked, with expiring ones flagged
- Record customer deposits and progress payments against the right job
- Track truck and equipment loans
A month of books, for example
A three-truck electrical contractor runs about 30 jobs a month and buys most materials on account from two supply houses. We'd tag each supply ticket to its job, record two subcontractors, and match deposits and final payments. At month end he sees panel upgrades earned 38% while new-construction rough-ins earned 14%.
Illustrative example, not a client story.
Getting started
What we need from you
- Access to your bookkeeping software and your field app (Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro or similar)
- Supply house statements, or portal access
- Subcontractor W-9s and insurance certificates
Software and statements we work from
- ServiceTitan
- Jobber
- Housecall Pro
- Supply house portals
- Ferguson
- QuickBooks Online
Price
What it costs
Most trade contractors fit Complex, $600 to $800 a month and up, because of job costing and supplier volume. A one-truck operation with simple jobs can fit Moderate.
One flat monthly price, set after the free review. See the pricing guide or estimate your tier.
Questions
Common questions
Can you do job costing in QuickBooks?
Yes, using projects or classes. If your field app already tracks jobs, we set the books up to match it.
Do you track certificates of insurance?
We keep a list of each sub's W-9 and COI expiry date and flag ones that are missing or expiring.
Do you handle Florida sales tax on materials?
Contractors usually pay sales tax when they buy materials rather than charging it. We make sure purchases are recorded correctly; your accountant confirms your setup.
We get paid by check on site. Is that a problem?
No. Tell us when you deposit, or snap the check, and we'll match it to the job.
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