Construction Contractors
Bookkeeping for contractors who need job costing, payroll, and tax planning handled right.
The Industry
A plumber wraps up a $12,000 bathroom remodel. Materials ran around $3,500. Labor for his helper was $2,400. Permits added another $300. On paper, he cleared over $5,000. But he didn’t count the trip back to fix a slow drain, the fittings he paid cash for at the supply house, or his own time on-site. The actual profit was closer to $3,200. He bids the next bathroom job using the same math that got him here.
Contractors face a timing problem that most businesses don’t deal with. You pay for materials today, cover payroll on Friday, and wait 30 to 60 days for the customer to pay. A busy month can still leave you scrambling for cash because the money flows out before it comes back in. Without tracking each job separately, you’re left guessing which projects actually pay and which ones just keep you moving.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
General contractors, HVAC technicians, plumbers, electricians, roofers, and specialty trades across Benton County and Northwest Arkansas. Any contractor bidding jobs and managing a crew or working with subcontractors.
What Makes It Tricky
What Makes It Tricky
Expenses get lumped together instead of assigned to specific jobs. Material costs overlap between projects. Labor hours run into overtime that wasn’t part of the estimate. Subcontractors need 1099s at year end. The paperwork piles up while you’re on the job site doing the actual work.
What We Handle
Good contractor bookkeeping means knowing what each job actually costs and keeping payroll and taxes from becoming problems. Job costing shows you which projects made money and which ones ate into your margins. Payroll gets your crew paid correctly without you spending your evenings on it. Tax planning keeps you from getting hit with a bill you didn’t see coming.
QuickBooks needs to be set up correctly for construction or the reports won’t tell you anything useful. We configure it with job costing enabled so you can pull a report and see profitability by project. Lynn has worked with project-based businesses for years, including her own trucking company, so she understands what it means to pay costs upfront and collect payment later.
Job Costing and Project Tracking
Job Costing and Project Tracking
Every expense assigned to a specific job. Materials, labor, subcontractors, permits, equipment rental. You see what each project actually cost versus what you estimated. Over time, this gives you the data to bid accurately and avoid taking on work that doesn’t pay.
Payroll and Subcontractor Tracking
Payroll and Subcontractor Tracking
Weekly or bi-weekly payroll processed for your crew with overtime calculated properly. Tax deposits handled on schedule. Payments to subcontractors tracked throughout the year so you’re not scrambling for W-9s in January. 1099s filed on time without the year-end panic.
Common Problems
Contractors who don’t track jobs separately end up guessing. You know your total revenue and expenses for the month but can’t tell which projects made money. That kitchen remodel might have lost $2,000 while the deck job cleared $5,000. Without the breakdown, you bid more kitchen remodels at the same losing rate. The profitable work subsidizes the bad, and you never see it happening.
Tax season becomes stressful when there’s no plan. A good year without quarterly estimates means you owe a lump sum in April that you’ve already spent on materials and payroll. Vehicle mileage wasn’t tracked. Equipment purchases got recorded wrong. You miss deductions you were entitled to and still end up with a bill you weren’t expecting.
Bidding Without Data
Bidding Without Data
You rely on gut feel and rough math because you don’t have actual cost history. Some jobs look profitable on paper but fall apart when you account for callbacks, delays, and material overruns. You can’t fix the pricing if you don’t know where the money actually went.
Year-End Surprises
Year-End Surprises
No quarterly tax payments means a big check due in April. Subcontractor payments weren’t tracked, so you’re hunting for W-9s at the last minute. Receipts are scattered in your truck, your email, and that one folder you haven’t opened in months. Your accountant needs information you don’t have organized.
What Changes
You start seeing which types of jobs actually make money. Maybe commercial work consistently hits better margins than residential remodels. Maybe certain customers always have change orders that eat into profit. The data helps you focus on the work that pays and quote more carefully on the rest. You stop taking every job that comes through and start building a business that works.
Tax season stops being a crisis. Quarterly estimates get set based on real numbers. Deductions are captured throughout the year. When you sit down with your accountant, the books are ready and the conversation focuses on strategy instead of cleanup. You’re not scrambling anymore.
Smarter Bidding
Smarter Bidding
Historical cost data shows what similar jobs actually ran. You stop underbidding and stop chasing work that doesn’t pay. Estimates become grounded in reality instead of hope. When a customer pushes back on price, you know your numbers and can stand behind them.
Time Back
Time Back
Payroll happens without you calculating hours at the kitchen table. The books close every month. You spend less time on paperwork and more time on jobs or with your family. Lynn knows what it’s like to run a business while handling the day-to-day work. This service exists to take things off your plate.
Northwest Arkansas's Dedicated Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Quick Conversation
Tell us about your business and where you need help. We'll listen, ask a few questions, and give you a clear plan and honest price.
