How to do bookkeeping for a contractor?
Contractor bookkeeping differs from regular small business bookkeeping in one critical way: job costing. Every expense, labor hour, and piece of revenue needs to connect to a specific project. Without that connection, you know your overall profit but have no idea which jobs made money and which ones lost.
Start with separate accounts. One business bank account and one business credit card, used only for business expenses. Mixing personal and business transactions makes job costing nearly impossible and creates headaches at tax time.
Set up your chart of accounts for construction work. Standard templates won’t cut it. You need categories for materials, labor, subcontractors, equipment rental, and job-specific costs. QuickBooks Online handles this well when configured correctly from the start, but generic setup produces reports that don’t tell you what you actually need to know.
Code every expense to a job when it happens. Buy lumber at the supply house for the Smith project? Tag it to that job immediately. Wait two weeks and you’ll either forget which job it was for or code it wrong. The lag between spending money and recording it is where most contractor books fall apart.
Save receipts digitally. Apps that connect to your accounting software let you snap a photo and attach it to the transaction. Paper receipts fade, get lost in your truck, or end up in a shoebox that nobody wants to sort through in April.
Track subcontractor payments carefully. You’ll need to issue 1099s at year end for anyone you paid $600 or more, and the IRS takes those filings seriously. Keep W-9s on file before the first payment, not after you’re scrambling to collect them in January.
Reconcile accounts weekly instead of monthly. Contractors have too many transactions flowing through to wait 30 days. Weekly reconciliation catches duplicate charges, coding errors, and missing receipts while you still remember what happened. A Mid-Missouri bookkeeper can handle this rhythm if you don’t have time to stay on top of it yourself.
Run job profitability reports after each project closes. Compare estimated costs to actual costs. If you bid $8,000 in labor and spent $11,000, you need to know that before you bid the next similar job. This is where construction bookkeeping actually pays for itself through better bidding decisions.
The system doesn’t need to be complicated. It needs to be consistent. Same coding approach every time, receipts captured as you go, reconciliation on a regular schedule. Do that and your books will actually answer the question every contractor asks: which projects are worth taking?
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More Questions
What do I need to process payroll?
You need federal and state employer registrations, completed employee tax forms, a pay schedule, and either payroll software or a service to handle the calculations and tax deposits.
Read answerDoes your accountant need all your receipts?
Yes, your accountant needs receipts, though the IRS only requires them for expenses over $75. The real value is that receipts provide context that bank statements can't, making your books more accurate and your deductions defensible.
Read answerWhat is the rule of thumb for construction costs?
Labor typically runs 25 to 35 percent of project cost, materials 40 to 50 percent, and net profit should land between 5 and 10 percent. These benchmarks only work if you track actual costs by job and compare them to your estimates.
Read answerDo 82% of small businesses fail due to cash flow problems?
That statistic isn't verifiable and likely isn't accurate. Cash flow problems are real challenges for small businesses, but the 82% figure has no credible research behind it. The real issue is understanding what causes cash flow problems and catching them early.
Read answerHow to avoid Missouri underpayment penalty?
Pay quarterly estimated taxes or increase withholding to cover at least 90% of your current year tax or 100% of your prior year tax. Missouri charges penalties when you owe more than $100 at filing and didn't pay enough throughout the year.
Read answerWhat are the cash flow issues in small businesses?
Cash flow problems usually come down to timing. Money goes out faster than it comes in, creating stress even when the business is profitable on paper. The underlying issue is often lack of visibility into when cash actually moves.
Read answer
