Construction & Contractors
Job costing, catch-up bookkeeping, and QuickBooks setup for contractors who need to know what each project actually costs.
The Industry
A general contractor in Jacksonville finishes a bathroom remodel. He billed $28,000. Materials were $9,500. He paid his crew $10,000. The sub for tile work was $3,200. Looks like a $5,300 profit on paper. But he forgot the two extra trips to the supply house, the half day his crew spent going back for punch list items, the dumpster rental that ran an extra week, and the permit fees. Real profit was closer to $2,800. He bids the next similar job at the same rate because he never ran the actual numbers.
Construction runs on job costing, progress billing, and cash flow timing that rarely lines up with when you actually earn the money. You buy materials Monday, pay your crew Friday, bill the customer when the job wraps, and wait 30 to 45 days for payment. A good month on paper can still leave you short on payroll because the money hasn’t landed yet. Northeast Florida is growing fast and there is plenty of work. But staying busy and staying profitable are two very different things.
Who This Covers
Who This Covers
General contractors, home builders, remodelers, commercial construction companies, specialty contractors. Any construction business in Jacksonville and the First Coast that bids projects, manages crews, and coordinates subcontractors.
What Makes It Complex
What Makes It Complex
Every project is its own profit center. Materials, labor, subs, permits, equipment rental, and overhead all need to be tracked per job. Subcontractors need W-9s on file and 1099s at year end. Progress billing and retainage create receivables that don’t follow a simple monthly cycle. Crew payroll with overtime, varying rates, and fluctuating headcount adds another layer that most bookkeeping setups aren’t built to handle.
What We Handle
Construction bookkeeping means every dollar gets tied to a specific project. Labor hours, material purchases, sub invoices, equipment costs, permits. All of it coded so you can see what a job actually cost versus what you estimated. QuickBooks Online needs to be configured specifically for construction with job costing enabled and a chart of accounts that makes sense for how you operate. Without that setup, the default reports tell you almost nothing useful about individual project performance.
Many contractors we work with are behind. Sometimes months behind, sometimes years. Getting caught up is where a lot of our work starts. We clean up the backlog, reconcile bank and credit card accounts, and get everything current so your CPA can file accurate tax returns. From there we keep it current with monthly bookkeeping, manage your accounts payable so bills get paid on time, and handle 1099 preparation for every sub you’ve paid during the year. If you need help setting up or understanding your payroll system, we do that too.
Job Costing and QuickBooks Setup
Job Costing and QuickBooks Setup
Every expense coded to its project. Labor, materials, subs, permits, equipment. QuickBooks Online configured for construction so reports show profitability by job instead of just totals for the month. Historical cost data that helps you bid future work based on what things actually cost, not what you hope they cost. As a QBO ProAdvisor Advanced, we set this up right the first time.
Catch-Up Work and Ongoing Bookkeeping
Catch-Up Work and Ongoing Bookkeeping
If you’re behind on your books, we get them current. Months or years of backlog cleaned up and reconciled so you and your CPA have accurate numbers to work with. Once caught up, monthly bookkeeping keeps everything organized. Bill payment so nothing falls through the cracks. 1099 preparation for subcontractors handled at year end with W-9 tracking throughout the year.
Common Problems
Contractors who don’t track costs by project are guessing on every bid. You finished a similar kitchen remodel six months ago but have no idea what it actually cost because labor and materials were lumped together with everything else that month. So you estimate based on feel. Sometimes you’re right. Sometimes you underbid by $4,000 and don’t realize it until the job is done and even then you might not catch it because the books are a mess.
The other problem we see constantly is backlog. The business stays busy, the work gets done, but the books fall behind. First it’s a few months. Then it’s a year. Then it’s two or three years and you can’t file your taxes because nobody knows what the numbers look like. Meanwhile you’re paying subs in cash or by check with no W-9s collected, which turns into a 1099 compliance problem that creates penalties you didn’t see coming. The longer you wait the harder and more expensive it gets to fix.
No Visibility Into Project Profitability
No Visibility Into Project Profitability
Total revenue and total expenses for the quarter exist but you can’t see which jobs made money and which ones lost it. That commercial buildout might have been a $6,000 loss while the residential addition made $14,000. Without job-level tracking you take on more of the work that loses money and wonder why cash is always tight despite being busy.
Books That Are Months or Years Behind
Books That Are Months or Years Behind
You meant to get to the bookkeeping last month. Then last quarter. Now it’s been over a year and your CPA is waiting on numbers you don’t have. Tax returns can’t be filed. Deductions get missed because nobody documented equipment purchases or mileage. The stress compounds because every month that passes makes the cleanup bigger and the potential tax consequences worse.
What Changes
You know what each project actually costs. Job costing data shows that residential remodels consistently run 18% margin while commercial tenant improvements hit 24%. Your next bid draws from real numbers, not memory. You stop taking jobs that feel profitable but aren’t, and you focus on the work and the clients that consistently make you money. When a customer asks you to sharpen your price, you know exactly where your floor is.
Your books are current and stay that way. If you were behind, the backlog is cleaned up and your CPA has what they need to file. Going forward, monthly bookkeeping means no more scrambling at year end. Bills get paid on schedule. Subcontractor payments are tracked with W-9s on file so 1099 season is straightforward. You stop spending your evenings trying to figure out QuickBooks and get that time back for your business or your family.
Better Bids and Smarter Decisions
Better Bids and Smarter Decisions
Historical job cost data tells you what things actually cost. You stop underbidding and stop chasing work that doesn’t pay. You can compare project types, customer types, and crew combinations to figure out where the best margins are. Financial reports that actually reflect your business give you and your CPA the foundation for real tax planning instead of damage control.
Caught Up and Staying Current
Caught Up and Staying Current
No more backlog hanging over your head. Books reconciled, transactions categorized, and reports ready when your CPA needs them. Monthly bookkeeping that keeps pace with your business so you never fall behind again. 1099s filed on time. Bills tracked and paid. You focus on running crews and winning work while we handle the financial side.
The First Coast's Trusted Bookkeeping Partner
The Next Step:
A Free Discovery Call
Tell us where things stand with your books. Whether you're months behind or just looking for reliable bookkeeping going forward, we'll give you an honest assessment and a clear price.