Bookkeeping for General Contractors
Running a general contracting business means juggling dozens of moving parts — crews, subs, permits, and draws — all while trying to know whether a job actually made money. Simple Books Now gives you clean, job-level financials so you always know where you stand. And because owner Luisa is a Federally authorized Enrolled Agent, your books are built with tax strategy baked in from day one.
Book a Free ConsultationGeneral contracting is one of the most financially complex trades to manage because every project is essentially its own small business. You're tracking labor costs against estimates, billing clients on draw schedules, holding retention until punch-list sign-off, and paying subcontractors on terms that rarely align with when you get paid. Without job costing built into your bookkeeping from the start, you can finish a profitable-looking year and still not know which jobs made money and which quietly drained you.
A generic bookkeeper can categorize your transactions — but they can't tell you whether your concrete sub markup is costing you jobs or why your Q3 tax estimate was way off. Luisa is a Federally authorized Enrolled Agent, which means she understands contractor-specific tax treatment: Section 179 depreciation on equipment, the home-office deduction for contractors who run the business from home, percentage-of-completion vs. completed-contract accounting elections, and how to handle retainage on both ends of the ledger. That combination of clean books and forward-looking tax strategy is what separates Simple Books Now from a data-entry bookkeeper.
The Financial Challenges We Solve
Job Costing Chaos
When your books aren't organized by project, you have no way to know your true cost-to-complete or whether a change order actually covered your costs. We set up job costing so every receipt, sub invoice, and labor hour ties back to a specific job — giving you real margin data, not guesses.
Subcontractor 1099 Compliance
Misclassifying workers or missing 1099-NEC filings can trigger IRS penalties that far exceed the original sub payment. We track every subcontractor payment throughout the year so 1099s are ready to file in January without a last-minute scramble.
Draw Schedule & Retainage Tracking
Billing on AIA draw schedules and holding 10% retainage creates a receivables picture that looks nothing like a simple invoice. We track outstanding draws, released retainage, and what's still held so your cash flow projections are actually accurate.
Equipment & Vehicle Depreciation
Heavy equipment, trailers, and work trucks represent major capital investments with real depreciation strategies available — bonus depreciation, Section 179, and MACRS schedules all apply differently. Luisa plans these deductions as part of your annual tax strategy so you're not leaving money on the table.
Estimated Tax Surprises
Contractors who run lean operations often underpay quarterly estimated taxes because their bookkeeper isn't watching the tax liability in real time. As an Enrolled Agent, Luisa monitors your tax position throughout the year and adjusts estimates before the penalty kicks in — not after.
More Than a Bookkeeper — A Federally authorized Enrolled Agent
Most bookkeepers record transactions and hand you a report. Simple Books Now does that — and more. Luisa is a Federally authorized Enrolled Agent: the highest credential the IRS grants. She can represent you in audits, file your returns, and negotiate directly with the IRS — with year-round tax strategy built into your bookkeeping from day one.
For a business owner in your industry, that means one professional who understands your numbers and handles your complete financial picture. No handoffs. No gaps. No surprises at tax time.
- Federally authorized by the IRS — represents you in audits, collections & appeals
- Bookkeeping + tax strategy in one engagement — no coordinating between vendors
- Direct access to Luisa — no junior staff
- Flat monthly rate — no hourly billing surprises
- Works with clients in all 50 states
- Books delivered by the 15th of each month
- Year-round availability, not just at tax time
Everything We Handle for Your Business
Bookkeeping
Monthly reconciliation, clean financials, and reports delivered every month.
Learn more →Tax Resolution
IRS notices, back taxes, audits, and payment plans — handled directly by our EA.
Learn more →Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Behind on your books? We'll get you caught up at a fixed project price.
Learn more →Bookkeeping FAQ
QuickBooks Online works well for most general contractors when it's set up correctly with projects or classes. We configure your chart of accounts and job-tracking structure so every transaction is coded to a job from the start. If your volume or complexity warrants a dedicated construction accounting platform, we'll tell you — but most contractors under $5M in revenue don't need to pay for one.
Worker misclassification is one of the IRS's top audit targets in the construction industry. We review your sub arrangements against the IRS common-law test and Florida's guidelines and flag any relationships that look like disguised employment. If reclassification is needed, Luisa can guide you through it properly rather than letting it become an audit problem later.
Most contractors under $30M can use the cash method, but some benefit from the completed-contract or percentage-of-completion method depending on how long jobs run and how retention is structured. This is a tax election with real consequences, and it's exactly the kind of decision an Enrolled Agent is equipped to help you make — not just a bookkeeper.
Yes. Bonding companies and construction lenders want clean, current financials — ideally with a work-in-progress (WIP) schedule. We maintain your books on a schedule that keeps them audit-ready, and we can produce the WIP report that sureties and banks want to see before extending credit or bonding capacity.
We set up a clear separation between job-direct costs that the client reimburses and your true overhead that stays on your books. That separation protects your markup, keeps the client's reimbursement billing clean, and ensures you're not accidentally paying tax on reimbursed expenses as if they were profit.
Ready to Get Your General Contracting Books in Order?
Book a free consultation with Luisa — Enrolled Agent and construction bookkeeping specialist — and find out exactly what it would take to have clean, job-costed financials every single month.
Book a Free ConsultationNo obligation · 30-minute call · Federally authorized Enrolled Agent