Bookkeeping for general contractors on QuickBooks Online.
Books and Trucks does monthly bookkeeping for general contractors in QuickBooks Online, from $599 a month on the QuickBooks plan, with progress billing and retainage tracked, and cleans up all past books free when you start.
Progress billing, retainage, subcontractor bills and projects that run for months all have to land in the books correctly. We close your books every month in QuickBooks Online, file your sales tax, and put the numbers in one dashboard.
Checked by the Books and Trucks team.
Booked calls: weekdays, 9am to 5pm Eastern. By phone, or 30 minutes on Teams.
Not ready for a call? Get a free look at your books
Three things general contractors tell us about their books
“Retainage sits on the books and nobody knows the real number.”
“Subcontractor bills come in late and throw off the month.”
“I only find out a project lost money after the final invoice.”
How we set up the books for a general contractor
Retainage in its own account
The part of each progress payment the owner holds back is recorded in its own receivable account. It stays on your dashboard until it is paid, so it does not get forgotten at closeout.
Progress invoices from the estimate
QuickBooks Online can bill one estimate in stages with progress invoices. We turn it on and keep those invoices reconciled, so you can see what was billed and what is left on each project.
Subcontractor W-9s and 1099s
We keep a W-9 on file for each subcontractor and track what you pay them, so the year-end 1099 list is ready for you or your CPA. For payments made in 2026, a Form 1099-NEC is due once a subcontractor is paid $2,000 or more in the year, up from $600.
Sales tax on materials
In many states a contractor pays sales tax on materials instead of charging it on the finished job. Our contractor sales tax guide shows the rule in each state.
Monthly bookkeeping for general contractors
Every plan side by side, with what each one includes, is on the bookkeeping pricing page. Run more than one trade? We also keep books for roofing companies and electrical contractors.
Three steps, and the first two are free
- 1
A free look at your books
With read-only access, we show you where your books are behind or do not match, within three business days. No charge, no obligation.
- 2
A short call
You tell us how the shop runs today: which software, how many trucks, how far behind the books are. We tell you plainly whether we are a fit and agree the fee in writing.
- 3
Handover in 30 days
We take over from your current setup, clean up all your past books at no charge, and your dashboard is live by the end of the first month.
After that, the month runs the same way every time. We categorize every transaction, reconcile every bank and card account, and file sales tax for the states you work in. Then you get thirty minutes with your accountant on what the numbers say and what to do about them.
We work inside the software you already use
QuickBooks Online
We work inside your own QuickBooks Online file as an accountant user. You keep ownership and full access, and Intuit does not count an invited accountant toward your user limit.
Source: Intuit, Invite accountant users
Your dashboard
The X INFIN portal, which we build and run, puts revenue, cash and receivables on one screen, read from your QuickBooks file.
What you see every morning
These figures are from the live portal of our HVAC client, a company on ServiceTitan and QuickBooks Online. General contractors get the same dashboard, built from their own books. Read their story
Not ready for a call? Get a free look at your books.
Leave your details and we email you within one business day. You give us read-only access, and within three business days you see what is behind and what it would take to fix.
Free guides
Reference pages for trade shop owners
- Contractor sales tax by stateIs labor on HVAC, plumbing and electrical work taxed, and who pays tax on materials? Every state, linked to the state's own guidance.Open the guide
- Chart of accounts for trade shops75 accounts for QuickBooks Online with the right types and detail types, ready to import, plus what ServiceTitan needs mapped.Open the guide
- ServiceTitan to QuickBooks export errorsWhat the common ServiceTitan to QuickBooks Online export errors mean and how to fix them, plus refunds, sales tax and moving from Desktop.Open the guide
- Why Jobber payouts don't match bank depositsHow Jobber Payments payouts, fees, tips and refunds land in QuickBooks Online, the five usual causes of a mismatch, and a monthly checklist.Open the guide
- Jobber to QuickBooks sync errorsWhat the common Jobber to QuickBooks Online sync errors mean and how to fix each one, in the order the sync runs, plus legacy errors.Open the guide
- Jobber Bookkeeping or an outside bookkeeper?What Jobber's own bookkeeping add-on covers, which shops it suits, and when an outside bookkeeper on QuickBooks Online fits better.Open the guide
- How much does a bookkeeper cost for a trade shop?Hourly, in-house, flat monthly firms, Jobber Bookkeeping, QuickBooks Live and six trade specialists, side by side, each price linked to its source.Open the guide
- Housecall Pro to QuickBooks Online: what syncs and how to clear the alertsWhat the one-way sync sends and leaves out, the settings to check first, and the nine sync alerts with the fix for each, from Housecall Pro's own help pages.Open the guide
- Job costing in QuickBooks Online for contractorsThe plan you need, how Projects, labor cost rates, billable expenses and progress invoicing work, and the six things QuickBooks cannot do, from Intuit's own pages.Open the guide
- QuickBooks for plumbers: how to set it upThe plan, a class and income account for each kind of plumbing work, parts and truck stock, deposits, backflow tests, subcontractor 1099s and the monthly close.Open the guide
Sales tax by state
Is your labor taxed? It depends on the state.
Each guide covers labor, materials, filing and the common mistakes for contractors in that state, with every rule linked to the state's own source.
Straight answers before you book
What does bookkeeping cost for a general contractor?
Our fee is fixed each month and agreed in writing before we start. On QuickBooks Online it starts at $599 a month for the monthly books, bank and card reconciliation, reports, sales tax filings, a dashboard and a monthly call. A larger company, more transactions or more sales tax returns move the fee up. Month to month, cancel any time.
Do you work with general contractors today?
Our trades client today is an HVAC company in the US, on QuickBooks Online. A general contractor's books use the same QuickBooks setup, with progress invoices, retainage and subcontractor bills added. You start with a free look at your books, so you can judge our work before you pay anything.
How do you handle progress billing and retainage?
We set up QuickBooks Online to track progress invoices and retainage, so you can see what has been billed on each project, what the owner is holding back and what is still owed.
How do you handle subcontractor bills?
Subcontractor and supplier bills are entered every month and coded to the right cost accounts, so your reports show what the work really cost. Your dashboard shows what you owe and when it is due.
Do you file sales tax?
Yes. We file sales tax for the states you work in. In many states a contractor pays sales tax on materials instead of charging it on the finished job, and the rules can differ between repairs and new construction. We set up QuickBooks to follow the rules where you work.
Do we have to change our estimating or project software?
No. We work inside your QuickBooks Online file. Whatever you use to estimate or schedule, the invoices and bills end up in QuickBooks, and that is where we keep the books.
Our books are months behind.
Most new clients start that way. The free look shows how far behind things are. When you start with us, we clean up all your past books in QuickBooks at no charge, however far back they go.
Who actually does the work?
A named bookkeeper on our team handles your account every month, and a senior accountant reviews the numbers before your monthly call.
How do you get access?
You invite us as an accountant user in QuickBooks Online, under Settings and Manage users. Intuit does not count accountant users toward your plan's user limit. You can remove us at any time.
Can you run payroll too?
The plan covers the books, reports, sales tax filings and the dashboard, without payroll or bill pay. If you need payroll, tell us on the first call.
I already have a CPA.
Good. We do the monthly books, your CPA does the tax return, and we send them clean, reconciled books at year-end.
What if it does not work out?
Month to month, cancel any time. You keep your QuickBooks file and your data.
Talk to us about your construction books
No obligation.
Booked calls: weekdays, 9am to 5pm Eastern. By phone, or 30 minutes on Teams.