Guide for shops on Housecall Pro
Housecall Pro Accounting or an outside bookkeeper: which fits your shop?
Housecall Pro sells its own bookkeeping service inside the app. Here is what it includes, which shops it suits, and when an outside bookkeeper on QuickBooks Online is the better fit. Every Housecall Pro detail links to Housecall Pro’s own page.
By Nischal, CA, the senior accountant at Books and Trucks, an outside bookkeeping firm for trade shops on Housecall Pro, so read this as one side’s view, checked against Housecall Pro’s pages on October 31, 2026.
Start here
What Housecall Pro Accounting is
Housecall Pro Accounting is a bookkeeping service built into Housecall Pro. Invoices, customer payments, expense cards, financing and payroll from your Housecall Pro account flow into it automatically, and a dedicated bookkeeping team reconciles your accounts, categorizes transactions and produces monthly and annual financial statements. It runs on a modified form of cash-based bookkeeping, it can take over from your current accounting software completely, and catch-up work for past months is offered. Housecall Pro does not publish a price as of October 2026; you book a call to get one.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, Housecall Pro Accounting
Housecall Pro’s product page adds a tax-ready package, financial reports in the app, and unlimited one-to-one support with replies in less than one business day. Tax filing is a separate add-on, HCP Tax, for Accounting customers.
Source: Housecall Pro, Accounting
Housecall Pro Accounting
- Jobs, invoices and payments in Housecall Pro
- Books kept in Housecall Pro Accounting by its team
- Reports and a tax-ready package, with HCP Tax as an add-on
An outside bookkeeper
- Jobs, invoices and payments in Housecall Pro
- Sent one way to your own QuickBooks Online file
- Closed each month, then read by you and your CPA
A good fit
Which shops Housecall Pro Accounting suits
Housecall Pro Accounting suits shops that want their books kept in the same place they run jobs, invoices and payments, by a team that already knows the trades. It fits best when your needs are simple: books on a cash basis, one company, sales tax handled or not needed, and no CPA relationship you want to keep in QuickBooks. For an owner who has been doing the books at night, it takes a monthly chore off their plate without adding another program. Housecall Pro says it built the service for home service businesses and will tell you on a call whether it fits.
When an outside firm fits better
Six signs your shop needs an outside bookkeeper
An outside bookkeeper usually fits better once the books need to do more than record money in and out. The common signs are: you want your books to stay in QuickBooks Online, where your CPA already works; you need accrual statements; you want profit per job that counts every bill; you collect sales tax and need the returns filed; you run more than one company or want to keep your own CPA; or you may change field software as you grow.
- 1
Your books stay in QuickBooks Online with your CPA
Housecall Pro says its Accounting service will be your new accounting software as well as your bookkeeping team, so you will not need any other. If your CPA already works in your QuickBooks Online file, or you want years of history kept there, an outside bookkeeper keeps working in the file you own, and Housecall Pro's sync keeps sending invoices and payments to it.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, Housecall Pro Accounting
Source: Housecall Pro Help, QuickBooks Online: Syncing Information from Housecall Pro
- 2
You need books on the accrual method
Housecall Pro Accounting uses a modified form of cash-based bookkeeping: money is recorded when it reaches the bank or a charge hits a card, with some accrual adjustments as needed. If a lender, a bonding company or your CPA wants income recorded when you invoice and costs when you incur them (the accrual method), or you take deposits for jobs that run past month end, an outside bookkeeper can keep the books that way.
- 3
Profit per job that counts every bill
Housecall Pro's job costing works from tracked time at each employee's fully loaded rate, plus the materials, commissions and other costs recorded on the job. If you want profit per job that also counts supplier bills and full payroll costs from your books, an outside bookkeeper can tie Housecall Pro's job data to the costs in QuickBooks.
- 4
Sales tax returns, filed on time
Housecall Pro's HCP Tax add-on covers business income tax returns, federal and state, and personal returns for an added cost. Its pages do not mention sales tax returns. If you collect sales tax on jobs, ask who files those returns, in every state where you owe them.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, HCP Tax FAQs
- 5
More than one company, or a CPA you already trust
HCP Tax is an add-on for Housecall Pro Accounting customers, with its own advisor. If you run more than one company, or want to keep working with the CPA who knows your history, an outside bookkeeper hands that CPA clean, reconciled books at year end.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, HCP Tax FAQs
- 6
Room to change field software later
Housecall Pro Accounting is integrated with your Housecall Pro account and pulls in its invoices, payments, expense cards, financing and payroll. If you may move to other field software as you grow, books in your own QuickBooks Online file stay where they are when the job software changes.
Collect sales tax on jobs? Our contractor sales tax guide shows whether labor and materials are taxed in each state. Keeping the books in QuickBooks yourself? Start with why Housecall Pro payouts don’t match bank deposits.
Side by side
Housecall Pro Accounting and an outside bookkeeper compared
The two options differ most in where your books live and which method they use. Housecall Pro Accounting keeps your books in Housecall Pro, on a modified cash basis, with a dedicated team and a price you get on a call. An outside bookkeeper usually works in your own QuickBooks Online file, on the method you and your CPA choose, and sets its scope and fee with you. Terms vary from firm to firm, so get any outside firm’s scope and fee in writing before you start.
| Housecall Pro Accounting | An outside bookkeeper | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Housecall Pro Accounting: Not published as of October 2026: Housecall Pro asks you to book a call for pricing and current promotions. A 14-day free trial is offered. | An outside bookkeeper: Set by each firm, usually by the work involved. Ask for the fee in writing. |
| Where your books live | Housecall Pro Accounting: In Housecall Pro Accounting, which replaces your accounting software. | An outside bookkeeper: Usually in your own QuickBooks Online file, which your CPA can open. |
| Method | Housecall Pro Accounting: A modified form of cash-based bookkeeping, with some accrual adjustments as needed. | An outside bookkeeper: Cash or accrual, agreed with you and your CPA. |
| Who does the work | Housecall Pro Accounting: A dedicated bookkeeping team with a Team Lead Advisor, by call or in-app message, with replies in less than one business day. | An outside bookkeeper: The firm's bookkeeper, with whatever review the firm offers. |
| Old books | Housecall Pro Accounting: Catch-up bookkeeping is offered; details from Housecall Pro's team. | An outside bookkeeper: Clean-up or catch-up, terms vary by firm. |
| Taxes | Housecall Pro Accounting: HCP Tax add-on: federal and state business returns, personal returns for an added cost, prepared by CPAs or Enrolled Agents. | An outside bookkeeper: Some firms file sales tax returns. Income tax usually stays with your CPA. |
Housecall Pro details from Housecall Pro Help, its Accounting page and the HCP Tax FAQs, checked October 31, 2026. Accounting and Payroll are listed as add-ons on Housecall Pro’s pricing page. Housecall Pro changes its services from time to time, so check its pages before you decide.
Before you choose
Six questions to answer first
Six questions settle most cases. If most of your answers are “no” or “one”, Housecall Pro Accounting is likely enough. If several are “yes” or “more than one”, talk to an outside firm before you decide.
- 1Does your CPA work in your QuickBooks Online file today?
- 2Does a lender, bonding company or your CPA ask for accrual statements?
- 3Do you buy materials on account and want them in profit per job?
- 4In how many states do you collect sales tax?
- 5Do you run more than one company?
- 6Might you move to other field software in the next few years?
If an outside firm fits
Books in QuickBooks Online, matched to Housecall Pro every month
Books for Housecall Pro keeps your books in your own QuickBooks Online file, with every payout matched to the bank and sales tax filed, from $599 a month. Job costing, payroll and supplier bills are in Books Pro, from $995. If Housecall Pro Accounting suits your shop better, we will say so.
Booked calls: weekdays, 9am to 5pm Eastern. By phone, or 30 minutes on Teams.
Questions
Housecall Pro Accounting questions
How much does Housecall Pro Accounting cost?
Housecall Pro does not publish a price as of October 2026. Its help page asks you to book a call with its team for pricing and any current promotions.
Does Housecall Pro Accounting replace QuickBooks?
Yes, by Housecall Pro's own description: it becomes your accounting software and your bookkeeping team, so you will not need other accounting software.
Is Housecall Pro Accounting cash or accrual?
Housecall Pro describes it as a modified form of cash-based bookkeeping. Transactions are recorded when money reaches the bank or a charge hits a card, and some accrual adjustments can be made as needed.
Does Housecall Pro file my taxes?
Through HCP Tax, an add-on for Housecall Pro Accounting customers. It covers federal and state business income tax returns, personal returns for an additional cost, and returns are prepared and reviewed by CPAs or Enrolled Agents.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, HCP Tax FAQs
How does an outside bookkeeper work with Housecall Pro?
Most work in QuickBooks Online. Housecall Pro's sync sends invoices, payments, new customers and new Price Book items one way, from Housecall Pro to QuickBooks. The bookkeeper checks each month that the two agree, ties each payout to the bank, and fixes problems at the source in Housecall Pro.
Source: Housecall Pro Help, QuickBooks Online: Syncing Information from Housecall Pro
Which one do you recommend?
It depends on the shop. If you want one system, simple books and a team built into Housecall Pro, Housecall Pro Accounting is made for that. If you need your books in QuickBooks Online, accrual statements, sales tax filings or job costing tied to every bill, an outside firm usually fits better. We will tell you on the first call which side your shop falls on.
Housecall Pro is a trademark of its owner, Codefied Inc. QuickBooks is a trademark of Intuit Inc. Books and Trucks is an independent firm and is not part of, or affiliated with, Housecall Pro or Intuit.