Bookkeeping for HVAC companies on QuickBooks Online.
Books and Trucks does monthly bookkeeping for HVAC companies in QuickBooks Online, from $599 a month, or $995 a month with ServiceTitan reconciliation and job costing, and cleans up all past books free when you start.
Service calls, installs and maintenance plans 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 HVAC owners say to us on the first call
“The books are three months behind and my CPA is asking for them.”
“Busy season was great. I do not know if we made money.”
“The bank balance is the only number I trust.”
How we set up the books for an HVAC company
Service, installs, agreements and commercial kept apart
Demand service, system replacements, maintenance agreements and any commercial or new-construction work each get their own class or income line in QuickBooks Online, because each carries a different margin. Classes and locations are a QuickBooks Plus or Advanced feature: 40 of them combined on Plus, no limit on Advanced.
Maintenance agreements as deferred revenue
A tune-up plan paid in spring is a liability until the visits happen, not income on the day the card is charged. ServiceTitan's own example books a $200 annual membership with four visits to deferred revenue and recognizes $50 as each visit is completed. We set the recurring service types the same way on both sides, so ServiceTitan and QuickBooks agree on what has been earned.
Source: ServiceTitan Help, Configure recurring service types for deferred revenue
Refrigerant and parts as their own costs
Refrigerant is tracked by type, R-410A against R-454B or R-32, as its own cost item, because supply is capped by the federal HFC phasedown at 60 percent of the baseline through 2028 and 30 percent from 2029, and prices move with it. Purchases are tied to the certified buyer, since sellers must record them. Capacitors, contactors and motors on the trucks are either tracked inventory or expensed with a monthly count, one rule, written down.
Spiffs, overtime and per diem on the right payroll items
Spiffs and commissions count toward the regular rate when overtime is calculated under federal wage rules. The Department of Labor's own example turns $10 an hour plus a $50 bonus over a 43-hour week into an $11.16 regular rate. Hourly pay, overtime on the blended rate, spiffs and per diem for out-of-town installs each get their own payroll item and ledger account on the ServiceTitan plan, so job costing and the W-2 are right.
Source: US Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 56C, Bonuses under the FLSA
Callbacks and warranty work shown, not hidden
A recall gets its own class or sub-job, so the second trip shows what it cost instead of vanishing into the month. ServiceTitan books recalls and warranty jobs as no-charge jobs and reports recalls by technician, and the books follow the same split, so you can see which installs and which techs generate the rework.
Vans written off the right way
For 2026 the Section 179 limit is $2,560,000, and a service van or truck over 6,000 pounds with a cargo area at least six feet long, or no seating behind the driver, is outside the $32,000 SUV cap. Property acquired and placed in service after January 19, 2025 also qualifies for 100 percent bonus depreciation. Your CPA makes the election; we record each vehicle with its loan, so the asset register, the loan balance and the tax return agree.
Four plans for HVAC companies
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 plumbing shops 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
ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan sends invoices, payments, expenses and sales tax to QuickBooks Online through its own integration. Every month we check that what arrived in QuickBooks matches ServiceTitan, including merchant fees and financing deposits.
Payroll
Technicians and office staff, including overtime and spiffs, on Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP or Paychex.
Your dashboard
The X INFIN portal, which we build and run, puts revenue, cash and receivables on one screen. On the QuickBooks and Jobber plans it reads QuickBooks. On the ServiceTitan plan it reads both systems.
What the owner sees every morning
Every figure below is from our HVAC client’s live portal. 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 an HVAC company?
Our fee is fixed each month and agreed in writing before we start. On QuickBooks Online only, it starts at $599 a month. With ServiceTitan it starts at $995 a month, which covers the books, the monthly ServiceTitan to QuickBooks reconciliation, the dashboard and the monthly call for a shop of about five trucks. More trucks, more transactions, or adding payroll and bill pay move the fee up. Month to month, cancel any time.
Do you work with HVAC companies today?
Yes. Our HVAC client in the US runs on ServiceTitan and QuickBooks Online, and the dashboard figures on this page are theirs. The full case study is at booksandtrucks.com/customers/hvac-company.
Do we need ServiceTitan to work with you?
No. If you run on QuickBooks Online alone, the QuickBooks plan from $599 a month covers monthly books, bank and card reconciliation, reports, sales tax filings, a dashboard and a monthly call. If you already use ServiceTitan, the ServiceTitan plan from $995 a month adds the monthly ServiceTitan to QuickBooks reconciliation and job costing on every job.
How do I see who owes us money?
Your dashboard shows what customers owe you and which invoices are overdue, read from QuickBooks. On the monthly call we go through the overdue list with you, so you know each month who to call.
Our books are months behind.
Most new HVAC 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. If you run ServiceTitan, you also add us as a user with reporting access there. You can remove either at any time.
Can you run payroll too?
On the ServiceTitan plan, yes: technicians and office staff, including overtime and spiffs, on Gusto, QuickBooks Payroll, ADP or Paychex. The QuickBooks plan covers the books, reports, sales tax filings and the dashboard, without payroll or bill pay.
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.
Do I have to leave QuickBooks?
No. We work inside your QuickBooks Online file. You keep ownership and full access.
Is our data safe with you?
Every login our team uses for a client system has two-factor authentication turned on. Access comes through users you grant, not shared passwords, and you can remove us at any time.
What if it does not work out?
Month to month, cancel any time. You keep your QuickBooks file and your data.
Which QuickBooks Online plan does an HVAC company need?
Plus, for most HVAC companies. Intuit includes Projects in QuickBooks Online Plus, Advanced and Intuit Enterprise Suite, and a system replacement or a commercial job needs its own income and costs before you can see its margin. Plus also has class tracking, which we use to keep demand service, installs and maintenance agreements apart. Advanced suits larger offices that need more classes and users. Dispatch and invoicing usually run in a field service app such as ServiceTitan or Jobber, which sends invoices and payments into QuickBooks, and we set the books up around the one you use.
How do you book maintenance agreement income?
As deferred revenue first. The cash collected for a tune-up plan sits in a liability account and moves to income as each visit is completed or each month of coverage passes, which is how ServiceTitan recognizes a membership too. The monthly report then shows what you have earned, not what you have collected, and the balance of unearned visits is a number you can see on the dashboard.
Why does cash dip in spring and fall?
Because the work does. Federal payroll figures for plumbing, heating and air-conditioning contractors ran 1,293,700 in January 2025 and 1,335,400 in July 2025, a swing of about 3 percent inside one year, and 2026 shows the same shape. Your dashboard shows cash and receivables every morning, and on the monthly call we look at what the shoulder months will need, so the slow weeks are planned rather than a surprise.
How do you track refrigerant costs?
By type, as its own cost item, so you can see what R-410A and the newer refrigerants cost you each month and on each job. Supply is capped by the federal phasedown, so the price moves, and sellers must keep a record of the certified buyer. On the ServiceTitan plan the refrigerant used on a job comes across with the job, so job costing shows it.
Talk to us about your HVAC books
No obligation.
Booked calls: weekdays, 9am to 5pm Eastern. By phone, or 30 minutes on Teams.