Construction Bookkeeping Services for Contractors
Dari & Associates provides bookkeeping for U.S. construction companies, general contractors, subcontractors, and specialty trades. We help keep project-related income and expenses organized, accounts reconciled, subcontractor and vendor activity current, and financial records ready for consistent monthly reporting.
Our practice is led by a Certified Accountant and QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor with more than 10 years of experience supporting U.S. clients. We combine reliable monthly bookkeeping with the project-level organization construction businesses need to understand where costs are going.
Construction books need to follow the job, not just the company.
Construction businesses can have several projects running at the same time, each with its own materials, subcontractors, labor-related costs, equipment expenses, vendor bills, customer invoices, and payment activity.
A company-wide profit and loss statement can show how the business performed overall, but construction owners often also need their bookkeeping organized so project-related activity can be identified and reviewed.
Good construction bookkeeping creates that structure while keeping the underlying company books accurate, reconciled, and current.
Who we support in construction
General Contractors
Businesses managing multiple projects, vendors, subcontractors, and customer billing.
Subcontractors
Trade businesses performing work across one or more contractor projects.
Home Builders
Residential builders that need organized project-related bookkeeping and consistent financial records.
Remodelers
Businesses managing materials, subcontractors, customer payments, and expenses across renovation projects.
Specialty Contractors
Businesses such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, flooring, painting, and other specialty trades.
Small Construction Companies
Owner-led construction businesses that need professional bookkeeping without building a full internal accounting department.
What construction bookkeeping can include
Transaction Categorization
Construction-related income and expenses categorized consistently within the accounting system.
Bank Reconciliation
Business bank accounts reconciled against statements as part of the bookkeeping process.
Credit Card Reconciliation
Business credit card activity reconciled and reviewed for outstanding bookkeeping items.
Project-Level Cost Organization
Where the client's accounting setup and source information support it, costs can be organized by project or job to provide better visibility into project activity.
Materials & Supplier Expenses
Material purchases and supplier activity organized within the bookkeeping records and assigned to projects when supported by the client's workflow.
Subcontractor Activity
Subcontractor bills and payments organized within the accounting records and associated with projects when appropriate.
Accounts Payable
Vendor and subcontractor bills maintained as part of the agreed bookkeeping scope.
Accounts Receivable
Customer invoices, payments, and outstanding receivables maintained when included in scope.
Payroll Bookkeeping Support
Payroll-related accounting activity recorded and reconciled using available payroll reports.
General Ledger & Balance Sheet Review
Relevant ledger and balance sheet accounts reviewed during the recurring bookkeeping process.
Month-End Close
Construction bookkeeping brought together through a structured monthly close process.
Financial Reporting
Agreed financial reports prepared from the completed bookkeeping records.
Know where each project's costs are going.
Job costing organizes costs around the project that generated them rather than leaving every construction expense at the company level.
When transactions are consistently assigned to the appropriate project, the accounting records can provide better visibility into how individual jobs are performing.
Depending on the client's accounting setup and available information, project costs can include:
- 01Materials
- 02Subcontractors
- 03Direct labor-related costs
- 04Equipment-related expenses
- 05Permits and project fees
- 06Project-specific purchases
- 07Other direct job expenses
Materials, subcontractors, and operating costs need consistent organization.
Construction expenses can move through many different channels.
Materials may be purchased from multiple suppliers. Subcontractors may work across several jobs. Credit cards may contain purchases for different projects. Equipment, fuel, permits, and other costs may also need to be identified correctly within the bookkeeping records.
A consistent bookkeeping workflow helps keep these transactions organized and, where the supporting information is available, associated with the appropriate project.
- Materials and supplies
- Subcontractor expenses
- Equipment-related expenses
- Fuel and vehicle-related business expenses
- Permits and project fees
- Vendor bills
- Business credit cards
- Project-related purchases
Retainage needs to stay visible in the books.
Some construction contracts withhold a portion of a payment until specified project conditions are met.
When retainage applies, it should not disappear inside ordinary customer or vendor activity. The bookkeeping records should clearly reflect amounts that remain outstanding based on the client's contracts, billing records, and accounting treatment established for the engagement.
Dari & Associates can maintain bookkeeping records related to retainage when it is part of the client's established accounting workflow and agreed bookkeeping scope.
Construction bookkeeping inside QuickBooks Online.
QuickBooks Online can support construction businesses that need company-level bookkeeping together with project-related organization.
The value of the system depends on how consistently transactions, accounts, customers, projects, vendors, and supporting records are maintained.
As part of our QuickBooks Online bookkeeping, led by a QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor, we can help keep the accounting file organized, accounts reconciled, and project-related transactions recorded according to the agreed bookkeeping workflow.
Bring the construction books together every month.
Project activity still needs to roll into reliable company books.
At month-end, transactions are reviewed, bank and credit card accounts within scope are reconciled, relevant payables and receivables are reviewed, payroll bookkeeping activity is considered, and the agreed financial reports are prepared from the completed records.
A consistent monthly bookkeeping workflow helps prevent unresolved bookkeeping issues from accumulating across projects and reporting periods.
See the business beyond the bank balance.
A bank balance alone does not explain how a construction business performed during the month.
Once the underlying bookkeeping is complete, financial reports can provide a clearer view of revenue, expenses, assets, liabilities, and the overall financial position recorded in the books.
Where the accounting structure and source information support project-level tracking, construction businesses can also use the bookkeeping records to better understand activity associated with individual jobs.
Construction books already behind or difficult to rely on?
Construction bookkeeping can become difficult to bring current when months of transactions have accumulated across multiple projects, bank accounts, credit cards, vendors, and subcontractors.
If bookkeeping periods are missing, catch-up work may be the right starting point. If the books are current but contain reconciliation differences, duplicate activity, incorrect classifications, or unreliable balances, cleanup may be more appropriate.
Keep construction records organized throughout the year.
Your CPA or tax preparer should not have to reconstruct an entire year of construction activity from bank statements and incomplete bookkeeping records.
Consistent monthly bookkeeping helps keep transactions, reconciliations, project-related activity, and financial reports organized throughout the year.
When year-end arrives, the accounting records can be provided to your CPA or tax preparer for the work that falls within their professional scope.
Construction bookkeeping connects the entire accounting workflow.
- 01QuickBooks Online Bookkeeping
The accounting file where company and project activity is maintained.
- 02Bank & Credit Card Reconciliation
Statements and books brought into agreement each month.
- 03Accounts Payable & Receivable
Vendor, subcontractor, and customer activity kept current.
- 04Payroll Bookkeeping Support
Payroll activity recorded and reconciled from payroll reports.
- 05Month-End Close
A structured close that brings each month's records together.
- 06Financial Reporting
Reports prepared from completed, reconciled books.
Questions about construction bookkeeping
- What is construction bookkeeping?
- Construction bookkeeping applies the same fundamentals as any professional bookkeeping, such as accurate categorization, reconciled accounts, and consistent reporting, while organizing financial activity around the way construction companies operate. That includes projects, materials, vendors, subcontractors, reconciliations, and recurring monthly reports.
- Do you provide bookkeeping for general contractors?
- Yes. We support U.S. general contractors with recurring bookkeeping based on the agreed scope, including transaction categorization, reconciliations, payables and receivables, project-related organization, and monthly reporting.
- Do you work with subcontractors and specialty contractors?
- Yes. We provide bookkeeping for subcontractors and specialty trades such as electrical, plumbing, HVAC, roofing, flooring, and painting businesses. Our work focuses on the bookkeeping itself, keeping records organized, reconciled, and current.
- Can you track expenses by construction project?
- Yes, when the accounting system, transaction information, and your workflow provide what is needed to assign activity to the right project. Where that information is available, expenses can be organized by project as part of the recurring bookkeeping.
- What is job costing in construction bookkeeping?
- Job costing organizes relevant revenue and costs around individual projects, so project-related activity can be reviewed separately from company-wide activity. It gives owners a clearer view of what each job involved.
- Can you track subcontractor bills and payments?
- Yes, when accounts payable and subcontractor activity are included in the engagement scope. Subcontractor bills and payments are recorded as part of our accounts payable and receivable bookkeeping.
- Do you provide construction bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online?
- Yes. Our practice is led by a QuickBooks Online Advanced ProAdvisor, and construction bookkeeping is part of our QuickBooks Online bookkeeping work.
- Do you reconcile construction company bank and credit card accounts?
- Yes, for the accounts included in the bookkeeping scope. Reconciliation is covered in more detail on our bank reconciliation services page.
- Can you help if our construction books are several months behind?
- Yes. If bookkeeping periods are missing, catch-up bookkeeping brings them current. If the books are current but the existing records have errors or unreliable balances, QuickBooks cleanup may be the better starting point.
- Do you prepare tax returns for construction companies?
- No. We focus on bookkeeping and on keeping organized, reconciled accounting records that you can provide to your CPA or tax preparer for the work within their professional scope.
Build your construction business on organized books.
If your construction bookkeeping is difficult to keep current, or project-related activity is becoming harder to organize as the business grows, we can review your existing workflow and discuss the right bookkeeping structure for your business.