If you run a construction company or a trade in Plymouth County, as a plumber, an electrician, a roofer, or a general contractor, your office is probably a truck. Estimates get written in a driveway in Marshfield, materials get picked up on the way to a job in Pembroke, and invoices get sent from the kitchen table at nine at night. The books still have to be right. They just should not cost you daylight hours.
Larsen Bookkeeping has kept the books for trades and contractors since 2001. Here is what good construction bookkeeping looks like when the owner works in the field.
Why contractor books get messy fast
Construction and trade businesses have a few habits built in that make bookkeeping harder than it looks:
- Receipts pile up in the glovebox. Supply house runs happen daily, and the paper trail lives in the cab.
- One card for everything. Fuel, materials, lunch for the crew, and a personal errand all land on the same statement.
- Customer deposits arrive before the work. A deposit is not yet income you have earned, and treating it that way can make a slow month look great.
- Subcontractors need 1099s. Each one needs a W-9 on file and accurate yearly totals.
- Busy season crowds everything out. By the time things slow down, three or four months of books are waiting.
What we handle each month
- Every transaction recorded in QuickBooks Online and categorized to a chart of accounts built for a trade business: materials, subcontractors, equipment, vehicles, and fuel each land where they belong.
- Every account reconciled, including bank accounts, credit cards, equipment loans, and lines of credit.
- Reports kept current through busy season and slow season alike, so you can see how the business is really doing.
- Questions answered by phone or email, by a professional who knows your business.
Your books, from the truck
Everything lives in QuickBooks Online. You can check a number from the job site, the truck, or the couch, from any device. Receipts can be photographed and shared digitally. There are no office visits, nothing to mail, and no shoebox to drop off anywhere.
“Filled with gratitude and appreciation for Larsen Bookkeeping Services. LBS has taken Classic Tractor Services, LLC, sand & gravel excavation business, to that of a high level, efficient, up to date, organized bookkeeping model over the last 4 months. Reasonable/fair pricing, they are always available for questions.”
Do you need special construction bookkeeping software?
For most owner-run trades, QuickBooks Online is enough when it is set up properly. It tracks customers and jobs, handles bills and subcontractor payments, and produces the reports you need. Larger contractors with complex progress billing may need more, but most small and mid-sized trades on the South Shore need a well-built file and someone keeping it current more than they need new software.
Signs your books need attention
0 of 5 apply to you
Frequently asked questions
No. We work fully online. Documents are shared digitally, and questions are handled by phone or email.
Yes. We bring the file back to accurate and organized, going back as far as necessary. We scope that cleanup as the first step of ongoing monthly bookkeeping, so it does not fall behind again.
We do not process payroll. If you use a payroll provider, we post payroll to the books and review it.
Get back to the work only you can do
If you run a trade in Hanover, Rockland, Kingston, or anywhere in Plymouth County, request a free consultation. Tell us about your trade and where the books stand today. You will not be judged for the state of them. Prefer the phone? Call 781-924-1489.
Larsen Bookkeeping was founded on Massachusetts’ South Shore in 2001 and is based in Hanover. It works with clients fully online.