Job costing to the line item, retainage tracking, WIP schedules under POC method, and certified payroll reporting — for residential remodelers and small commercial GCs doing $500k to $8M in annual revenue.
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Construction accounting is its own discipline. Three things distinguish it from generic small-business bookkeeping. First, job costing: every dollar of cost — labor, materials, subs, equipment, indirect overhead — must be traceable to a specific job, because gross margin is calculated per-job and aggregated. A GC running 12 active jobs needs a 12-column WIP schedule showing contract value, costs to date, percent complete, billed to date, over/under-billing. Generalist bookkeepers expense costs to a single "Cost of Goods Sold" account and lose the job-level visibility — you cannot tell whether the kitchen remodel made money or the basement build lost it. Second, revenue recognition for long-term contracts: contracts expected to span more than one tax year and exceed $30M average gross receipts threshold (post-TCJA) require the percentage-of-completion (POC) method under IRC §460, with revenue recognized as costs are incurred against estimated total costs. Below the $30M threshold (or contracts under 2 years), the completed-contract method (CCM) is permitted — recognize revenue only at job completion. The right method for a small GC depends on cash flow, owner draw timing, and forward earnings — it is a strategic choice. Third, retainage: standard construction practice withholds 5-10% of each billing as retainage until job completion. Retainage receivable is an asset but it is not in your bank, and a GC with $400k in retainage outstanding can be technically profitable while being cash-strapped. We track retainage as a separate receivable category, run a WIP schedule monthly, and produce job-level P&L for every active job.
These are the niche-specific issues a generic $200/mo bookkeeper either misses or charges extra for.
Job costing requires every cost (labor, materials, subs, equipment, indirect allocation) tagged to a specific job — without it, gross margin per job is invisible and bidding accuracy degrades
WIP schedule (work-in-progress) under POC method tracks contract value, costs to date, billings, over/under-billing — required for bonded work and bank financing, often missing in small GC books
Retainage receivable (5-10% withheld on each billing) is a working-capital trap — profitable on paper, cash-poor in reality, unless tracked separately from regular AR
Certified payroll (Davis-Bacon / Service Contract Act / state prevailing wage) reporting on public works requires WH-347 form weekly — non-compliance triggers debarment and back wages
Construction bookkeeping is dominated by industry-specific players (Foundation Software, Sage 100 Contractor with VAR partners, Knowify) at $300-$800/mo software-only, with bookkeeping services as a separate $600-$1,500/mo engagement. Pilot, Xendoo, and Bookkeeper360 do not understand job costing, retainage receivable, or the completed-contract vs percentage-of-completion methods that govern revenue recognition for long-term contracts.
| Provider | Monthly | Focus | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Industry-standard construction ERP + bundled accounting | |||
| Mid-market residential construction | |||
| Generalist business bookkeeping | |||
| Job costing, WIP schedule, retainage tracking, certified payroll prep, CGMA review |
3 questions. We reply within 1 business day with a specific scope of work and flat monthly rate for your situation.
Under IRC §460, contractors with average gross receipts under $30M (2026 small contractor threshold) and contracts under 2 years can elect either method. Above $30M or for contracts over 2 years, percentage-of-completion (POC) is mandatory for federal tax. POC recognizes revenue as costs incur (costs to date / estimated total costs × contract value), giving smoother income recognition and earlier tax — useful if you want predictable income for financing or owner draws. Completed-contract (CCM) defers all revenue until substantial completion (typically 95%) — useful if you want to defer tax to a year you expect lower income, or if a job is at risk of loss. The two methods can produce dramatically different taxable income in any given year. We model both at year-end with your tax preparer.
A work-in-progress (WIP) schedule is a monthly table showing every active job and these columns: contract value, change orders, total contract value, estimated total cost, costs to date, percent complete (costs to date / estimated total cost), revenue earned to date (percent complete × contract value), billings to date, over-billing (billings > earned = liability), under-billing (earned > billings = asset). Banks require WIP schedules for construction lines of credit because over-billing is essentially a customer deposit you have not earned (a working-capital boost that reverses on completion), and under-billing means you have earned revenue you have not collected (a working-capital drag). Bonded GCs need WIP for surety renewal. Without a WIP schedule, you are flying blind on your true cash position and your true profitability.
Both. Retainage receivable is a contractual right to collect (an asset) once jobs reach completion and lien-release procedures are met. But it is NOT in your bank, and many GCs forget about retainage during bidding, then run out of cash in the middle of a busy season because their cash conversion cycle is 60-90 days longer than their AR aging suggests. We track retainage in a separate "Retainage Receivable" account, age it by job, and surface the unbilled-retainage balance monthly. For projects that go bad (default, dispute, abandonment), retainage may be at risk and we flag it for potential write-down. The standard 5-10% retainage on a busy GC means $100k-$500k tied up at any time — knowing exactly how much and from whom is the difference between informed cash management and end-of-quarter panic.