--- title: "Outsourced bookkeeping for construction companies & contractors" description: "Outsourced bookkeeping for construction companies & contractors: dedicated remote bookkeepers categorise, reconcile and close your books in QuickBooks." url: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/bookkeeping/ updated: 2026-09-11 publisher: LedgerBPO (SS Support Network LLC) language: en-US --- # Outsourced bookkeeping for construction companies & contractors Outsourced bookkeeping for construction companies & contractors starts with the job. Every supplier invoice, fuel receipt, equipment rental ticket and subcontract draw needs a job number, a phase and a cost type before it is any use to an estimator. Your named accountant codes those transactions daily in QuickBooks Online projects, Buildertrend or Xero tracking categories, matches them to purchase orders and clears the bank feed. - Since 2020 - US · UK · CA · AU - Named accountant plus backup - Your software, no lock-in [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Updated September 2026 ## How it runs for construction companies and contractors Retainage, deposits on materials and customer overpayments are posted to the right balance-sheet accounts instead of revenue. By the close, estimate-versus-actual is current for every open job and the WIP schedule ties to the ledger. ## What is outsourced bookkeeping? Outsourced bookkeeping means a remote accounting team records, categorizes and reconciles your business transactions instead of an employee doing it in-house. You keep ownership of the accounting file and the bank relationship. The provider works inside your software on a fixed schedule, so the books are ready for reporting, tax and lending whenever you need them. ## What we handle for construction companies and contractors - Daily coding of bank and card feeds to job, phase and cost type - Supplier invoices matched to purchase orders and delivery tickets - Equipment costs allocated to jobs by hours or rental days - Material deposits and customer prepayments held on the balance sheet - Weekly open-items list of uncoded costs sent to the project manager ## The KPI that matters here Zero uncoded job costs older than 7 days, measured every Friday. ## Construction compliance notes ### Sales tax on materials In most US states a contractor pays sales tax on materials at purchase and does not charge tax on the finished job. A few states, including Arizona and Washington, tax the contract itself, and many states have separate rules for repair work versus new construction. We set up tax codes per state and contract type and track exempt purchases with resale or project certificates on file. ### Retainage Retainage withheld by owners is recorded as retainage receivable, and retainage you withhold from subcontractors is recorded as retainage payable. Several states cap retainage on public work, commonly at 5%, and set release deadlines after completion. We track the release date per contract so closeout billing goes out on time. ### Job costing and WIP Bonding companies and lenders expect a work-in-progress schedule that ties to the general ledger, with contract value, costs to date, estimated cost to complete and billings to date. We maintain the schedule monthly and book over and under billing entries so the P&L reflects percentage of completion. ### CIS in the UK Under the Construction Industry Scheme, UK contractors deduct 20% from registered subcontractors and 30% from unregistered ones, and file a monthly CIS return with HMRC. We verify subcontractors, prepare the deduction statements and CIS return workings, and reconcile deductions suffered against your PAYE liability. Your accountant or the business submits the return. ## Construction software we work in - [QuickBooks Online](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/quickbooks-online/) - [QuickBooks Desktop](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/quickbooks-desktop/) - [Xero](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/xero/) - [Bill.com](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/bill-com/) - [Gusto](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/gusto/) - [Sage 50](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/sage-50/) - Buildertrend - Procore - [All 50 platforms](https://ledgerbpo.com/software/) ## More for construction companies and contractors Other services for construction - [Invoicing and billing](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/invoicing-and-billing/) - [Accounts receivable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/accounts-receivable/) - [Accounts payable](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/accounts-payable/) - [Bank reconciliation](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/bank-reconciliation/) - [Month-end close](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/month-end-close/) - [Financial reporting](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/financial-reporting/) - [All construction services](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/) Bookkeeping in other industries - [Marketing agencies & consultancies](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/agencies/bookkeeping/) - [Auto repair shops & dealerships](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/auto/bookkeeping/) - [Behavioral health practices](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/behavioral-health/bookkeeping/) - [Daycares, schools & education](https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/childcare-education/bookkeeping/) - [The full bookkeeping page](https://ledgerbpo.com/services/bookkeeping/) ## Frequently asked questions ### How do you code costs to jobs without slowing down the field? Field staff keep using the app they already have, such as Buildertrend or a photo of the receipt sent to Dext. The accountant applies the job, phase and cost code in the ledger and asks the project manager only about items with no obvious job. Rules for recurring suppliers and equipment vendors handle most of the volume automatically. ### Do you track committed costs from purchase orders and subcontracts? Yes, open purchase orders and subcontract commitments are tracked per job so the estimate-versus-actual report shows costs to date plus committed costs. This gives a truer picture of remaining margin than paid invoices alone. When Buildertrend or Procore holds the commitments, we reconcile them to the ledger each month. ### Can you keep books for both a general contractor and its related entities? We keep separate files for the operating company, an equipment holding company and any development entity, with intercompany charges booked on both sides. Equipment rent, shared payroll and management fees are allocated by a schedule you approve. Consolidated views are prepared when a lender or surety asks for them. Next step ## Books closed. Invoices paid. Every month. Tell us what is going on with your books or billing. You will hear from a named person within 1 business day, with a custom quote and a plan for the first close. - Reply from a named person within 1 business day - No setup fee, month-to-month - Your software, your data, no lock-in Start with a custom quote [Get a custom quote](https://ledgerbpo.com/get-a-quote/) [Book a 20-minute call](https://ledgerbpo.com/book-a-call/) Or call [+1-657-777-0006](tel:+16577770006) during US, UK or Australian business hours. --- Source: https://ledgerbpo.com/industries/construction/bookkeeping/ · Contact: https://ledgerbpo.com/contact/ · Full site map for agents: https://ledgerbpo.com/llms.txt