Job costing, bookkeeping and True Cost

Every dollar a job actually took (materials, subs, labor, fees) on the job that spent it. Not buried in overhead. Not left uncoded.

Job costing means tracking every cost against the job that caused it: materials, subcontractors, labor, equipment, permits and dump fees. Each job ends up with its own profit and loss, so you can see which jobs, and which kinds of jobs, actually make you money.

You compare each job’s contract price, including change orders, to what it has cost so far. That only works if every cost is on the right job. Our job-by-job report shows contract, cost to date and margin for every open job, plus the costs that aren’t on a job yet, so a job running over shows up while you can still do something about it.

Profit and cash are different things. Common reasons for contractors: retainage held back by the customer, work you’ve paid for but haven’t billed yet, materials bought ahead for upcoming jobs, and loan payments or owner draws that don’t show on the profit and loss. Your monthly file shows where the cash went, not just the profit.

A work-in-progress (WIP) schedule compares what you’ve billed on each job to how much of the job is actually done. Billed more than you’ve earned is overbilling: that cash still has work attached to it. Earned more than you’ve billed is underbilling: you’re financing your customer. Both plans include it.

Cost codes are the categories inside each job, like demo, framing, electrical, plumbing and finishes. When they match how you bid, you can compare what you estimated to what you spent, line by line, and bid the next job better. We set them up to match your estimates.

A job cost is anything spent for a specific job. Overhead is what it costs to run the company no matter which jobs are going: office rent, admin salaries, software, general insurance. Some costs, like trucks and small tools, can go either way. We agree on a rule with you once and apply it the same way every month.

Buildertrend, ServiceTitan and Service Fusion, alongside QuickBooks Online or Desktop. If you run jobs in something else, name it in the form and we’ll tell you plainly whether we can work with it.

Yes. We set it up to agree with QuickBooks, then match bills, purchase orders, invoices and change orders job by job every month.

Yes. Same approach: we set up your jobs, cost codes and vendors to match QuickBooks, then check the two against each other every month and fix anything that came across wrong.

Buildertrend, ServiceTitan and Service Fusion all connect to QuickBooks, but the connection only works when both sides are set up the same way: the same jobs, the same cost codes, the same vendors. We set that up once, then check the two against each other every month and fix anything that came across wrong.

Both. QuickBooks Online is where we work best, and Andrew, our founder, has spent 5 years working in it. If you’re on Desktop, we’ll talk through staying put or moving during your free True Cost check.

That’s fine. We can job cost directly in QuickBooks.

Yes. That’s the one-time setup: books caught up and cleaned, cost codes that match how you bid, vendors cleaned up, and your job software and QuickBooks in agreement. It’s priced after your free check, based on what actually needs fixing.

We replace your bookkeeper. Your books are kept weekly and every account is reconciled, the same as a good bookkeeper would, plus every cost goes on its job and you get a job-by-job profit report. If someone in your office does the books today, we take that off their plate so they can get back to running the office.

Vendors, suppliers and crews send every bill and receipt to one email address. Card swipes come in through your bank feeds and get matched to their receipts. Nothing sits in a truck or a glovebox.

When a cost comes in, it goes to the PM on that job, who codes it in a few taps. That’s it. We handle the rest.

That’s our job. We chase them, not you. If one goes quiet, their name shows up on your report.

Yes. We catch duplicates, reprinted invoices and already-paid notices before they get paid twice.

The same file in the same order every month: an owner summary with the three things to know, every open job with cost and billing to date, costs not on a job yet, finished jobs against the bid, over and under billing, your P&L and balance sheet, and receivables with retainage. Plus a recorded walk-through, so you don’t need a meeting to understand it.

By the 15th, or 3 business days after month end with the 72-hour close. If our weekly questions get answered late, the file still ships on time, with those items marked open. Late file, that month is free.

An add-on to either plan. Your books are closed and reconciled 3 business days after month end instead of by the 15th, so you see last month’s numbers while you can still act on them.

No. We keep the books and the job costs. Your payroll provider and tax preparer get clean, closed books to work from.

One flat monthly fee, set by how many bills come in each week. Up to 50 bills a week is $1,750 a month on the Monthly plan or $2,250 on the Weekly plan. 51 to 100 bills is $2,500 or $3,000. 101 to 200 bills is $3,250 or $4,000. Over 200 is quoted. See the fee table.

Both put every cost on its job every week. The difference is when your profit report comes: once a month, or every Monday. Weekly is for owners who want to catch a job running over in days, not at month end.

So you know the bill before it comes, and you never think twice about sending us a question. If your volume changes for good, we adjust your fee at the quarterly review, not by the hour.

Yes, a one-time setup, priced after your free True Cost check based on what actually needs fixing. You’ll know the exact number before you commit.

No. Month to month.

Your file lands by the 15th, or that month is free.

Remodelers, custom home builders and trade contractors (HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing) doing $750K a year or more who want to know which jobs make money. If you already have an in-house accounting team, you probably don’t need us.

You fill in the short form below and connect QuickBooks or send an export. Within 3 business days you get a one-page snapshot, plus one thing about your jobs you didn’t know. Then a 20–30 minute call, and you leave with your exact monthly fee and setup cost. No cost, no obligation.

A QuickBooks Online connection, or 12 months of exports. That’s it.

We’re based in Houston and built around Houston contractors, including Katy, Cypress, Sugar Land, The Woodlands, Pearland and League City. Most of the work happens online, so you’ll rarely need to meet in person.

No. We record, flag and report. You approve and pay every bill, and we never hold access to send money.

Stored with US-hosted services, seen only by our team. Your books, documents and job history are yours, and they leave with you if you do.