Bookkeeping & Tax Tips for Trades Business Owners

Job Costing in QuickBooks Online: A Setup Guide for Trades Businesses

Job Costing in QuickBooks Online: A Setup Guide for Trades Businesses

Job Costing in QuickBooks Online: A Setup Guide for Trades BusinessesJoseph Rios, PhD, EA
Published on: 10/24/2026

How to set up job costing in QuickBooks Online with Projects: which plan you need, how to tag costs and labor to each job, and which reports to run.

Markup vs. Margin: How Trades Owners Should Price Parts and Labor

Markup vs. Margin: How Trades Owners Should Price Parts and Labor

Markup vs. Margin: How Trades Owners Should Price Parts and LaborJoseph Rios, PhD, EA
Published on: 10/24/2026

The difference between markup and margin, with a conversion chart and worked examples for parts and labor. Why a 30% markup is not a 30% margin.

Labor Burden: How to Calculate Your Fully Burdened Labor Rate

Labor Burden: How to Calculate Your Fully Burdened Labor Rate

Labor Burden: How to Calculate Your Fully Burdened Labor RateJoseph Rios, PhD, EA
Published on: 10/23/2026

What labor burden is, what goes into it, and how to calculate your fully burdened labor rate, with a worked example for an HVAC tech.

How to Calculate Overhead for a Trades Business (With Examples)

How to Calculate Overhead for a Trades Business (With Examples)

How to Calculate Overhead for a Trades Business (With Examples)Joseph Rios, PhD, EA
Published on: 10/23/2026

How to calculate overhead costs and your overhead rate, with a worked HVAC example. What counts as overhead, and what it means for your hourly rate.