Bookkeeping for Contractors and Trades Businesses.
Contractor bookkeeping in cash-basis QuickBooks Online, kept by an IRS Enrolled Agent and Certified QuickBooks ProAdvisor. Your books and your tax return, handled by the same person. 100% virtual, so you never leave a job site for a meeting.
Built for Businesses That Run on Job Sites
Most contractors do not have time to keep their own books, and hiring someone full time makes no sense at your size. Civita does it for you. We work with plumbers, electricians, HVAC techs, landscapers, painters, and other trades businesses.
A real person does your books. That person is an Enrolled Agent, so the same one who sorts your charges every month is the one who files your return.
Work in a specific trade? We have pages for plumbers, HVAC contractors, electricians, landscapers, and painters.
More Time on the Job
We handle the books. You focus on the work.
No More Guessing
Know exactly where your business stands, every month.
Tax Season, No Scramble
Your books are ready when tax season hits.
Three Services. Clear Prices.
Everything runs on cash-basis bookkeeping in QuickBooks Online. No payroll. No extra software you do not need.
QuickBooks Setup
Best for businesses new to QuickBooks, or starting over. See what setup includes →
- Your categories set up for your trade, not a generic list
- Your bank, card, and payment accounts connected
- Your starting balances checked against real statements
- Sales tax you collect kept out of your income
- Your first month done right, as the model for the rest
Catch-Up Bookkeeping
Best for businesses months or years behind. Your price depends on how far back we go and how big your books are. $1,000 minimum. See how catch-up works →
- Every charge checked and fixed
- Every account matched to your statements
- Your books brought up to date and ready to file
- We tell you how long it will take in 3 business days
- Then we keep them up every month
Monthly Bookkeeping
Best for businesses that want it kept right every month. Your price depends on your size.
- Every charge sorted, every account matched
- Your numbers sent within 15 business days
- Materials and labor kept separate
- Your 1099 subs tracked all year
- Books kept by the Enrolled Agent who files your taxes
Monthly Bookkeeping
What monthly bookkeeping costs, and why.
Two things set how long your books take each month. How many accounts we match, and how many charges run through them. Your price comes from those two things and nothing else.
| Accounts | Charges a month | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 3 | Up to 100 | $500 |
| Up to 5 | Up to 200 | $750 |
| Up to 7 | Up to 300 | $1,000 |
| Up to 10 | Up to 500 | $1,400 |
What counts as an account? Anything with a monthly statement. Checking, savings, each credit card, each loan, and each payment app like Jobber or Square. Payment apps count as two.
We count your charges from three months of statements before we price you. We check your size every quarter and move you at the start of the next one. Never mid-month, never a surprise.
What Contractor Bookkeeping Includes Every Month
- Every charge sorted. Every payment in and out put in the right place, with rules built so it stays that way.
- Every account matched. Each statement tied out to the penny, so QuickBooks matches the bank.
- Your numbers within 15 business days. Profit and loss, balance sheet, in plain English. You will never wonder where your books are.
- Materials and labor kept separate. Most bookkeepers book a supply house run as one lump. That hides what your labor is actually earning you.
- 1099 subs tracked all year. Names and amounts assigned as we go, so January is a filing, not a scramble.
- Sales tax you collect, booked right. California treats the fixtures you sell differently from the materials you install. We put what you collect in the right place. We do not file that return, and we will tell you who should.
- IRS-ready books, always. Not an upgrade. The person keeping your books is an Enrolled Agent, so they are kept the way a return needs them from day one.
Priced Separately, Because Not Everyone Needs Them
- Field software — $250/month per system. Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan and FieldRoutes pay you in batches that do not match your invoices. We pull the settlement report each month and tie it out.
- Job costing — adds 50% to your monthly price, $400 minimum. We put what you actually spent against each job, so you can see what a job used up. One condition: you have to tell us the job when you buy, not at month end. We cannot guess it, and a guessed number is worse than none.
- Crew or location tracking — $150/month, free with job costing. Separate reporting by crew, truck, or service area.
How This Works
- Month to month. No contract. Leave any time. No cancellation fee, no minimum term.
- You invite us as your accountant in QuickBooks. One email, about two minutes. That is the access we need to match your accounts and fix what is off. We never ask for your bank login or your passwords.
- Your accounts stay connected. The feeds have to stay live for us to work.
- We ask, you answer within 5 business days. Some charges only you can explain. If we do not hear back in 5 business days, that month moves to the next one. We would rather say that up front than miss a deadline and explain it later.
- No payroll, no sales tax returns, no accrual accounting. We refer those out to people we trust. Knowing what we do not do is part of doing the rest of it well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does bookkeeping cost for a small business?
Monthly bookkeeping runs $500 to $1,400 a month. Your price comes from two things: how many accounts we match, and how many charges run through them. See the table above for where you land. Setup starts at $1,200, one time, if you are new to QuickBooks, and catch-up starts at $300 per month you are behind.
What's the difference between bookkeeping and accounting?
Bookkeeping is the record. We sort every charge, match every account, and send you your numbers each month. Accounting is what you do with that record — planning, tax strategy, deciding what to do next. We do that too, but it is priced separately. You pay for bookkeeping as bookkeeping, not bundled into a plan you may not use.
Do you work with trades and field-service businesses specifically?
Yes. We work mostly with plumbers, electricians, HVAC contractors, landscapers, and painters. Everything runs on QuickBooks Online, simple and cash-basis. We don't handle payroll.
What's different about bookkeeping for contractors?
Three things. Materials and labor are kept separate, so you can see what your labor actually earns. Your 1099 subs are tracked all year, so January is a filing, not a scramble. And if you use Jobber, Housecall Pro or ServiceTitan, we match each batch payout back to the jobs inside it. That one is an add-on, and so is job costing if you want your costs tracked by job.
What if I'm behind on my books?
That is common. Catch-up starts at $300 per month you are behind, with a $1,000 minimum. Send us three months of statements and we will confirm your full timeline within 3 business days. When your books are current, they roll into monthly bookkeeping. See how a catch-up works.
Do you offer job costing?
Yes, as an add-on. It adds 50% to your monthly price with a $400 minimum. One thing to know up front: on cash-basis books we can show you what a job cost you, not what it earned. Cash basis records money when it moves, so a job you invoice in March and get paid for in May shows its costs and its income in different months. If you need true job profitability, say so on the call and we will talk about whether we are the right fit.
Is tax return preparation included with bookkeeping?
No. Bookkeeping and tax prep are priced separately, and you won't pay a monthly fee for a return you file once a year. What you do get is the same person doing both. Your books are kept by an Enrolled Agent, so they are already in the shape your return needs, and the person filing it already knows every charge in it. See Tax Preparation Services for per-return pricing.
Need your tax return filed too? Tax prep is priced separately, per return — no monthly plan required.
See Tax Preparation Pricing →Let's Talk.
Every business's books are different. A quick conversation tells us if we're the right fit — and starts the process if we are.
Book a Free Consultation