Bid the next job off real numbers
When you know the true margin on your last ten jobs — labor burden, rework and all — you stop guessing on the next bid. A few points either way is the entire profit on a job.
Profit by job, every month
Construction-only bookkeeping · Oregon & Washington
Know which jobs made money.
Bookkeeping built for Oregon and Washington contractors. Job costing, clean monthly books, and state compliance handled by someone who knows construction accounting, so you can spend your time on the jobsite.
Job cost summary
Illustrative exampleKitchen remodel · Job #1042
Contract + change orders$90,700
Projected margin18.1%
Spent vs. budget
Labor92%
Materials104% · over budget
Subcontractors81%
Delivered with every monthly close, for every open job.
Why it pays
Your books should make you money, not just keep you legal.
Most contractors find out a job lost money about four months after they could have done anything about it. That is a bookkeeping problem, and it is fixable.
Catch the bleed while you can still stop it
Materials running 104% of budget in month two is a phone call to your supplier. The same number found at year end is just a smaller check. Timing is the whole value.
Books closed by the 6th
Stop paying for the mess later
Clean, job-costed books mean a smaller CPA bill, a faster answer from your bonding agent or lender, and no January scramble chasing W-9s and receipts.
Ready for your CPA, lender and bonding agent
Twenty years closing books — most recently as a CFO — pointed at your jobs instead of somebody else's.
Built for contractors up to about $1M a year
Custom home builders
Remodelers
Electricians, plumbers and HVAC
Excavation and site work
Framing, drywall and finish trades
Services
Books that match how you build
Monthly bookkeeping and job costing
Reconciled accounts, costs coded to the right job, and a clear monthly report showing profit by job, closed on a schedule you can count on.
Plans from $400/month
Cleanup and catch-up
Months behind or books in a mess? We rebuild them, set up job costing properly, and get you ready for your CPA or your lender.
Flat-fee quote after a free review
Subcontractor and 1099 tracking
W-9s collected, certificates of insurance tracked, and 1099s ready in January, so audit season and tax season don't catch you off guard.
Included with monthly plans
Oregon & Washington expertise
National firms don't know the Northwest. We do.
Oregon and Washington handle contractor taxes and payroll very differently. Your books should account for your state's rules from day one.
Oregon
CCB licensing and bonds
Renewal dates and bond costs tracked so your license never lapses.
Corporate Activity Tax
Commercial activity tracked so you know when the CAT applies.
Transit and local payroll taxes
Statewide transit tax and local payroll taxes recorded correctly on every payroll.
Lien and payment dates
Job start, completion and payment dates recorded, so lien-related deadlines are easy to see.
Washington
L&I contractor registration
Registration and bond renewals tracked so you stay legal to bid and build.
B&O tax
Gross receipts classified correctly for your Business & Occupation tax filings.
Sales tax by job location
Retail sales tax tracked by where each job is, not where your shop is.
L&I workers' comp and paid leave
Hours by risk class ready for quarterly L&I reports, with Paid Family and Medical Leave recorded on payroll.
Working both sides of the river?
Contractors with jobs in both states get one set of books that keeps each state's taxes, payroll and filings straight.
How it works
Three steps to clean books
STEP 1
Free 30-minute call
We look at how you run jobs today and where your books stand. No pressure, no jargon.
STEP 2
Cleanup and setup
We bring your books current and set up job costing in QuickBooks Online the way a contractor needs it.
STEP 3
Monthly close and job report
Books closed by the 6th of each month, with a profit report for every open job.
About
Hi, I'm Richard.
I've spent 20 years in accounting — most recently as a CFO — running period-end closes, multi-location cash reconciliations and job costing across retail, construction and manufacturing.
My heart is with the contractors. I started Square & True because they deserve a bookkeeper who understands how their business actually works — retainage, change orders, over- and under-billings, and a job that doesn't look profitable until the last draw clears.
Based in Central Oregon, working with contractors across Oregon and Washington. I've lived and worked in both states. You'll always work directly with me.
Do it yourself
Not ready for a bookkeeper?
The same job costing, WIP and 1099 tracking I set up for clients, built as spreadsheets you can run yourself. Seven of them, from $12.
Find out what your jobs are really earning.
Book a free 30-minute call. You'll leave with a clear picture of your books, whether or not we work together.
Book a free call