Service vs. project P&Ls
Service work and project work reported separately so you can price each correctly.
Electricians · Seattle & Tacoma
Service-vs-project accounting for electrical contractors
Electricians juggle service calls, small residential work, and larger commercial projects — three lines of work with completely different margins, labor mixes, and pricing logic. We split the books so each line has its own visible margin, so pricing the next service call or bidding the next commercial project is a data decision, not a guess.
Why electricians accounting is different
Electrical contractor accounting fails when service calls and project work share one P&L. A profitable service business ($150 minimums, 65% gross margin, small material cost) can subsidize a bleeding project business (6-figure bids, 12% margin, big material commitments) and no one notices for years. We separate the two so each business line has to stand on its own margin — and so quoting decisions are based on what actually pays.
What we hear from electricians
- "Service calls and project work reported as one blob"
- "Truck stock and inventory never really tracked"
- "Payroll costs not tied back to jobs"
- "Sales tax and L&I filings piling up"
What we handle for electricians
Fluent in QuickBooks Online, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro.
Truck stock & materials
Inventory and materials coded to the right jobs and vehicles.
Job-cost payroll
Labor allocated to jobs so project margin includes true payroll cost.
WA sales tax, B&O & L&I
State filings handled on time so you can stay in the field.
Numbers we track for electricians
Every monthly report includes the metrics that actually drive decisions in your business:
- Gross margin — service work vs. project work
- Billable hour ratio (billed hours ÷ total labor hours)
- Average service ticket size
- Truck stock value by vehicle
- L&I hours reported vs. payroll hours (must reconcile)
Washington-specific for electricians
Washington electricians pay B&O on gross receipts, collect retail sales tax on residential service and installation, and remit L&I workers' comp at industry-specific electrical rates that are meaningfully higher than most trades. We keep the L&I quarterly, sales tax monthly or quarterly, and B&O filings all on the same calendar so nothing gets missed during busy season.
Common bookkeeping mistakes in electricians
We see these on almost every set of books we clean up. Fixing them is usually step one of onboarding.
- Coding all revenue to one 'Sales' account — hides that project work is losing money
- Never doing a truck-stock count — inventory drift here easily hits five figures per truck per year
- Under-reporting L&I hours by using overtime as if it's straight time — real audit exposure
Electricians accounting — frequently asked questions
What Our Clients Say
74 five-star reviews from construction and real estate businesses across Washington
"Ruvim and his team have been great to work with. They're reliable, responsive, and provide accurate bookkeeping and payroll support. We appreciate their attention to detail and the outstanding work they do!"
"I worked with Ruvim and Ready Accounting for over two years and had a great experience. Ruvim is extremely responsible, reliable, and always on top of things. He built a great system that made reconciling all of our company accounts simple and organized, kept our filings on time, and helped us manage ACH payments to our trade partners smoothly. Ruvim is knowledgeable, responsive, and someone you can trust with the financial side of your business. Highly recommend Ready Accounting to any company looking for dependable and professional accounting support."
"Working with Ready Accounting has been smooth and stress-free. Ruvim is knowledgeable, responsive, and truly cares about your success. Highly recommend!"
"Ruvim is the best bookkeeper there is period. We have used several bookkeepers in the past but no one matched his level. I highly recommend using him."
"We have been with ready accounting for about half a year or so and let me say it's been amazing! Upon opening a business and hiring employees, there was so much things needed to be done where I had absolutely no clue how to do! A friend of mine recommended ready accounting and honestly never looked back! He does an amazing job and best of all, I don't have to do a thing! Thanks ready accounting for being trustworthy and amazing!"
"Ruvim is very organized, thorough and knowledgeable. Excellent communication skills, timely and cares about his clients and their business operations. Highly recommend!"
"Ruvim is an incredibly knowledgeable individual who consistently demonstrates responsiveness and helpfulness. Whenever I have questions, he promptly provides accurate answers, making him an invaluable resource for my business. His understanding of my business accounting needs is unparalleled, and he consistently delivers exceptional results. I wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone seeking reliable expertise and support."
5.0 rating from 74 Google reviews
Want the story behind the stars? Read real client case studies — including a Bellevue remodeler and a Tacoma developer.
Book a call with Ruvim
Tell us about your electricians business — we'll follow up to schedule a call, usually the same day.
Prefer to reach out directly? We answer most inquiries within a few hours during business days.
Email us
Info@readyaccounting.coCall us
(253) 367-3672