Job costing by project & phase
Every cost coded to the right job so margin is visible in real time.
General Contractors · Seattle & Tacoma
Job-costed accounting for Washington general contractors
General contractors run on tight margins across five or ten concurrent jobs, each with its own budget, subs, change orders, and material draws. We keep your books tied to each project so you know which jobs pay and which don't — before the year closes and it's too late to price the next one better.
Why general contractors accounting is different
General contracting accounting doesn't look like retail or professional-services accounting. Revenue on a single project can span 6-12 months, subs are paid weekly while customers pay on 30-60 day cycles, and every job carries its own budget the P&L needs to respect. Generic bookkeepers close the month by category (materials, labor, subs) — which tells you nothing about which of your six active jobs is actually bleeding. We close it by job, then roll it up.
What we hear from general contractors
- "Not knowing which jobs actually made money until year-end"
- "Subcontractor 1099s scrambled together every January"
- "Change orders and material draws living in three different spreadsheets"
- "Sales tax and B&O filings missed during busy season"
What we handle for general contractors
Fluent in QuickBooks Online, Buildertrend, Jobtread.
Subcontractor & 1099 tracking
W-9s collected year-round, 1099s filed on time in January.
Monthly reconciliation
Bank, credit card, and loan accounts reconciled every month.
WA sales tax & B&O
State and city filings handled — never miss a deadline.
Numbers we track for general contractors
Every monthly report includes the metrics that actually drive decisions in your business:
- Gross profit per job (target vs. actual)
- Cost-to-complete on open contracts
- Sub cost as % of contract value
- Days sales outstanding (customer A/R aging)
- Retainage receivable by project
Washington-specific for general contractors
In Washington, GCs face state B&O tax on gross receipts (not profit), retail sales tax collected on labor and materials in most residential work, and city-level B&O in Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, and 40+ other cities. Miss a city registration and the penalties compound quickly. We handle the multi-jurisdiction filing calendar so nothing slips.
Common bookkeeping mistakes in general contractors
We see these on almost every set of books we clean up. Fixing them is usually step one of onboarding.
- Coding all subs to one 'Subcontractors' account instead of splitting by 1099-eligible vs. corp exempt — makes January filing a nightmare
- Deducting sales tax on labor when the customer already paid it — inflates COGS and understates true margin
- Treating retainage as receivable at invoice date instead of holding it separately until release
General Contractors 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 general contractors 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