Monthly bookkeeping & close
Accurate categorization of materials, labor, subcontract costs, overhead, and revenue. Full monthly close with P&L, balance sheet, and written commentary so you know where the money went.
Bookkeeping for plumbing contractors
Bookkeeping built for plumbers.
Job costing per job, subcontractor 1099s, crew payroll, sales tax on parts vs labor, vehicle write-offs, and a live dashboard so you know which jobs are actually profitable — not just your bank balance.
Ricky West — Founder, TurnkeyCFO
We work with plumbing contractors — from solo masters to 10-truck shops — on job costing, subcontractor compliance, crew payroll, and books that show you which services and jobs are actually making money. We coordinate with your CPA on tax filings.
Solo–20+crew sizes served
100%client retention
Fastresponse times
QuickBooks Online · Gusto · Ramp — professional liability insured — month-to-month, 30-day notice
Book your 15-minute intro call.
Pick a time right here — no prep required.
Generic bookkeepers miss what drives profit in plumbing.
Plumbing contractors run on job margin, not bank balance. Subcontractor compliance, parts vs labor tax treatment, and vehicle costs are where your books either tell the truth or don't. Most bookkeepers have never touched any of it.
What changes with TurnkeyCFO
What TurnkeyCFO handles
- Job costing per job — materials, labor, and subcontract costs allocated so you see margin by job, not just total revenue
- Subcontractor W-9s collected at first payment; 1099-NEC tracked and filed by January 31
- Sales tax on parts (taxable) separated from labor (often exempt) — correct from the first invoice
- Vehicle and equipment depreciation tracked and reconciled to your tax return categories
- Live dashboard: revenue by job type, cost per job, cash flow forecast
What most bookkeepers miss
- All revenue lumped as "plumbing services" — no job-level visibility
- Subcontractors paid without W-9s — 1099s missed or wrong
- Parts and labor taxed the same — wrong sales tax remittance
- Vehicles and tools expensed instead of depreciated — overstated costs
- Month-end PDF with no idea which jobs made money
Everything your plumbing business needs. Nothing it doesn't.
Every service below is built for how plumbing contractors actually operate — jobs, crews, subs, parts, trucks.
Job costing & profitability tracking
Every job tracked from estimate to completion — materials, labor hours, subcontract costs, and margin. Know which services (service calls, new construction, remodels) and which jobs make you money before you bid the next one.
Crew payroll
Weekly or bi-weekly payroll for licensed plumbers, apprentices, and office staff — correct workers' comp classification per role, Gusto integration, quarterly 941 reconciliation.
Subcontractor 1099 tracking
W-9 collected at first payment, payments tracked against the $600 threshold, 1099-NEC prepared and filed by January 31 — so you're never scrambling in January and never face IRS backup withholding penalties.
Bill pay & AP
Supplier invoices, material purchases, and vendor payments handled so your accounts payable is always current and your books close on time.
Vehicle & equipment tracking
Work trucks, vans, and major tools tracked as fixed assets with correct depreciation schedules — Section 179, bonus depreciation, or straight-line. Reconciled to your CPA's tax return categories so nothing falls through the cracks.
Live financial dashboard
Revenue by job type, gross margin by service category, outstanding receivables, and cash flow forecast — updated monthly so you're making decisions with real numbers, not gut feel.
Tax filings and legal matters — coordinated with your CPA or attorney. TurnkeyCFO does not provide tax or legal advice; we keep your books filing-ready and support the process end-to-end.
Deep working knowledge of plumbing contractor finances.
The day-to-day realities most bookkeepers have never touched. We have.
Job costing for plumbers
Margin by job, not just total revenue.
Materials, direct labor, subcontract costs, and overhead allocated per job using QuickBooks job costing. Service call vs new construction vs remodel jobs tracked separately so you know which work type is worth pursuing — and at what price.
Subcontractor compliance
W-9 at first payment. 1099-NEC by Jan 31.
The IRS expects 1099-NEC for any subcontractor paid $600+ in the year. Missing W-9s trigger 24% backup withholding obligations. We track payments from day one, chase W-9s before year-end, and file by January 31 to both the sub and the IRS.
Sales tax on parts vs labor
Parts are typically taxable. Labor often isn't.
Most states tax the sale of tangible property (pipe, fixtures, parts) but exempt separately-stated labor on repair jobs. Lump-sum billing triggers tax on the whole job in many states. We separate your invoices correctly from day one so you're collecting and remitting the right amount — not overpaying or underremitting.
Vehicle & equipment depreciation
Trucks and tools are assets, not expenses.
Work vehicles and major equipment are fixed assets with multi-year depreciation schedules. Section 179 and bonus depreciation can accelerate deductions in the purchase year — your CPA decides the strategy, we make sure the books support it. Mileage vs actual expense method tracked and reconciled.
Cash flow for material-heavy jobs
Deposits in, materials out — weeks before invoice.
Plumbing jobs front-load cash: you buy materials and pay labor before you invoice. We track work-in-progress, outstanding draws, and cash requirements by job so you know what's coming before a big job cash-crunches you. Progress billing schedules reconciled monthly.
Workers' comp & payroll classification
Master plumber, journeyman, apprentice — different rates.
Workers' comp premiums are calculated on payroll by classification code. Journeymen and apprentices carry different rates than office staff. Misclassification leads to audit exposure and unexpected premiums at policy renewal. We set up payroll classifications correctly and reconcile to your policy on renewal.
Onboarding takes days, not months.
Simple, fast, and designed not to take you off the jobsite.
15-min intro call
We learn your business — truck count, crew size, service mix, current software, and where the books are breaking down.
Books & access review
We connect to QuickBooks, clean historical data, and set up job costing categories around your service types.
Live visibility
Monthly close package, job profitability dashboard, and subcontractor compliance workflows running clean — every month.
Questions plumbing contractors ask us first
Do you replace our CPA?
No — we work alongside your CPA. We keep books clean and filing-ready year-round so your CPA can file your return without a month of cleanup. If you don't have a CPA who understands contractors, we can refer one.
Can you handle job costing in QuickBooks?
Yes. We set up QuickBooks job costing around your service types — service calls, new construction, remodels, commercial — and allocate materials, labor, and subcontract costs to each job so you see margin by job, not just totals.
What if I use subcontractors seasonally?
We track every sub from the first payment. W-9 at hire, payments tracked against the $600 threshold, 1099-NEC filed by January 31. Seasonal subs are the most common source of 1099 misses — we close that gap from day one.
How do you handle the sales tax on parts vs labor question?
We separate taxable material sales from labor on every invoice category. The specific rules vary by state (and sometimes by job type), so we coordinate with your CPA on the right treatment — but the books are always separated correctly so you're remitting the right amount.
Can you help with vehicle and equipment tracking?
Yes. Work trucks, vans, and major tools are tracked as fixed assets with depreciation schedules reconciled to your tax return. We document purchase dates, costs, and business-use percentages so your CPA has everything needed to maximize depreciation deductions.
Do you work with Jobber, ServiceTitan, or other field service software?
Yes. We integrate your field service software with QuickBooks so revenue, job costs, and receivables sync correctly — no double entry. We work with Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro, and most other platforms.
Is our data secure?
Everything lives in QuickBooks Online, Gusto, and Ramp — enterprise-grade platforms with role-scoped access per team member. Credentials are never shared by email and we maintain professional liability insurance.
Can we cancel?
Month-to-month, 30-day notice. No multi-year contracts. We keep clients because the work is good, not because the paperwork traps them.
How much does this cost?
Our instant estimate takes about 60 seconds and gives you a real price range based on your crew size, truck count, and job volume — not a generic number. Tap any "Instant Estimate" button on the page.
Ready to know which jobs actually make money?
Get your instant estimate, then book a 15-minute call to talk through fit and scope. No pressure, no sales pitch.