Free Resources
The same templates and checklists we use with our own clients.
Chart of accounts templates built for your trade, a financial health scorecard, a job costing setup kit, and a construction readiness checklist, all free and delivered straight to your inbox.
Start Here
Not sure where your books stand? This takes five minutes and tells you.
Contractor Financial Health Scorecard
Score your bookkeeping 1 to 5 across the ten areas that matter most, from reconciliations and job costing to cash flow and tax readiness. The total tells you whether your books are helping you run the business or just checking a tax box.
- 10 questions, about 5 minutes
- Fillable PDF that adds up your score
Chart of Accounts Templates
Each template includes the full account list with notes on what goes where, a setup guide for your industry, and a tab formatted for direct import into QuickBooks Online.
Construction Subcontractor Chart of Accounts
Built for subs on bonded, public, and prevailing wage work.
- Retainage receivable and payable on the balance sheet
- Over and under billing accounts for the WIP schedule
- Fully burdened field labor and prevailing wage fringe
HVAC Chart of Accounts
Built for companies running service, replacement, and maintenance agreements.
- Equipment separated from parts, with refrigerant on its own line
- Consumer financing fees recorded where you can see them
- Setup guide for classes, deposits, and maintenance agreements
Plumbing Chart of Accounts
Built for companies running service, drain and sewer, replacements, and repipes.
- Fixtures and water heaters separated from pipe and fittings
- Equipment rentals and depreciation for sewer and drain work
- Setup guide for classes, financing, and home warranty work
Landscaping Chart of Accounts
Built for companies running maintenance routes alongside design-build work.
- Maintenance and design-build measured separately with classes
- Plants, hardscape, and landscape materials on their own lines
- Setup guide for deposits, progress billing, and crew cards
Pest Control Chart of Accounts
Built for companies running recurring routes alongside one-time and termite work.
- Technician labor fully burdened in cost of goods sold
- Chemicals and materials on their own line
- Setup guide for service classes, prepaid agreements, and commercial sales tax
Checklists and Tools
Tools for setting up job costing, getting ready for public work, figuring prevailing wage fringe credits, finding your true labor cost, and getting a ballpark on bookkeeping costs.
Job Costing Setup Kit
The workbook behind our job costing guide. Check where your system stands today, set up a job number log and a written cost policy, line up your estimates with your books, and see what a labor hour and a bid really cost you.
- Readiness check, job number log, cost policy, and roles
- Labor cost and bid pricing calculators
Construction Readiness Checklist
Sixteen questions that show whether your back office is ready for bonded, public, and prevailing wage work, covering certified payroll, job costing, retainage, cash between pay apps, and financials that hold up to a surety review.
- Fillable PDF that counts your checked boxes
- Clear read on whether you're ready to bid
Prevailing Wage Fringe Benefit Calculator
Enter the base and fringe rates from your wage determination and what you spend on each worker's benefits. It annualizes each benefit, caps the credit at the fringe, and shows the cash rate you still owe. No email required.
Labor Burden Calculator
Enter your field payroll, taxes, workers' comp, and benefits along with your hours. It shows your true cost per job hour and how much of your labor rate is left before overhead. No email required.
Markup Calculator
Enter what a part or a job's materials cost you and the markup you charge. It shows your selling price and gross margin, plus the markup you'd need to hit a target margin. No email required.
Bookkeeping Pricing Calculator
Answer a few questions about your business and get a ballpark on monthly bookkeeping costs in about two minutes. No email required.
Guides by Industry
Start with the guide for your industry. Each one links to the deeper posts on margins, job costing, and cash flow.
Rather have a CPA just look at your books?
Get a free review of where your books stand, covering what's working, what's missing, and what it would take to fix it. No obligation.
Request a Free Review