Trade guide

You handle every job. We handle the books.

Handyman work runs on a high volume of small jobs, fast material runs, and payments that arrive every way imaginable. Generic bookkeepers leave cash and Venmo in a pile and never separate your business purchases from personal ones. We reconcile all of it, inside your own QuickBooks file, closed every month.

Quick answer
  • High job volume means lots of small receipts, mixed payment methods, and card swipes that have to reconcile to the dollar every month.
  • Business and personal spending must be clearly separated so your books reflect the actual cost of running jobs, not household purchases.
  • Small materials bought per job belong in cost of goods. Durable tools are a separate expense or fixed asset. Mixing them distorts your margins.
  • We work inside your own QuickBooks Online file, reconcile every account, and deliver an expert-reviewed close every month.

Why handyman books break with a generic bookkeeper

You might run five to ten jobs in a week, each with its own supply run, its own payment method, and its own mix of labor and materials. When a generalist bookkeeper dumps all of it into "income" and "supplies," you lose the job-level picture that tells you which work is actually worth your time. Payment method chaos makes it worse: cash, Venmo, Zelle, Square, and card all have to land in the right place or your bank reconciliation never closes.

  • Cash, Venmo, Zelle, Square, and card payments reconciled into one clean ledger every month
  • Business card and account charges separated from any personal spending
  • Job materials (lumber, fasteners, caulk, paint) tracked separately from durable tools
  • Occasional 1099 helpers flagged and W-9s collected as you go, not chased in January

Job costing for handyman work

Job costing does not have to be complex. We use Class tracking in QuickBooks to separate job types, such as repairs, installs, and small remodels, so you can see which category of work covers your time and materials. That turns a vague sense of a busy month into a clear read on which jobs to price higher and which ones to stop taking. On the Crew plan and up, that visibility is part of every monthly close.

What most handyman bookkeeping gets wrong

Mixed payments left unreconciled

Cash collected on site, a Venmo from one client, a Square swipe from another, and a direct bank transfer all represent real income. Leave any of them unmatched and your bank reconciliation fails and your income is understated. Every payment method needs its own clearing account or mapping in QuickBooks.

Materials and tools in the same bucket

A box of screws or a tube of caulk bought for a specific job is a material cost that belongs in cost of goods. A drill or a ladder that lasts years is a tool expense or a fixed asset. Merge them and every job looks less profitable than it is, and your depreciation is wrong too.

Business and personal spending tangled together

Running jobs through a personal card or paying personal bills from a business account is the fastest way to make month-end cleanup painful. When the separation is clean from day one, the close is fast and your numbers are trustworthy.

Which plan fits a handyman business

  • Truck, solo operator, 1 to 2 accounts, simple job tracking
  • Crew, growing crew, job costing, FSM sync included
  • Shop, payroll, 1099 subs, AR/AP, priority close
  • Builder, multi-entity, high volume, custom mapping

Compare all plans & add-ons →

Handyman bookkeeping FAQ

Can you reconcile cash and app payments like Venmo and Zelle?

Yes. We map every payment method, including cash, Venmo, Zelle, Square, and card, into QuickBooks so every dollar is accounted for and your bank reconciliation closes cleanly each month.

How do you handle materials versus tools?

Job materials bought for a specific project, like lumber, caulk, or fasteners, are categorized as cost of goods. Durable tools and equipment that last beyond a single job are tracked separately as tool expense or fixed assets so your job margins and depreciation both stay accurate.

Do you separate business and personal spending?

Yes. We flag and reclassify any personal charges that land in the business account and note any business charges that hit personal cards, so your books reflect only the actual cost of running jobs.

What about occasional 1099 helpers?

We collect W-9s and track payments to any helper you bring on through the year. That way January is a confirmation of clean numbers rather than a scramble for missing tax IDs. 1099 prep is included on the Shop plan: we keep W-9s and payment totals filing-ready all year, and your tax preparer files the forms.

Do I keep my QuickBooks file?

Always. We work inside your own QuickBooks Online subscription. If you ever leave, you keep the file and a clean set of workpapers. No proprietary ledger, no hostage data.

My books are months behind. Can you catch up?

Yes. If you're behind, we'll get you current fast. Our 6-month prepaid option includes a catch-up cleanup at no extra charge. We scope the backlog up front so there are no surprises.

Books built for the way handyman work actually works

Trade-native categories, job costing, and an expert-reviewed close every month. You keep your QuickBooks file.

Built for Trades, Not Generic Small BusinessExpert-Reviewed Monthly CloseMonth-to-Month. Cancel Anytime.Your Job Classes Stay YoursYou Own Your QuickBooks File. Always.Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro SyncBuilt for Trades, Not Generic Small BusinessExpert-Reviewed Monthly CloseMonth-to-Month. Cancel Anytime.Your Job Classes Stay YoursYou Own Your QuickBooks File. Always.Jobber, ServiceTitan, Housecall Pro Sync