Founder and Construction Accountant
Colleen Brandt
Construction tax, year-end and surety packages.
SHEET 00 · GROUNDBREAK TO CLOSEOUT
Construction accounting in Kansas City, closed job by job every month.
Job-cost books, a monthly WIP schedule, crew and certified payroll and construction tax for contractors on both sides of State Line, from an office in the West Bottoms.
SHEET A-001 · GENERAL NOTES
What a project accountant would do, without the hire.
Kansas City contractors post jobs for project accountants and construction controllers every week, and the duty list is always the same: job cost, progress billing, a WIP, payroll. We do that list for you every month. Job-cost books close by the 15th, the WIP schedule follows, crew payroll runs weekly and construction tax is planned from the same numbers.
15th
The day of the month your books close, every month. Then the WIP follows.
10
Business days from your open job list to a WIP schedule and fade report.
40+
Contractors we keep the books for across Missouri and Kansas. Illustrative figure for a concept site.
SHEET A-101 · BID
Bid
The estimate becomes the budget.
Before you mobilize, every job gets a number, phases and cost codes that match how you estimate. That way the estimate is not a file you never open again; it is the budget each cost is measured against, from the first invoice to the last. How job costing is set up.
- Jobs, phases and cost codes
- Budget loaded from the estimate
- Schedule of values ready
SHEET S-201 · MOBILIZE
Mobilize
Crews start, and so does the payroll clock.
Timecards come in Monday and payroll runs that week, withheld for the right state and for the Kansas City earnings tax when the work is inside city limits. On a public job the certified payroll goes out within seven days of payday, ready for your signature. Crew and certified payroll.
- Weekly payroll in two states
- WH-347s within seven days
- Labor burden posted to jobs
SHEET S-301 · BUILD
Build
Every month, a WIP that shows the fade.
Pay apps go out against the schedule of values, retainage is tracked both ways and the books close by the 15th. Then the WIP: percent complete, over and under billings and profit fade on every open job, in the format your surety and bank ask for. WIP schedules and bonding.
- Pay apps reconciled to the SOV
- Over and under billings
- Fade report on every open job
SHEET A-901 · CLOSE OUT
Close out
Retainage in, waivers signed, profit known.
The punch list is done, but the money is not until retainage is billed and collected and every lien waiver is logged. We chase the paperwork, close the job in the books and put its final margin next to the estimate, so the next bid starts from what really happened. How subs track retainage.
- Retainage billed and collected
- Lien waiver log complete
- Final margin against estimate
SHEET G-001 · YEAR-END
Year-end
Tax planned from the WIP, not in March.
By the third quarter the WIP already shows what the year will look like. We plan the accounting method and the entity from it, file the Kansas City profits tax and the Missouri and Kansas returns the jobs require, and hand your outside CPA a clean year-end package. Construction tax.
- Q4 planning meeting
- KCMO RD-108 profits return
- Year-end surety package
SPEC INDEX · SERVICES
Five services, in the order money moves through a job.
Books first, then the WIP, then payroll, then tax. Each one feeds the next, and every price is on the pricing page.
SPEC 01
Books and job costing
Every cost by job, phase and cost code, closed by the 15th.
From $1,350 a month illustrative
SPEC 02WIP and bonding
A monthly WIP schedule and fade report your surety and bank can read.
In Controller, $3,900 a month illustrative
SPEC 03Crew and certified payroll
Weekly crews in two states, WH-347s and prevailing wage records the same week.
From $2,450 a month illustrative
SPEC 04Construction tax
Entity, accounting method and the KCMO profits tax, planned from the WIP.
From $2,800 a year illustrative
SPEC 05Specialty subcontractors
Electrical, mechanical, concrete, roofing and sitework, trade by trade.
Same monthly prices illustrative
SCHEDULEEvery price
Three monthly tiers and four fixed projects, published.
See pricing →
DETAIL 05 · THE TRADES
Subs we keep the books for, trade by trade.
Retainage held by the GC, pay apps, lien waivers and back charges are the same for every sub. The rest depends on the trade. See specialty subcontractors.
TRADE 01
Electrical
Material-heavy jobs, long schedules, and service work in the same books.
TRADE 02
Mechanical, HVAC and plumbing
Service and construction split, warranty callbacks, Kansas remodel labor taxed.
TRADE 03
Concrete and masonry
Crew-heavy jobs, weather days and equipment cost charged to each job.
TRADE 04
Steel and framing
Big draws, stored materials billed right, retainage on both sides.
TRADE 05
Roofing and sitework
Many short jobs, equipment hours to jobs, public work on prevailing wage.
PROJECT DIRECTORY · PEOPLE
Three names, and you will have all three numbers.
Colleen runs tax and year-end, Andre builds the WIP, Teresa runs payroll. Call any of them; they all know your jobs. More on the about page.
Controller
Andre Ellison
Monthly WIP schedules, fade reports, bank and surety packages.
Payroll Lead
Teresa Tran
Crew payroll, certified payroll, prevailing wage records.
SCHEDULE OF VALUES · PRICES
Priced per month, in writing.
Three monthly tiers and fixed project fees. Illustrative prices for a concept site; the pricing page shows what moves you up a tier.
Job-cost books
Up to about 15 open jobs. You run payroll elsewhere.
$1,350/ MONTH
- Books by job, phase and cost code
- Committed costs and change orders
- Retainage and pay apps reconciled
Most contractors
Books and payroll
Crews in Missouri and Kansas, some public work.
$2,450/ MONTH
- Everything in Job-cost books
- Weekly crew payroll, both states
- Certified payroll and WH-347s
Construction controller
Bonded work, a bank line, or a surety review coming.
$3,900/ MONTH
- Everything in Books and payroll
- Monthly WIP schedule and fade report
- Over and under billings tracked
RFI 01What software do you work in?
QuickBooks set up with jobs and classes, or the construction ERP you already run. We do not resell software. If your books are in a general ledger with no job structure, the first month sets that up; see construction bookkeeping.
RFI 02Do you do our audit or review?
No. We are not CPAs and we do not issue audit, review or compilation reports. We prepare the year-end WIP and the supporting schedules your outside CPA needs for the review or audit your surety asks for. See WIP schedules and bonding.
RFI 03Can you take over in the middle of the year?
Yes. We start with your open jobs, rebuild the job cost from the start of the year where we need to, and the first monthly close follows. Most contractors start with the WIP schedule build, because it shows where the books stand.
RFI 04Do you handle certified payroll?
Yes, weekly. We prepare the WH-347 or the public body's format within seven days of payday, and you or an officer sign the Statement of Compliance. Missouri prevailing wage records and the affidavit at completion are included. See contractor payroll.
RFI 05We have jobs in Missouri and Kansas. Is that a problem?
It is normal here. The two states tax a contractor differently on materials and on labor, and the Kansas City earnings tax depends on where the work is done. We keep the two straight; the State Line sales tax guide explains the main differences.
RFI 06How much does it cost?
Job-cost books from $1,350 a month, books and crew payroll from $2,450, and the construction controller tier with a monthly WIP from $3,900. The WIP schedule build is $1,250 and is credited to your first month. Every price is on the pricing page. Illustrative prices for a concept site.
SHEET 99 · CLOSEOUT
Every job, closed out properly.
Send your open job list. In ten business days you get a WIP schedule and a fade report, $1,250 fixed and credited to your first month if you stay. Illustrative price.