Jobs that quietly lose money
Without real job costing and a WIP schedule, a contractor can look profitable while individual jobs bleed — the loss only shows up after the job (and the cash) is gone.
Florida · Construction Accounting
Florida construction accounting that knows which job made money.
Florida contractors don’t fail on revenue — they fail on jobs that quietly lost money while the books looked fine. We set up real job costing, WIP, AIA billing, and retainage, get the Florida real-property-improvement sales-tax treatment right, keep books bonding- and DBPR-ready, and track subcontractor 1099s — by a named QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
Bookkeeping & advisory · Fixed-fee · written scope in 3 days
§The short version
TechBrot delivers QuickBooks ProAdvisor construction accounting for Florida contractors — job costing, WIP schedules, AIA billing, retainage, the Florida real-property-improvement sales-tax treatment, DBPR- and bonding-ready books, and subcontractor 1099 records, set up in your own QuickBooks file. The full Florida construction summary is below.
Maintained by TechBrot Inc. Florida construction sales-tax treatment (contractor as consumer of materials on real-property improvements vs. retail-sale-plus-installation) reflects Department of Revenue rules current as of the date this page was last updated and varies by contract; confirm with the Department and your CPA.
§In one paragraph
Florida construction accounting, plainly.
TechBrot provides construction accounting for Florida contractors — general contractors, subs, and specialty trades — in your own QuickBooks file by a named QuickBooks ProAdvisor. The job is to show which jobs make money and keep Florida’s sales-tax and licensing requirements clean.
Florida adds its own weight. The sales-tax treatment of construction turns on the contract: on a real-property improvement, the contractor is generally the consumer of the materials (you pay tax when you buy them and don’t separately charge the customer sales tax on materials), while a retail-sale-plus-installation contract is treated differently — and fabrication and mixed contracts change it again. Contractors keep books DBPR-aware for licensing and the financials a surety needs for bonding, and a sub-heavy roster needs clean 1099s. We set up job costing, WIP, AIA billing, and retainage, and keep the Florida sales-tax and sub records straight — CPA-ready. We keep the books; your CPA confirms contract taxability and files.
§Quick answers
Florida construction accounting, in five questions.
What is Florida construction accounting?
Real job costing, WIP schedules, AIA billing, and retainage, plus the Florida real-property-improvement sales-tax treatment, DBPR- and bonding-ready books, and subcontractor 1099 records — so contractors see which jobs make money and stay compliant. A named QuickBooks ProAdvisor does the books; your CPA confirms taxability and files.
How does Florida sales tax work on construction?
It depends on the contract. On a real-property improvement, the contractor is generally the consumer of the materials — you pay sales tax when you buy them and don’t separately charge the customer; a retail-sale-plus-installation contract is treated differently, and fabrication or mixed contracts change it again. We set the books up to match how your contracts work; your CPA confirms the determination.
How do you handle job costing and WIP?
We tie labor, materials, subs, and equipment to each job and maintain a WIP schedule (costs vs billings) so over- and under-billings are visible and you know real job margin before the job closes — not after.
Do Florida contractors deal with prevailing wage?
Florida has no statewide prevailing-wage law; certified payroll under federal Davis-Bacon applies only on federally funded projects. We keep payroll and job coding clean so certified payroll can be produced where required; the submission and labor compliance stay with you or your payroll provider.
Do you file Florida taxes or determine contract taxability?
No — we keep the books CPA-ready and set them up to match your contract structure; your CPA confirms the real-property-improvement taxability and files. We’re independent, don’t represent clients before the Department, and aren’t affiliated with Intuit.
§Why Florida contractor books break
Three places Florida contractors lose the numbers.
Profitable-looking contractors go under when these go unmanaged. Knowing which one you’re in tells us where to start.
Real-property-improvement treatment
Florida taxes construction by contract type — real-property improvement makes you the consumer of materials; retail-sale-plus-installation doesn’t. Books set up wrong for your contract type mean sales tax is mishandled on every job.
Subcontractor records
A sub-heavy roster with sloppy 1099 records is an audit and a backcharge waiting to happen — and blurs the job-cost picture when sub costs aren’t tied to jobs.
§What TechBrot handles
Florida construction accounting, done by an expert.
Every engagement is scoped to your jobs and crew, delivered in your own QuickBooks file by a named QuickBooks ProAdvisor.
Real job costing
Labor, materials, subs, and equipment tied to each job so true job margin is visible, not a blended number.
QuickBooks accountant →WIP schedules
Costs vs billings tracked per job so over- and under-billings and real margin are visible before the job closes.
Monthly bookkeeping →Contract-correct sales tax
Books set up for real-property-improvement or retail-plus-installation so Florida sales tax is handled right on materials — your CPA confirms.
Sales tax help →AIA billing & retainage
Progress billing (AIA G702/G703) and retainage receivable/payable tracked so cash and billings stay straight.
QuickBooks accountant →Bonding- & DBPR-ready books
Clean financials a surety needs for bonding and the records that support your DBPR/CILB licensing.
Financial statements →Subcontractor 1099s
Sub records and 1099s kept clean and tied to jobs — ready for filing season and clean on the job-cost side.
Bookkeeping services →§Tools we work alongside
Connected to how you build.
- Procore, Buildertrend, and construction-management platforms
- Knowify and job-costing tools
- Gusto, ADP, and construction payroll providers
- Certified-payroll tools for federal Davis-Bacon jobs
- Bill.com for subcontractor and vendor AP
- QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop — your file
We reconcile alongside the project-management and payroll tools you already run — the books read from how you build.
§How engagements work
From guesswork to job-level profit.
Every Florida construction engagement follows the same rhythm — books accurate first, job-profit visibility second, advisory third.
Free job & contract review
A QuickBooks ProAdvisor reviews your jobs, WIP, and how your contracts are treated for Florida sales tax — at no cost.
Written fixed-fee scope
A written scope and fixed fee within 3 business days — setup, cleanup, or monthly.
Build job costing & WIP
Job costing and a WIP schedule set up, AIA billing and retainage tracked, sales tax set to your contract type.
Monthly job profit
A monthly close showing job-level profit and WIP, CPA-ready and bonding-ready.
§Beyond the books
Accurate job costs are the start. Winning the right bids is the point.
When job costs are accurate and WIP is visible, the decisions get real: which work to bid, which crews and job types make money, whether to take the bonded job — answered from numbers that tie.
That’s where fractional-CFO advisory picks up, in coordination with your CPA and bonding agent.
§Page review & standards
Maintained by TechBrot.
This page reflects how TechBrot handles Florida construction engagements. It is maintained by TechBrot Inc., a Delaware-incorporated bookkeeping and advisory firm, and kept current on job costing, WIP, retainage, and the Florida real-property-improvement sales-tax treatment against Florida Department of Revenue guidance current as of the date below. Contract taxability varies by project; confirm with the Department and your CPA. TechBrot delivers the books and coordinates with your CPA, who files; we do not make taxability determinations or represent clients before tax authorities.
Standards
Verified vs the Florida Department of Revenue · No tax-filing, taxability-determination, or representation claims (out of scope) · Contract taxability varies — confirm with the Department & your CPA · No fabricated data
§FAQ
Florida construction accounting questions.
What does Florida construction accounting include?
Real job costing, WIP schedules (costs vs billings), AIA progress billing and retainage, books set up for the Florida real-property-improvement sales-tax treatment, bonding- and DBPR-ready financials, and subcontractor 1099 records — in your own QuickBooks file. We deliver the books; your CPA confirms contract taxability and files.
How does Florida sales tax work on a construction contract?
It turns on the contract. On a real-property improvement, the contractor is generally treated as the consumer of the materials — you pay sales tax when you buy them and don’t separately charge the customer sales tax on materials. A retail-sale-plus-installation contract (where you sell tangible items and install them) is treated differently, and fabrication or mixed contracts change it again. We set the books up to match your contract type; your CPA confirms the determination and files. Taxability varies — confirm with the Department and your CPA.
How do job costing and WIP schedules work?
We tie labor, materials, subcontractors, and equipment to each job and maintain a WIP schedule comparing costs incurred to amounts billed. That surfaces over- and under-billings and shows real job margin before the job closes — so a job that’s bleeding gets caught while you can still do something about it, not at year-end.
Do Florida contractors have to deal with prevailing wage and certified payroll?
Florida has no statewide prevailing-wage law. Certified payroll under federal Davis-Bacon applies only on federally funded projects. We keep payroll and job coding clean so certified payroll can be produced accurately where it’s required; the submission and labor-compliance obligations stay with you or your payroll provider. We keep the books behind it right.
Can you keep books ready for bonding and DBPR licensing?
Yes — we keep clean, organized financials that support the surety financials a bonding agent needs and the records behind your DBPR/CILB contractor licensing. The license and bond are yours to maintain; we make sure the books behind them are accurate and current so renewals and bonding aren’t a scramble.
Do you work in my own QuickBooks file?
Yes — your file, your data, in QuickBooks Online or hosted Desktop, with a named ProAdvisor on the same file every month, connected to your construction-management and payroll tools rather than proprietary software.
Do you file my Florida taxes?
No. TechBrot is a bookkeeping and advisory firm — we keep the books CPA-ready and coordinate with your CPA, who confirms contract taxability and files the sales tax and corporate income tax. We don’t make taxability determinations or represent clients before the Department, and we are not affiliated with Intuit Inc.
§Around this page
Around Florida.
Florida QuickBooks ProAdvisor & bookkeeping
The state page: services, industries, cities and the Florida tax terms in one place.
Construction accounting, nationally
The national engagement this page is the Florida version of — same scope, same written fixed fee.
Also in Florida:Bookkeeping services · Monthly bookkeeping.
Florida cities:Fort Myers · West Palm Beach · Tampa — served remotely, in your own QuickBooks file.
Not sure where your file stands? Start with the free QuickBooks file review.
§Around the engagement
Before you engage anyone.
Florida sales tax help
The real-property-improvement vs retail-plus-installation detail behind your construction books, configured in QuickBooks.
Florida monthly bookkeeping
Keep job costing and WIP current with a recurring monthly close.
Florida QuickBooks setup
Starting fresh? Set up job costing and contract-correct sales tax from day one.
Construction accounting (national)
Our global construction industry overview for the broader playbook.
Florida contractors start here
See which Florida jobs actually make you money.
Book a free discovery call. We’ll review your jobs, how your contracts are treated for Florida sales tax, and where the books are breaking, and send a written fixed-fee scope within 3 business days. No pitch.