Trades contractor bookkeeping: job deposits, supply houses and tools

Worked example: one August

The tool ships a synthetic statement for a small contractor (fixtures/trades-checking.csv): three deposits and eight costs. Every line gets a suggested account with no rules taught.

Deposits from card-payment apps are net of the app's fee, so they understate what customers paid; compare with each app's payout report. Quarterly estimated tax is worth planning for: the tool's estimate command works from these books, and its mileage log covers the truck.

What the tool does for a contractor

1. Imports the bank CSV and suggests Sales for Jobber, Housecall Pro, ServiceTitan, FieldEdge, Workiz, Angi, HomeAdvisor and Thumbtack payouts.
2. Files supply-house and tool purchases (Ferguson, Johnstone, Grainger, Fastenal, Home Depot, Milwaukee and others) as supplies and materials, the field-service software as software and lead sites as marketing.
3. Reports a P&L, Schedule C worksheet and self-employment tax estimate, and exports QuickBooks, Xero or IIF journals.

Rules are written from the companies' names; no real contractor's statement has been tried.

Questions

Are Jobber or Housecall Pro deposits my income?

Yes, as sales (Schedule C line 1 in the US) when your customers pay through the app. The deposit is net of card fees, so compare it with the app's payout report; the fee is a deductible expense.

Do tools and parts from the supply house count as expenses?

Parts for a job and small tools are normally expenses in the year bought. Larger equipment may be depreciated or expensed under a safe harbour, so check with a tax professional. Materials you resell on an invoice can be tracked as cost of goods sold.

Is it free?

Yes. It is open source (MIT), runs in your browser and nothing is uploaded.