Update My Books

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Industry Specialism

Construction accounting that keeps job costs honest.

Generic bookkeeping breaks on construction — job costing, WIP, retention and progress billing need an accountant who's done it before. We set your books up around cost codes and jobs, so you can see the true profit on every project. For contractors, developers and property businesses, delivered remotely worldwide.

What we handle

The parts of construction accounting that standard bookkeeping gets wrong — set up correctly and maintained so your numbers hold up to management, lenders and sureties.

  • Job costing & cost codes — labour, materials, subcontractors, equipment and overhead tracked per project for true job-level profit.
  • WIP schedules — costs to date, percentage complete, billings, and over/under-billing so open jobs are stated correctly.
  • Retention / retainage — amounts held back on receivables and payables tracked and released accurately.
  • Progress & milestone billing — invoicing tied to schedules of values and completion, not guesswork.
  • Developer loan & amortization schedules — financing, draws and interest handled for property developers.
  • GST / VAT on construction — correct treatment for the way construction is taxed in your market.

Reporting that runs the business

Construction lives or dies on knowing which jobs make money. We build the reports that answer that — not just a company-wide P&L.

Job profitability

Profit or loss per project, with budget vs actual by cost code.

WIP & billing status

Where every open job stands — costs, completion, and over/under-billing.

Cash & commitments

Receivables, payables, retention and upcoming costs so cash never surprises you.

Software we work in

We configure your existing system around jobs and cost codes — or migrate you cleanly if your current setup can't do construction properly.

QuickBooks & Xero

Job costing and class/project tracking set up for contractors and developers.

Odoo

Project, purchase and accounting modules tied together for construction cost control.

Rent Manager

Property and multi-unit portfolios — bookkeeping and job-cost reporting.

Who we work with

Contractors & subcontractors

General and trade contractors who need job-level truth, not a year-end guess.

Developers & property

Property developers and portfolio owners with financing, draws and multi-property books.

How we work

01

Discover

We learn your projects, contracts and how you bill — and what reports you actually need.

02

Set up cost codes

A chart of accounts and cost-code structure built for job costing and WIP.

03

Run the books

Ongoing bookkeeping, reconciliations, WIP and billing kept current every period.

04

Report & optimize

Job profitability and WIP reporting you can act on, refined as the business grows.

Why Update My Books

Construction and property accounting is a core specialism for us — job costing, WIP, developer schedules and multi-property portfolios are exactly the work Farhan has done for construction clients for years. Because we're also a software team, when your reporting needs something custom, we can build it rather than tell you it isn't possible.

Related: catch-up & cleanup bookkeeping and Odoo ERP implementation. See our construction case studies.

Construction accounting FAQ

What is job costing in construction accounting?
Job costing tracks every cost — labour, materials, subcontractors, equipment and overhead — against each individual project, so you can see the true profit or loss per job rather than just for the business as a whole. We set up cost codes and structure your books so job costing is accurate and reportable.
Do you handle WIP (work-in-progress) schedules?
Yes. We prepare and maintain WIP schedules — costs incurred, percentage complete, billings and over/under-billing — so your financials reflect the real position of open jobs, which matters for management decisions, lenders and sureties.
Can you handle retention, progress billing and developer loan schedules?
Yes. We account for retention/retainage, progress and milestone billing, GST/VAT on construction, and developer loan and amortization schedules — the details that generic bookkeeping usually gets wrong.
Which software do you use for construction accounting?
QuickBooks Online, Xero and Odoo for contractor and developer accounting with job costing, plus Rent Manager for property and multi-unit portfolios. We configure whichever you use around cost codes and job-level reporting.
Do you work with construction businesses remotely?
Yes — we support contractors, developers, subcontractors and property businesses remotely worldwide, on cloud accounting, flexing around your time zone.
How do we get started and what does it cost?
Pricing depends on the number of jobs, transaction volume and reporting you need. Book a consult or message us on WhatsApp and we'll scope it on a short call and send a clear, customised quote.

Get job costs you can actually trust

Tell us about your projects and how you bill. One short call is usually enough to know how we can help — and roughly what it will take.