How it works
How a month runs
The same five steps every month, so you always know where your books stand and what you owe before it's due.
1Any day
Receipts as phone photos
Take a photo of each receipt in the truck, the day you get it, and send it to your own receipt inbox by text or email. Write the job on the receipt first if you can; we'll ask about the rest. Fuel, lumber yard, wholesaler, it all counts.
2Every day
Bank and card feeds
Your business bank and credit card accounts connect to the books with read-only feeds, so transactions arrive on their own. We never move money from them.
3Mid-month
Books reconciled
Every transaction gets matched to a receipt, a job and a category, and each account is balanced against its statement. What we can't place comes back to you as one short list of questions, not a call every afternoon.
4Month-end
A one-page summary
One page, in plain words: money in, money out, how each job is tracking, who owes you, and the GST to set aside. Read it in five minutes over coffee.
5A week ahead
GST and payroll reminders
Before each GST return and payroll remittance, you get a reminder with the amount, so nothing sneaks up on you.
Receipts
A photo is enough
No scanner, no shoebox at the end of the year. A clear photo, taken flat and in decent light, is a fine record for your books. Faded thermal paper is the usual problem, which is why we ask for the photo on the same day.
Keep the paper copies too, in one envelope per month. Your accountant can tell you how long.
Month-end
What the one page looks like
Totals first, then each active job, then what's coming due. If a job is eating more than it earns, you see it while the job is still running, not at year-end.
The figures on this page are made up to show the layout.
Monthly summary
Sample month · made-up figures| Money in | $46,820 |
|---|---|
| Money out | $31,475 |
| Left over | $15,345 |
| Collected | $2,341 |
|---|---|
| Paid on purchases | $1,214 |
| Set aside | $1,127 |
| Job | In | Out |
|---|---|---|
| 114 · Kitchen reno | $18,400 | $11,920 |
| 117 · Duplex rough-in | $21,300 | $13,050 |
| Service calls | $7,120 | $2,780 |
| Overhead | $0 | $3,725 |
Owed to you: $12,600 on 3 invoices. Payroll remittance due by the 15th.
Reminders
What we flag before it's due
- Each periodGST returns and payments, monthly, quarterly or annual to match your filing
- Each monthPayroll source deductions to remit, with the amount
- Each FebruaryT4 slips for employees and T5018 slips for subcontractors
- Each winterInsurable earnings for your WCB annual return
- Job closeHoldbacks on finished jobs that are ready to be released to you
- Each springClean books ready to hand to your accountant
Tell us your trade and crew size
We call back on a weekday, ask a few questions about accounts and crew, and suggest the package that fits. Nothing starts until you say so.