Bookkeeping for carpenters

What the books involve

• Claims to builders: frame, fix-out and formwork stages invoiced to each builder once they are finished, with every remittance matched to its claim and any short payment listed for follow-up.
• Homeowner jobs: deposits, progress invoices and final accounts for decks, pergolas and renovations recorded against each job, then matched when the homeowner pays by card or transfer.
• Timber and hardware accounts: framing timber, sheet products, fixings and adhesives bought on account and checked against the monthly statement, with each purchase coded to the job that used it.
• Extra hands: invoices from labour hire firms and from other carpenters brought in for a busy job entered against that job, so its labour cost can be read beside its price.
• Tools and utes: nail guns, saws and compressors bought outright or on finance recorded as assets, with fuel, tyres and servicing for the work vehicle kept in their own accounts.
• Software: invoices sent from Xero or QuickBooks Online matched to payments in the bank feed each month, so the list of builders still to pay stays accurate.