Who we work with
Bookkeeping for Electrical Contractors
Electrical work is materials-heavy in a way few trades are, and the price of the main material changes every month. A bid priced on last quarter’s wire and books that post materials to overhead will never show you the problem until the job closes.
Materials and the copper line
Wire, conduit, panels and devices are the largest cost on most electrical jobs, and wire moves with the copper market. Your bookkeeper posts materials to the job they were bought for in the week they were bought, so the job cost report shows a materials overrun while there is still time to raise a change order or adjust the next bid. Supply-house statements are reconciled monthly and returns are credited back to the job, not to overhead.
Service versus construction
Troubleshooting calls and panel upgrades are service; rough-in and trim on a new build is construction. The books carry a service department and job costing for construction, so the monthly P&L shows both margins. Electrical companies that do both frequently find that service funds the construction side without anyone having decided that it should.
Apprentices, journeymen and payroll
Apprentice wage scales step up with hours and training, journeymen are paid differently, and overtime is routine on commercial work. Payroll is run in every state where your people work, with labour posted to the job or department at the burdened rate so the labour line on the job cost report means something.
Permits, inspections and re-inspections
Permit fees paid on the customer’s behalf, inspection fees and re-inspection charges are job costs that should be billed back. Left in overhead they lower the company’s apparent margin and the customer never sees them. The books carry them against the job with a matching billable line.
Progress billing on commercial work
Commercial electrical is billed against a schedule of values with retainage withheld. Your bookkeeper matches invoices to the schedule, carries retainage receivable separately, and produces the WIP schedule that shows whether a job is over- or under-billed, which on a long commercial job is the difference between a cash crunch in month five and none.
Send the rough split between service and construction and how many commercial jobs are open. The quote follows within a business day.
Electrical Contractors: common questions
Can the job cost report show material variance by job?
Yes. Materials are posted to the job and compared with the estimate monthly, so a copper-driven overrun shows while the job is open.
Do they handle supply-house accounts?
Bills entered when materials are picked up, statements reconciled monthly, returns credited back to the job.
Low-voltage, solar or generator work?
Each can be its own department or job type, so margins are visible by line of business.
Multi-state crews?
Payroll is run in every state where work is performed, with registration handled as part of the service.
What your bookkeeper handles
- Construction Bookkeeping Services
- Contractor Bookkeeping for Trades and Service Companies
- Construction Payroll Services
- Job Costing and WIP Reports for Contractors
- Construction Bookkeeping Cleanup and Catch-Up
Also written for General Contractors, Plumbers, HVAC Companies, Landscapers, Roofers, Painters, Remodelers, Pool Builders, Handyman Businesses and Concrete & Excavation.
Request a quote for your electrical company
Tell us about the company and the state of the books. Your bookkeeper replies within one business day with a plain answer: what it would take, and what it would cost. Requests answered within one business day · Calls Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern Or call (888) 720-4009 if you would rather talk it through first.