Concrete contractors: see what each pour made — books, payroll and taxes done for you
Free tax review
Find out what we’d handle and what it costs
Thirty minutes by phone; you leave with one written price.
Each month we keep the books and show what each pour made after ready-mix, pump rental and crew hours. We carry the retention builders still owe you (the share they hold back until a job is finished), run payroll and prepare the return. Bookkeeping starts at $375 a month, quoted as a flat fee in writing before we start. Based in Santa Clarita, we work with concrete contractors in any state.
Typical situations
Do you work with concrete contractors like me?
Yes, we take on concrete contractors who pour flatwork for homeowners, foundations and slabs for builders, or both.
A foundation contractor working for two builders
The builders pay on draws — the progress payments a builder makes as the work goes — and hold back retention until each job is done. The miss is losing track of retention still owed on finished slabs: each builder’s draw schedule and the retention line on every pay application need to land in the books. We carry each builder’s retention on its job. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — how the monthly bookkeeping runs.
A flatwork crew whose costs never land on the pour
Ready-mix tickets, pump rentals and crew hours pile up in the truck and the office. The miss is not knowing what a driveway really cost. We code every ticket, rental and hour to its pour and send a monthly job report. Books plus the return from $475 a month — how the monthly books run alongside the return.
A contractor paying finishers by the day on a 1099
Nobody is on payroll and no workers’ comp policy is in place (workers’ comp is the insurance that covers crew injuries on the job). The miss is paying a finisher for months with no W-9 or license number on file. We collect each person’s paperwork — a signed W-9 (the form where a sub gives their name, business type and taxpayer ID) and a license number — before the first check, and run payroll for anyone the owner puts on it. Payroll from $95 a month — how the payroll service runs.
A contractor who bought a skid steer and a truck this year
The equipment is at work and the tax bill still came in higher than expected. The miss is assuming the federal write-off and the California write-off are the same. We keep an equipment list with each purchase date and cost and figure the deduction both ways on the return — how we prepare the return.
A newly licensed C-8 leaving a bigger concrete company
The C-8 is California’s concrete contractor license, issued by the Contractors State License Board (CSLB). First truck, first pours, no separate bank account. The miss is running the business through a personal account until tax time. We set up the books, the job list and quarterly estimates from day one and look at the entity question with the owner. The return from $650, or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp — what the return covers for a new contractor and how we compare entities.
A shop a year behind
Batch-plant tickets and builder pay applications sit in a box, and no return has been filed. The miss is retention on last year’s finished slabs that nobody has listed, so nobody knows it’s still owed. We rebuild the missing year from the bank and the pay applications. Cleanup from $750 — how a cleanup project runs.
Profit by job
How do you show which pours made money?
Job costing is how you see what each pour made: we match every cost — ready-mix, pump rental, rebar, crew hours — against what that pour billed and send you a monthly job report.
- We set up your job list and cost codes — the labels that tie each expense to a job — around how you work: flatwork, foundations, slabs
- We add payroll taxes and benefits to each worker’s hourly rate, so a crew hour on the report is what it really costs
- We split overhead — shop, insurance, equipment — across job types
- We flag a pour where the yards on the plant tickets ran over the yards billed
What we do each month: we code the plant tickets, pump invoices and payroll hours to their pours, take credits for returned concrete and short loads off the job, and tie the job report to the books.
Further reading: why a busy contractor can still be broke.
Subcontractors
What do I need from a sub before I pay them?
Before the first payment, get two things from every sub: a signed W-9 and their contractor license number.
A 1099-NEC is the year-end form that reports what you paid a sub, and for payments made in 2026 a sub who isn’t a corporation and is paid $2,000 or more gets one (the line was $600 for 2025), due to the sub and the IRS by February 1, 2027. What we do: we collect the W-9 and license number from each finisher, pumping company and rebar crew before the first payment, keep a file for each sub, put rent for a skid steer or pump on a 1099-MISC (the year-end form for rents) when the rental’s owner isn’t a corporation, and file the year-end forms from that file.
Further reading: the 2026 rules for every sub and supplier on your job.
Getting paid
How should deposits, draws and retention show up in my books?
Each builder job carries its contract, its draws and the retention held back, so the books show what’s been billed, what’s been paid and what’s still owed. A homeowner’s flatwork deposit is recorded on its job.
What we do: we set up each builder’s draw schedule when the job starts, match every draw you’re paid to the work you billed, and record each homeowner’s deposit on its job. Retention stays on its job as money still owed to you until it comes in, and each monthly close lists what’s due back and from which builder.
When a job grows — a deeper footing, more rebar, a second pump day — we flag costs on the job report that never reached an invoice, so the extra gets billed; the change order itself (the written add-on to the contract for the extra work and its price) stays with you.
Catch-up work
What does a catch-up look like when a concrete contractor’s books are behind?
For a concrete contractor whose books are behind, the catch-up is a cleanup project from $750: the missing months are rebuilt first, and the return is prepared from books that tie to the bank.
What we ask for
Bank and card statements; contracts and draw requests for open and finished jobs; builder invoices and retention statements; ready-mix plant, supply-yard and pump or rental statements; payroll reports; purchase papers for the skid steer, trucks and mixer; last year’s return.
How the cleanup runs
We trace bank deposits to their jobs and sources — a builder draw, a homeowner’s final payment, a deposit. Costs get coded to jobs from the plant tickets and statements. Builder pay applications are matched to the draws that came in, and retention still owed is listed by builder.
What you get
Reconciled books, a profit-and-loss and balance sheet for each missing month, and quarterly estimates set from real numbers.
Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery — what a cleanup project includes.
The monthly close
What do you check every month?
Each month we check that every cost landed on its pour, every draw matched its billing, and every dollar of retention is still on the books.
- Each sub’s W-9 and license number on file before they’re paid
- Ready-mix, rebar and mesh tickets matched to their pours
- Each pump and equipment-rental invoice coded to the pour it served
- Each builder’s draws matched to the work billed
- Retention balances by builder and job
- Homeowner deposits recorded on their jobs
- Payroll records tied to the crew hours on the job report
- Equipment purchases logged with date and cost
Each month you get the P&L — the profit and loss statement — the balance sheet, the job report and a short note on what needs attention. See what the monthly books include.
California
What’s different for a concrete contractor in California?
In California, five things change for a concrete contractor: who counts as an employee, the state sub report, workers’ comp on the license, sales tax on what you buy, and when retention has to be paid.
- Who counts as an employee. Concrete work is licensed work, and a worker doing it without their own CSLB license is presumed to be your employee — payroll and workers’ comp, not a 1099. We flag anyone doing concrete work on a 1099 with no license on file before the next payment. More: how contractors weigh a W-2 hire against a 1099 sub.
- The state sub report. California has its own report for subs who are individuals, sole proprietors or single-member LLCs: the DE 542, filed with the EDD — the Employment Development Department — within 20 days once you’ve paid a sub, or signed a contract, for $600 or more. We file it when the sub is set up.
- Workers’ comp on the license. A C-8 license can’t use the no-employee exemption — it needs a workers’ comp certificate on file whether or not anyone is on payroll, and any employer with even one crew member carries coverage. We book the policy’s cost as an insurance expense; we sell no insurance.
- Sales tax on what you buy. CDTFA — California’s sales tax agency — treats the concrete, rebar and mesh you pour as materials you consume, so you pay the tax when you buy them; we code that tax to the job’s material cost and read each pump invoice for whether the operator came with it, which changes the tax. More: how the sales-tax rules treat the supplies contractors use on the job.
- When retention has to be paid. On a private California job, the property owner owes retention to its direct contractor (the contractor it hired) within 45 days after the whole project is complete. A direct contractor holding retention from its subs owes each sub its share within 10 days of being paid. We track those dates job by job and flag retention once they pass.
Pricing
What does accounting for a concrete contractor cost in 2026?
In 2026, bookkeeping for a concrete contractor starts at $375 a month. Books plus the year-end return start from $475 a month, payroll for the crew from $95 a month, and cleanup work from $750. The return alone starts from $650 for a contractor filing Schedule C, or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included. Schedule C is the business page of your personal return. Each is a flat fee quoted in writing before we start.
Tracking what each job made, 1099 filing and license checks sit inside the quote; there’s no separate charge for them. What moves a quote: how many jobs are open at once, crew size and how often payroll runs, how many subs you pay, the number of bank and card accounts, how far behind the books are, and whether builders pay on draws and hold retention.
Books
from $375/mo
- Reconciliations for every account
- Every ticket, rental and crew hour coded to its pour
- Retention tracked by builder and job
- Subs’ W-9s, license checks and 1099s
- Monthly P&L, balance sheet and job report
Books plus the return
from $475/mo
- Everything in the books
- The year-end return prepared from your own books
- Quarterly estimates from real numbers
- Year-round question access
The return alone
from $650
- Schedule C prepared from your records
- Equipment deductions figured both ways, federal and California
- From $850 for an LLC or S-corp — the owner’s personal return included
- How we prepare the return
W-2 and 1099 filing on their own, without monthly books, from $95. The quote is the price.
How it works
What happens after you book?
It starts with a free 30-minute call. From there: the engagement letter, a portal invite and a short checklist.
The 30-minute call
About six questions: flatwork, foundations or both; crew size and who’s on payroll; whether builders pay on draws and hold retention; how ready-mix, pump service and rentals are bought; what equipment you own; how far behind the books are. It ends with one flat price for the whole job, which goes in writing before anything starts.
The engagement letter
Sent during the call and signed when you’re ready. Signing books a short onboarding call, and the secure-portal invite comes from that call.
Access and documents
The portal invite, read-only bank feeds or the QuickBooks file, the open-jobs list, the license number and the workers’ comp certificate. We send a short checklist so nothing is missed.
Behind first, then monthly
If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close and job report.
You see the return before it’s filed
Half the fee starts the work and the balance is due before e-file. The return comes to you before anything is filed, and questions during the year go to the same team that keeps the books.
Communication
You’ll know where the books and the return stand.
The person who answers the phone can open your file and answer the question.
The same-day rule
Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.
Concrete contractors are welcome
Flatwork, foundations or both, a crew of two or ten, anywhere in the US — the free call ends with a straight answer on whether we’re the right fit.
Admitted to practice before the IRS
Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. If an IRS letter shows up, forward it: how we handle IRS letters.
The N&T Tax & Advisory Group team
The same people who code your ready-mix tickets run your payroll and prepare the return from those numbers.
Bookkeeping · Profit by job · Payroll · Tax preparation · Tax planning · IRS representation · Direct line: (661) 554-4495
Reviews
Rated 5.0 on Google
★★★★★ Twelve reviews, every one five stars, every one verifiable. Read all of them on Google →
"Alex helped me resolve a complicated tax situation that had been causing me a lot of stress. He was extremely knowledgeable, responsive, and efficient throughout the entire process."
Kevin B. — via Google
"Working with Alex was straightforward. I hadn't looked at my books all year, but he made my life easy and handled the whole profit and loss at the end of the year so I could get my taxes done."
Levon B. — via Google
"I came to this company with previous tax years and bookkeeping that were done incorrectly. They're very knowledgeable about what they do and help me get everything in order at a very reasonable price."
Sayra A. — via Google
Where we work
Do you work with concrete contractors outside California?
Yes — we work with concrete contractors remotely in any state. Job paperwork — plant tickets, draw requests, retention statements — moves through the secure portal, and the monthly job report goes over a call with screen share. If your work falls under another state’s rules, we cover that in your quote. If you also run whole jobs as a general contractor, we keep a separate page for that work.
What we don’t do
We handle the money side: the books, profit-by-job reporting, payroll, quarterly estimates and the returns. We don’t prepare bids or estimates, change orders, lien waivers, permits or insurance certificates; we don’t give legal advice on contracts or worker status, license or certify workers, or prepare reviewed, audited or compiled statements for bonding companies or banks.
Worth reading
What can you read before you call?
Short articles from our blog on equipment write-offs, work trucks, the entity question and crew decisions.
Contractor Equipment Depreciation: Expensing vs. Depreciating That New Machine in 2026
VehiclesYour Contractor Vehicle Tax Deduction in 2026: Standard Mileage vs. Actual Expenses for Heavy Work Trucks
EntityLLC vs S-Corp for Contractors: Where the 2026 Tax Savings Actually Come From
CrewShould You Hire Employees or Use 1099 Subcontractors in 2026?
FAQ
What do concrete contractors ask before booking?
Do I have to send 1099s to the finishers and subs I pay?
For payments made in 2026, you owe a 1099-NEC to any sub who is an individual, sole proprietor, single-member LLC or partnership and was paid $2,000 or more during the year; corporations generally don’t get one. The sub’s copy and the IRS copy are both due February 1, 2027. We prepare and file them from each sub’s file.
Can my finishers be paid as 1099 subs?
Not always: worker status is a legal question, and California is stricter for licensed trades like concrete. We check each person’s license and W-9 when they’re set up and send gray cases to an employment attorney; we don’t give legal advice on worker status.
How do I know what each pour made?
A monthly job report shows what each pour made: each driveway, patio or foundation carries what it billed, what its concrete, pumping and crew time cost, and what was left over. You can sort it by builder or by job type (flatwork, foundations, slabs) to see which work pays. We go over it with you on a call each month.
Can I write off the skid steer I bought this year?
Federally, equipment acquired after January 19, 2025 can generally be written off in full in its first year, and the separate 2026 limit on writing off equipment in its first year is $2,560,000. California doesn’t follow: it caps its version of the deduction at $25,000 and allows no full first-year write-off, so the state return depreciates the same machine on its own schedule. We model both sides on your numbers before you file, and our post on expensing vs depreciating a new machine in 2026 walks through the federal side.
My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?
Yes — a cleanup project starts at $750. You send the bank statements, plant tickets, draw requests and payroll reports first; we rebuild the missing months from them and prepare the return from the rebuilt books.
Should a concrete contractor be an LLC or an S-corp?
Either can fit; the choice is about how the business is taxed, and a California LLC owes $800 a year in state tax whether or not it makes money. We model both options on your figures before you commit. Our entity-selection page shows how the comparison runs.
Ready to see what each pour is really making?
One free 30-minute call. You’ll leave knowing what we’d handle and what it costs — whether or not you hire us.
Rather talk now? Call (661) 554-4495 — reach us during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day.
Our team of IRS representation specialists is admitted to practice before the IRS. This page is general information, not tax advice for your specific situation.