Painting contractors: see what each job 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, show what every repaint and new-construction job made after paint, supplies and crew hours, run payroll and, at year end, 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 painting contractors in any state.
Typical situations
Do you work with painting contractors like me?
Yes, we take on painting contractors with small crews, whether the work is residential repaints, new construction for builders or commercial jobs.
A repaint company with house accounts at three paint stores
One statement a month from each store covers every job the crew touched. The miss is booking the statement as one “materials” number. We split the statement’s tickets to the jobs they went on and send a monthly job report.
A painter billing a deposit and a final on exterior repaints
The month the deposits land looks great and the next one looks thin. The miss is reading the bank balance as profit. We hold each deposit on its job until the work is finished, so the monthly report follows the work done. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — how deposits are tracked in the monthly books.
A contractor paying two painters by the job on a 1099
The work gets done, but nobody has collected a W-9 or a license number. The miss is paying first and sorting out status later. We collect each painter’s W-9 — the form with the painter’s legal name and taxpayer ID — and license number before the first check, and run payroll for anyone you put on it. Payroll from $95 a month — how the payroll service runs.
A contractor repainting homes built before 1978
The miss: the plastic sheeting, lead-safe supplies and extra cleanup hours get booked as shop overhead, so the pre-1978 jobs look better than they were. Homes that old bring the federal EPA lead-safe rule (the detail is in FAQ 4), and we code the store receipts and the crew’s cleanup hours from the timesheets to the job that caused them, and the certification fees to overhead.
A newly licensed C-33 contractor leaving a bigger company
The owner’s C-33 — California’s painting license from the Contractors State License Board (CSLB) — is weeks old, and the first van and the first jobs still run through a personal account. What goes wrong is starting out with no separate account and no books. 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 — how we prepare the return and how we compare entity options.
A shop a year behind, paint-store statements in a drawer
The work got done and the money moved, but nothing was entered. The miss is waiting for tax time: nothing can be filed until the year is rebuilt. Cleanup first — the year rebuilt from the bank records, the store statements and the job paperwork — then the return from the rebuilt books. Cleanup from $750 — how a catch-up project runs.
Profit by job
How do I see what each job made?
Job costing is how you see what each job made: we match every cost, from paint-store tickets and supplies to your crew’s hours, against what each job billed, and send you a report each month showing what every one made.
- We set up your job list and cost codes — the buckets every cost lands in — in whatever system you use
- We load each painter’s hourly rate with payroll taxes and benefits, so an hour on the report is what the hour really cost
- We spread the vans, ladders, sprayers and shop costs across repaint, new-construction and commercial work
- On each job we show what the paint cost next to what you billed for it, so you can see what you made on materials
Each month the job report ties to the books, so you see what each job made while the next one is still being priced.
Read how tracking each job’s costs shows which jobs lost money.
Paint-store accounts
How should paint-store house accounts show up in my books?
Each ticket on the store statement is coded to the job it went to, so the statement ties to the jobs and to the balance you owe the store.
We reconcile each store’s house-account statement at the close, credit returned paint back to the job it came from rather than the next purchase, and list what you owe each store, so the balance on the books matches the statement the store sends.
Subcontractors
What do I need from a sub before I pay them?
Before the first payment, we collect two things from every sub: a signed W-9 and, where your state licenses the work, the sub’s license number.
A sub who isn’t a corporation and is paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC, the year-end form that reports what you paid a sub. Copies are due to the sub and the IRS by February 1, 2027. For 2025 payments the line was $600.
For the extra painter brought in for a big repaint or the drywall-repair sub who patches before the priming starts, we keep the file together, track each sub’s running total through the year and, when the year closes, prepare and file the 1099s.
Getting paid
How should deposits, progress payments and retainage show up in my books?
In the books, deposits stay on their job until the work is done, draws (the progress payments that come in as the work moves along) are matched to the work they pay for, and retainage (the share a builder holds back until the job is finished) is carried as money still owed to you.
We enter each job’s payment schedule in the books when the contract is signed, list the retainage due back to you at each close, and flag work done but not billed — the extra coat or room added at the walkthrough that never made it onto an invoice — so you can bill it. Writing the change order, the signed add-on to the original contract, stays with you.
Catch-up work
What does a catch-up look like when a painting contractor’s books are behind?
For a painting contractor whose books are behind, a catch-up is a cleanup project from $750: the missing months get rebuilt and reconciled, and the return and quarterly estimates are prepared from the reconciled numbers.
What we ask for
Bank and card statements, the paint-store house-account statements and tickets, the estimates, contracts and invoices for open and finished jobs, deposit and progress-payment records, any subs’ W-9s and 1099s already filed, payroll reports, and last year’s return. Where a record is missing, we note the gap instead of guessing.
How the cleanup runs
We trace bank deposits back to their jobs and sources, match each paint-store statement to its tickets and the jobs they went on, credit returned paint back to its job, and rebuild the missing months from the bank and job records. Missed 1099s for subs get filed as part of the same project.
What you get
Reconciled books, a profit and loss statement (P&L) and balance sheet, the return prepared from the rebuilt numbers, and quarterly estimates from real figures — the baseline the monthly close starts from.
Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery — how a catch-up project runs.
The monthly close
What do you check every month?
Each month we check that the books match the bank, the store statements match the tickets, and every cost and payment sits on the job it belongs to.
- Every bill, part and labor hour coded to its job
- Bank and card accounts reconciled
- Each store’s statement tied to its tickets, returns credited to their jobs
- Deposits and progress payments sitting on the right jobs
- What each open job has billed against the work done
- Retainage builders are holding on new-construction jobs
- New subs’ paperwork collected and added to the file
Each month you get the P&L, the balance sheet, the job report and a short note on what needs attention — what the monthly bookkeeping includes.
California
What’s different for a painting contractor in California?
In California, four things change for a painting contractor: who counts as a sub, the state’s own sub report, injury insurance for the crew, and sales tax on paint and supplies.
- Who counts as a sub. A worker doing work that needs a contractor’s license, without holding one, is presumed to be your employee. We check each sub’s CSLB license against the work before they’re set up.
- The state sub report. California’s DE 542 goes to the EDD (the state’s payroll tax agency) within 20 days once an individual, sole-proprietor or single-member-LLC sub reaches $600; we file it within those 20 days.
- Workers’ comp. Workers’ comp — the insurance that pays when someone is hurt on the job — is required once anyone is on payroll, even one painter; a painting contractor with no employees may keep the CSLB exemption on file instead. We book the premium with the crew’s wages.
- Sales tax on paint and supplies. You pay sales tax on paint and supplies at the store, and we carry that tax in each job’s material cost. A time-and-material invoice (hours and materials billed as separate lines) that adds sales tax can make you the retailer of the paint — the seller in the state’s eyes — which brings a seller’s permit from CDTFA, California’s sales tax agency; we flag it at the close.
Read whether a contractor needs a sales tax exemption for products used on the job and how to think about employee or sub for your next crew member.
Pricing
What does bookkeeping cost a painting contractor in 2026?
In 2026, bookkeeping for a painting contractor starts at $375 a month, payroll from $95 a month, the return alone from $650 — from $850 for an LLC or S-corp with the owner’s personal return included — and a cleanup from $750. 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 each month, crew size and how often payroll runs, how many subs you pay, how many bank, card and paint-store house accounts the money moves through, and how far behind the books are. We quote the whole job — books, payroll and the return — as one number.
Books
from $375/mo
- Job report sent with every monthly close
- Deposits and progress payments tracked on each job
- Subs’ W-9s, license checks and 1099s
- Monthly P&L and balance sheet
The return alone
from $650
- Schedule C — the business page of your personal return — for a self-employed painting contractor
- From $850 for an LLC or S-corp — the owner’s personal return included
- Vans, sprayers and ladders listed from your books for the return
- How we prepare the return
Only need the year-end forms? W-2 and 1099 filing on their own, without monthly books, starts at $95. The quote is the price.
How it works
What happens after you book?
The free call is 30 minutes by phone. After it: the engagement letter, a portal invite and a short checklist.
The 30-minute call
About six questions: the mix of repaints, new-construction and commercial work, how many painters are on payroll and whether any are paid by the job, how jobs are billed, how paint and supplies are bought, how many bank, card and paint-store accounts the money runs through, and how far behind the books are. It ends with one flat price for the whole job, quoted in writing before we start.
The engagement letter
Sent during the call and signed when you’re ready — it doesn’t expire. 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 your QuickBooks file, your open-jobs list, your license number, and your workers’ comp policy, or your exemption if you have no employees, so coverage is on file and any premium is booked. A short checklist goes with it 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; you see the return before anything is filed, prepared from your own books when we keep them.
Communication
You’ll know where the books and the jobs stand.
The person who answers the phone can see your jobs, your payroll and your return — nothing gets re-explained to a stranger.
The same-day rule
Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.
Painting contractors are welcome
Two vans or eight painters, repaints or new-construction work — 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 people who code your paint-store tickets are the people who prepare your return — you’ll work with them from the first call through the filing.
Bookkeeping · Profit by job · Payroll · Tax preparation · 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 painting contractors outside California?
Yes — based in Santa Clarita, we work with painting contractors remotely in any state.
Job paperwork — paint-store statements, tickets, estimates and invoices — comes through the secure portal the same way from any state, and we go over the monthly job report by phone or screen share. If you work in another state, its returns and payroll filings go into your quote. And if you also run whole jobs as a general contractor, our page for general contractors covers that side of the business.
What we don’t do
We handle the money side: the books, what each job made, payroll, quarterly estimates and the returns. Bids and job estimates for customers, change orders, lien waivers, permits, insurance certificates, legal advice on contracts or worker status, licensing or certification of workers, and reviewed, audited or compiled statements for bonding or banks are outside our work, and we don’t advise on them.
Worth reading
What can you read before you call?
Short articles from our blog, written for contractors, on the money side of running a crew.
How to Book Vendor Credits and Returned Materials Without Overstating Job Cost
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
Quarterly taxesHow to Pay Quarterly Taxes: 2026 Contractor Guide for Trades Leaving W-2 Withholding Behind
Getting licensedTransition From Handyman Work to a Licensed Contracting Business: 2026 Tax Guide
CrewShould You Hire Employees or Use 1099 Subcontractors in 2026?
FAQ
What do painting contractors ask before booking?
Do I have to send 1099s to the painters I pay by the job?
Yes, for any painter who isn’t a corporation and was paid $2,000 or more in 2026. That covers individuals, sole proprietors, single-member LLCs and partnerships, and the 1099-NEC is due to the painter and the IRS by February 1, 2027. We track each sub’s running total during the year and file the forms.
Can my painters be paid as 1099 subs?
Sometimes, not always: whether a painter can be paid as a 1099 sub is a legal question, and some states add their own license rules. We collect each person’s W-9 and license number before the first payment, and anyone you put on payroll, we run. This isn’t legal advice; gray cases go to an employment attorney.
How do I know which jobs made money after the paint-store bills come in?
Each paint-store ticket is coded to the job it went on, and a monthly job report totals each job’s income and costs, so each repaint shows its own profit instead of blending into the shop’s overall numbers. When a job comes in short, you see it in that month’s report.
What does the EPA lead rule mean for my books?
For your books, the certification fees, training and lead-safe supplies are business costs we code to the job or to overhead. The federal rule behind them: a company paid to disturb paint in a home or a child-occupied facility, such as a child-care center or preschool, built before 1978 must be an EPA-certified firm with a certified renovator on each such job. We don’t provide the certification or the training; we track what they cost.
My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?
Yes. A cleanup project starts at $750 and ends with reconciled books, the P&L and balance sheet, and the return prepared from those numbers. If quarterly estimates are due, they come from the same figures.
Should a painting contractor be an LLC or an S-corp?
Neither is right by default; the choice turns on how the business is taxed, decided on your own numbers. A California LLC owes $800 a year whether or not it makes a profit. We model both options on your figures before you decide; our entity-selection page shows how the comparison works.
Ready to see what each job made?
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 during business hours; if we miss you, 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.