Roofing contractors: see what each roof 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.
Every month we keep the books, show what each reroof and repair made after materials, dump fees and crew hours, and run the payroll; at year end we prepare the return from those same books. Bookkeeping starts at $375 a month, quoted as a flat fee in writing before we start. Based in Santa Clarita, we work with roofing contractors in any state.
Typical situations
Do you work with roofing contractors like me?
Yes, we take on roofing contractors who run small crews on residential reroofs, repairs and light commercial work, whether the books are current or a year behind.
A reroof crew billing in three payments
The crew bills a deposit, a payment when the materials land on the roof and a final payment. The month two deposits land, the bank balance looks great; a rainy month looks terrible — and the supplier bill for the shingles comes due before the final payment arrives. The miss is reading the bank balance as profit. We hold each payment on its job and show what each roof earned when the work was done. Monthly bookkeeping from $375 a month — how the monthly bookkeeping runs.
A roofer whose costs never land on the job
Tear-off and disposal costs, supplier delivery charges and crew hours end up in one big pot, so no roof shows its own numbers. The miss is pricing the next roof off a number that left out the tear-off. We code the disposal costs, supplier deliveries and crew hours to each roof and send a monthly job report. Books plus the return from $475 a month — what the monthly books include.
A roofer paying two helpers by the job
Nobody is on payroll; the helpers get paid by the job on a 1099, the year-end form reporting what they were paid. What gets missed: whether those helpers are subs or crew was never settled. We collect a signed W-9 — the form with each worker’s taxpayer ID — and check the license before the first check, flag any helper without one, and run payroll for anyone the owner puts on it. Payroll from $95 a month — how payroll for the crew runs.
A roofer with a big summer and a thin winter
The schedule is full from June to October; when the rain comes, the work drops to repair calls and leak calls, and nothing from the summer was set aside. What went wrong: the quarterly estimates were guessed in April instead of figured from the books. We figure each quarter’s payment from that quarter’s closed books, the summer’s job reports and the supplier statements from the busy months. Books plus the return from $475 a month.
A newly licensed roofer leaving a bigger roofing company
First truck, first jobs, and everything still running through a personal account — and the first reroofs get priced without the truck, disposal and insurance costs in the numbers. 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 roofer a year behind
Supplier statements and disposal receipts are in the truck, and last year’s return isn’t filed. Usually nobody notices until filing time: a year of sub payments went out with no 1099s, and deposits sit in the bank tied to no roof. We rebuild the year from the bank, supplier statements and job records, file the missed 1099s, and the return follows the cleanup. Cleanup from $750 — how a catch-up project runs.
Profit by job
How do I see what each roof made?
Job costing is how you see what each roof made: we match every cost, from shingles, underlayment and dump fees to your crew’s hours, against what each roof billed, in a monthly job report.
- We set up your job list and cost codes — the labels that sort each cost to its job — so every reroof, repair and commercial job has its own slot
- We load each crew hour with its payroll taxes so every roof carries its real labor cost
- We split shop, insurance and equipment overhead across job types, so each job carries its share
- We keep material cost apart from markup, and supplier credits and returned bundles come off the job they were charged to
What we do each month: crew payroll, materials with the sales tax paid on them, delivery charges, tear-off and disposal fees and any sub bills are coded to the job in the close, so the job report ties to the books. We wrote about how tracking each job’s costs shows which jobs make money and which don’t.
Subcontractors
What do I need from a sub before I pay them?
Before the first payment, get a signed W-9 and the sub’s contractor’s license number.
For payments made in 2026, a sub who isn’t a corporation and is paid $2,000 or more during the year gets a 1099-NEC; the line was $600 for 2025 payments. The forms are due to the sub and the IRS by February 1, 2027, and we track each sub’s total through the year so they go out on time.
- We collect the signed W-9, check the license with the state licensing board and keep it all in one file per sub
- We prepare and file the 1099s from that file each year
More detail: the 2026 1099 rules for the subs on your job.
Getting paid
How should deposits and progress payments on a reroof show up in my books?
Each reroof carries its contract, its deposit, the payment when the materials land and the final payment, so the books show what’s been billed, what’s been paid and what’s still owed on every job.
A progress payment is money billed partway through the job, against work done. What we do with the whole schedule:
- We enter each contract’s payment schedule in the books when the job is signed
- We hold each deposit on its job until the work is billed
- We match each check — homeowner or insurance — to its job, so what’s still owed on a roof stays visible
- We list money still owed to you by job at each close
- We compare billed to built on each roof, so an unbilled extra — rotten decking or extra flashing found at tear-off — gets billed instead of absorbed
- On commercial work that holds retainage — the slice of each payment the customer keeps until the job is finished — we track what’s owed to you and what you’re holding on subs
At year end the return is prepared from these same books.
Catch-up work
What does a catch-up look like when a roofing contractor’s books are behind?
A catch-up rebuilds the missing months from your bank records, supplier statements and job paperwork into reconciled books, from $750, and the return and quarterly estimates are prepared from those numbers.
What we ask for
Bank and card statements; the contracts and the deposit and progress-payment invoices for open and finished jobs; roofing-supplier statements and delivery tickets; disposal receipts; payroll reports; the list of any subs with their W-9s and any 1099s already filed; and last year’s return.
How the cleanup runs
We trace the bank deposits back to their jobs and sources, code the costs to the jobs they belong to, and rebuild the missing months from the bank and job records — nothing is guessed. Missed 1099s for any subs are filed as part of the catch-up.
What you get
Reconciled books, a profit-and-loss and balance sheet, and the first monthly job report.
Cleanup is billed half to start and the balance on delivery.
The monthly close
What do you check every month on a roofing contractor’s books?
Every month we reconcile a roofing contractor’s bank and card accounts, code the month’s costs and crew hours to their roofs, and check the payments, the payroll and the subs before the books close.
- Every bank and card account reconciled
- Every material bill, dump ticket and crew hour coded to its roof
- Each progress payment checked against the contract’s payment schedule
- Extras found at tear-off matched to an invoice
- Crew payroll tied to the quarterly payroll filings
- Each sub’s W-9 and license check on file
- Money still owed to you, listed by job
- Retainage owed to you and retainage held on subs, by job
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.
California
What’s different for a roofing contractor in California?
In California, four things change for a roofing contractor: who counts as an employee, workers’ comp, a state report on subs, and sales tax on materials.
- Who counts as an employee. A worker doing work that needs a contractor’s license, without holding one, is presumed to be your employee — meaning payroll and workers’ comp, the insurance that covers crew injuries on the job, rather than a 1099. We flag any helper without a license before the first check. More: how the employee-or-sub choice works for contractors.
- Workers’ comp with or without a crew. Once anyone is on payroll, and for a C-39 — California’s roofing license — even with no crew, a workers’ comp policy must stay on file with the Contractors State License Board (CSLB); a lapse suspends the license. We carry the policy’s cost in the books every year, crew or no crew, and we don’t sell insurance.
- A state report on subs. California wants a DE 542, the state’s report on independent contractors, for any sub who is an individual, sole proprietor or single-member LLC. It goes to the Employment Development Department (EDD) within 20 days of paying $600 or more, or signing a contract for that much. We file it when the sub is set up.
- Sales tax on materials. California’s sales tax agency, CDTFA, treats a roofing contractor as the end buyer of the roofing, asphalt, sheet metal and insulation they install: the tax is paid at the supplier, and it’s part of the job’s material cost. We keep the tax in the job cost and flag anything that works differently. More: how sales tax on job materials works for contractors.
Pricing
How much does this cost a roofing contractor in 2026?
In 2026, bookkeeping for a roofing contractor starts at $375 a month, or from $475 a month with the year-end return included. Payroll for the crew runs from $95 a month. The return alone runs from $650 for a Schedule C filer — the business page of your personal return — or from $850 for an LLC or S-corp with your personal return included. Cleanup runs from $750, and W-2 and 1099 filing on their own, without monthly books, runs from $95.
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 or repair calls are open in a month, the mix of reroofs, repairs and commercial work, crew size and how often payroll runs, the number of subs, how many bank and card accounts there are, how materials and tear-off costs are bought and paid, and how far behind the books are. The quote is the price.
Books
from $375/mo
- Every bank and card account reconciled monthly
- What each roof made, in a monthly job report
- Subs’ W-9s, license checks and 1099s
- Monthly P&L, balance sheet and a short note
Books plus the return
from $475/mo
- Everything in the books
- The year-end return prepared from your own books — how we prepare the return
- Quarterly estimates from each quarter’s real numbers
- Year-round question access
Payroll
from $95/mo
- Pay runs on your schedule, with direct deposit and pay stubs
- Crew hours from each pay run carried to the roof they were worked on
- Federal deposits and the 941 and 940 — the quarterly and annual federal payroll returns
- Payroll reports by employee, pay period and job
How it works
What happens after you book?
Working with us starts with a free 30-minute call, then the engagement letter, a secure-portal invite and a short checklist.
The 30-minute call
About six questions: how the work splits between reroofs, repairs and commercial jobs, how many roofers are on payroll and whether any work goes to subs, how jobs are billed, how materials and tear-off costs are bought, whether the books are in QuickBooks, and how far behind things are. It ends with one price for the whole job, quoted as a flat fee 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 portal invite comes from that call.
Access and documents
The portal invite, read-only bank feeds or the QuickBooks file, the open-jobs list, your license number and your workers’ comp premium bills. The checklist keeps it short.
Behind first, then monthly
If the books are behind, the cleanup comes first, then the first monthly close and job report.
The return
Half the return fee starts the work and the balance is due before e-file. You see the return before anything is filed, and an extension is free if April gets tight.
Communication
You’ll know where the books and the return stand.
When you call about a number, you’re talking to the people who put it there.
The same-day rule
Call or email during business hours and you’ll hear back the same day — all twelve months.
Roofing contractors are welcome
One crew or three, residential only or mixed with commercial, in any state — 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
For a roofing contractor, we keep the books, run payroll and prepare the returns, and we’re reachable when questions come up.
Bookkeeping · Profit by job · Payroll · Quarterly estimates · 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 roofing contractors outside California?
Yes — we work with roofing contractors remotely in any state.
Contracts, supplier statements, delivery tickets and disposal receipts come in through the secure portal, and the monthly job report goes over a call and screen share. Based in Santa Clarita, we also work with roofers across Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. If you work in another state, we work to that state’s payroll and filing rules and price it into your quote. And if you also run whole jobs as a general contractor, our page for general contractors covers that side.
What we don’t do
We handle the money side: the books, what each job made, payroll, quarterly estimates and the returns. We don’t prepare bids or estimates, change orders (written changes to a job’s scope and price), lien waivers or permits; we don’t collect insurance certificates, license or certify workers, or give legal advice on contracts or worker status; and we don’t 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, in the same plain words as this page.
FAQ
What do roofing contractors ask before booking?
Do I have to send 1099s to the subs I hire?
Yes, if you paid the sub $2,000 or more during 2026 and they’re an individual, sole proprietor, single-member LLC or partnership; corporations generally don’t get one. The 1099-NEC goes to the sub and the IRS by February 1, 2027; for 2025 payments the line was $600. We watch the running totals and file the forms from the W-9 file.
Can my helpers be paid as 1099 subs?
Not always: worker status is a legal question about how the work is run, and California adds a license rule and a roofer workers’ comp rule on top. Before the first check we collect a signed W-9 and check the license, and we run payroll for anyone you put on it. This isn’t legal advice; gray cases go to an employment attorney.
How do I know which roofs made money?
Line up each roof’s billings against everything it cost — materials, deliveries, disposal, sub bills and crew hours — and what’s left is what it made; our monthly job report does that for every roof. A roof that lost money shows up the month it happened, while there’s still time to price the next one differently. The report ties to the books, so the year-end return comes from the same numbers.
Do I need workers’ comp if I have no employees?
In California, yes: the C-39 license can’t use the no-employee exemption, so the business keeps coverage on file whether or not anyone is on payroll that month, and a lapse suspends the license. Other states set their own rules. We book the premium as a standing cost of holding the license and fold it into what each roof costs.
My books are a year behind. Can you catch them up?
Yes — a cleanup project from $750 rebuilds the missing months from the bank records, contracts, supplier statements, disposal receipts and payroll reports. The return is prepared from the rebuilt books.
Should a roofing contractor be an LLC or an S-corp?
It depends on your numbers: 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 change anything. Our entity-selection page shows how the comparison works.
Ready to see what each roof 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 — 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.