Mike Ventrella
How we write these articles
Each article answers one question a home service owner asks us, and we write it for the owner who runs the business from the truck.
The stories and quotes come from Brandon Vaughn's coaching calls with trades owners. We change names, cities and any number that could point to a client.
AI helps us research and draft. Before an article goes up, we check every claim against its source, and a person on our team reads and approves it.
Tax figures come from irs.gov, with the tax year stated. When the IRS changes a number, we fix the article and say what changed at the bottom. We don't change an article's date unless its content changed.
This is general information. For your own books and taxes, talk to your tax pro, or book a profit call and we'll look at yours.
Articles by Mike
Bookkeeper vs controller vs CFO: who comes first
A bookkeeper records, a controller checks and closes the month, a CFO plans. What each does for a trades business, and the order to add them.
QuickBooks for contractors: how we set it up
We keep contractors' books in QuickBooks Online, fed by ServiceTitan, Jobber or Housecall Pro and by Gusto or ADP. Here's the setup and when it's wrong.
How to calculate labor burden for your crew
Labor burden is what a tech costs beyond the wage: payroll taxes, workers' comp, benefits and paid time off. Here's the math, with 2026 IRS rates.
Year-end accounting checklist for contractors
Close the books, then handle what changed for 2026: the new 1099-NEC threshold, overtime on W-2s, bonus depreciation and Section 179.
How to price HVAC jobs
Price an HVAC job from its cost per billable hour plus parts, divided by one minus your target margin. Here's the math on an example repair call.
Can contractors deduct mileage? 2026 IRS rules
Yes, for business trips. The IRS rate changed July 1, 2026, so here's the split-year math, the fleet rule and the records the IRS wants to see.
Outsourcing payroll: pros and cons in the trades
Outsourcing payroll takes deposits, filings and W-2s off your desk, but the IRS still holds you responsible. The pros and cons for a crew, with 2026 rules.
HVAC profit margins: how to benchmark yours
Most HVAC companies net single digits. How to check your gross and net margins against ACCA survey data, with a worked P&L and the fixes that move them.
How to separate business and personal finances
Separating business and personal finances takes one business account, one business card, set owner pay and a same-week fix when something slips.
How to manage payroll taxes for your crew
What payroll tax is, how to figure payroll tax expense for a W-2 crew with 2026 IRS rates, and the deposits and filings that keep you out of trouble.
Subcontractor vs employee: how the IRS decides
A 1099 doesn't make someone a subcontractor. The IRS looks at who controls the work, the money and the relationship. Here's the test, with trade examples.
Outsourced controller services for the trades
An outsourced controller checks your books, closes each month on a set date and sets up job costing. What one does and what the first month should deliver.
Small business tax planning for contractors
Tax planning is a habit, not an April event: sweep cash from every deposit, pay estimates on the IRS calendar and settle how you pay yourself.
1099 rules for contractors in 2026
For 2026 payments, you file a 1099-NEC once a sub's total hits $2,000. Who gets one, when it's due, and why the W-9 comes first.
Which financial reports do contractors need?
The financial reports contractors need, the question each one answers and how often to read it, plus the home service KPIs worth checking every week.
Cash flow forecast for contractors
A 13-week cash flow forecast shows the week payroll comes up short before you get there. How to build one, with a worked example and the busy-season trap.
Job costing: how to track job profitability
Job costing shows what each job made after labor, materials and subs. Here's the formula, an estimate-vs-actual example and the QuickBooks setup.
Tax deductions trades owners miss
The deductions trades owners miss are ordinary ones: small tools, the truck, the home office, meals and QBI. The IRS rule and the record for each.
Is labor taxable for contractors?
It depends on your state, and sometimes on the job. Examples from four states' own rules, why collected tax isn't income, and a monthly filing routine.
Construction chart of accounts for contractors
A construction chart of accounts for the trades: field labor, its payroll taxes and workers' comp in cost of goods sold, trucks job-costed. Sample inside.
What does a bookkeeper do for a contractor?
What a bookkeeper does for a small business in the trades, week to month, and the four jobs most skip that decide whether you can trust the numbers.
Accounts receivable for contractors
Residential jobs should leave zero receivables. How to collect at the job, bill commercial and construction work, and work the aging report every week.
How much does a bookkeeper cost a contractor?
How much does a bookkeeper cost? On payroll, about $54,600 a year with employer taxes (BLS, IRS). Here's what drives hourly and monthly package prices.
Accounts payable process for service businesses
An accounts payable process for a service crew: one inbox for bills, a check against the job, coding by job, set pay days and a monthly match.
Bookkeeping for home service businesses
Bookkeeping for home service businesses and contractors: what to record and when, where your techs' pay goes, and when to hand the books off.
How to organize receipts for business
How to organize receipts for business when your crew buys parts all day: one place to send them, a note on each, a weekly check and IRS keep-times.
Bookkeeping for painting contractors: best practices
Good bookkeeping for painting contractors puts every paint run and crew hour on a job, holds deposits as a liability and checks open jobs every week.
Fractional CFO services for home service businesses
Fractional CFO services give a trades owner a part-time finance lead for cash forecasts, pricing and hiring calls. What's included and when you need one.
Bookkeeping for HVAC businesses: best practices
Good HVAC bookkeeping records agreements as the visits happen, keeps installs apart from service, tracks callbacks and saves cash for the shoulder seasons.
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