Contractors: your books, closed by the fifth business day.
Quick answer
For contractors, TrainedBooks is automatic bookkeeping software that closes your books by the fifth business day. It sorts every bank and card transaction for you with a plain-English reason, shows your real profit and a location-aware tax set-aside (real federal + your state's rates), and prepares a tax-ready package so your tax pro just reviews and files. You review the few flagged items and own an exportable ledger. From $35/mo, with a free start, no card required, and a 30-day money-back guarantee — bookkeeping software, not a tax preparer.
Last updated: July 2026
General contractors, remodelers, and small construction outfits. TrainedBooks sorts every deposit, materials run, and sub payment with a plain-English reason and closes your books by the fifth business day — real profit, a monthly tax set-aside, and a clean packet your CPA can file from.
The problem
Deposits and progress payments land out of order, Home Depot runs mix job materials with personal spending, and subs get paid by check or Zelle with 1099 season nowhere in mind. You know what came in — not what any of it left you.
What TrainedBooks does
TrainedBooks sorts every deposit, materials run, and sub payment with a plain-English reason and closes your books by the fifth business day — real profit, a monthly tax set-aside, and a clean packet your CPA can file from.
Built for how a contractor actually runs
Deposits and progress payments matched to income instead of sitting as mystery transfers
Materials and supply-house runs categorized as job costs, separated from personal spending
Subcontractor checks and Zelle payments flagged for 1099 follow-up before January panic
Equipment, fuel, and insurance tracked so overhead is visible, not vibes
How it works
Bring in your activity
Upload a bank or QuickBooks CSV, a statement PDF, or a photo of a receipt.
TrainedBooks does the close
Every line categorized with a confidence and a plain-English reason. It learns each correction you make.
You get your numbers
Profit, margin, and what to set aside for taxes — plus a CPA-ready packet. You approve; you stay in control.
Bookkeeping for contractors — FAQ
Can TrainedBooks track my subcontractor payments for 1099s?
Yes. Payments to subs are categorized as contractor costs and roll into a 1099 summary in your tax packet, so your CPA sees who was paid what without you rebuilding it from bank statements.
Does it do per-job costing?
TrainedBooks keeps clean category-level books — materials, subs, equipment, fuel — plus budget vs. actual. It's not a dedicated job-costing estimator; many contractors run it alongside their estimating tool and finally have books that reconcile.
My deposits come by check and wire. Does that work?
Yes. Connect your business checking or upload statements — deposits are categorized as income with a reason, and anything ambiguous is flagged for a quick answer instead of guessed.