Trades & Contractors
Job-costing and cash flow you can actually run the business on.
Contractors and trades businesses generating $500K to $5M live and die on job costing, deposit timing, and equipment decisions — and a generic bookkeeper tracks none of it. RTW.ai delivers clean books, proactive tax prep, and quarterly insight built for the way work gets billed and paid in the field.
We work with trades and contracting businesses — HVAC, electrical, plumbing, construction, landscaping — so the books reflect job costing, retainage and deposits, vehicle and equipment depreciation, and the seasonal swings that make cash flow unpredictable.
Pricing
Simple, public, month-to-month.
Pick a tier and sign up. Billed monthly in advance, cancel any time with 30 days notice. No contract.
Bookkeeping
Clean books, monthly reports, reconciliations.
- Monthly bookkeeping — categorization, reconciliations, financial statements
- Ongoing QuickBooks Online maintenance
- Monthly close delivered by the 5th business day
- Client Center portal access
Best For
Owners who need clean, current books and reliable monthly reporting — without an accountant in their inbox.
Tax prep priced separately · 15% off à la carte tax prep
Start with BookkeepingBookkeeping Pro
Bookkeeping plus the numbers explained — quarterly.
- Everything in Bookkeeping
- Monthly KPI dashboard + quarterly performance report delivered to your Client Center
- Quarterly business advisory review
- Priority email response
Best For
Growing businesses that want a KPI dashboard and the numbers walked through quarterly, not just emailed.
Tax prep priced separately · 15% off à la carte tax prep
Start with Bookkeeping ProCFO Advisory
Strategy, forecasting, and planning in one seat.
- Everything in Bookkeeping Pro
- Monthly strategy session
- Scenario modeling + rolling forecast
- Monthly advisory (vs. quarterly)
- Integrated tax planning
- Quarterly board seat (Q2 + Q4)
Best For
Operators making real decisions every month who want strategy, forecasting, and planning integrated with their books.
Tax prep priced separately · 15% off à la carte tax prep
Start with CFO AdvisoryTax Preparation
Priced separately, on purpose.
Tax prep is an annual deliverable, not a monthly one — bundling it hides the cost of the work. It’s à la carte, and subscribers get a flat 15% member rate.
See full pricing — subscriptions and tax prepFit
Who this is for. And who it isn’t.
This is for you if
- You run a trades or contracting business generating $500K–$5M annually
- You want job-level visibility, not just a year-end P&L
- You're comfortable with templated processes and async delivery
- You want equipment, vehicle, and tax planning handled proactively
This isn’t for you if
- You need full project-management or estimating software (we're the accounting layer)
- You're pre-revenue or under $500K
- You need bonding-driven CFO work beyond CFO Advisory
- You want the cheapest possible bookkeeping
Questions before you sign up
What does RTW.ai do for a trades or contracting business?
It runs your bookkeeping, monthly reporting and tax planning for an HVAC, electrical, plumbing, construction or landscaping business generating $500K to $5M a year, and delivers the results in your Client Center. The books are set up to reflect job costing, retainage and deposits, vehicle and equipment depreciation and seasonal swings. Tax preparation is priced separately.
Do I need a discovery call first?
No. You sign up, choose your services and receive your intake organizers and engagement letter in the Client Center, with no call required. The optional 15-minute follow-up is for signed clients, scoped to a delivered package; there is no pre-signup call.
What is included, and what is not?
Every tier includes monthly bookkeeping (categorization, reconciliations, financial statements), ongoing QuickBooks Online maintenance, a monthly close delivered by the 5th business day, and Client Center access. Bookkeeping Pro adds a monthly KPI dashboard, a quarterly performance report, a quarterly advisory review and priority email response. CFO Advisory adds monthly advisory, scenario modeling and a rolling forecast, integrated tax planning and a quarterly board seat. Prices are published on the pricing page: billed monthly in advance, cancel any time with 30 days notice, and tax preparation priced separately with 15% off for active subscribers. Not included: tax return preparation (priced separately), audit defense, prior-year amendments, IRS or Georgia DOR notice response, cost segregation studies, R&D credit studies and practice valuations. RTW is the accounting layer, so project-management or estimating software is not part of it, and bonding-driven CFO work goes beyond CFO Advisory.
Can you track cost by job?
Yes, that is how the books are set up to work. How much detail is possible depends on whether your jobs are already tracked in QuickBooks Online, and the scope is set at intake. If your jobs live in another system today, tell us at signup.
How does it work if there is no regular meeting?
Each month's package arrives with a short video report-out that walks through your numbers and answers the questions most owners ask about them. If the video leaves a question open, you ask by message or email, and phone is available. If you still want live time, you can book an optional 15-minute follow-up scoped to your specific questions.
What do you need from me to start?
Access to your QuickBooks Online file and last year's tax return. You upload those, and the rest of the intake is done through organizers in the Client Center.
How long does it take, and when do I get my numbers?
Setup, including any cleanup of earlier months, typically takes about 30 days from signup. After that, your books run on the regular monthly cycle: each month is closed by the 5th business day of the following month, and the month-end package and video arrive by the 10th.
How is my tax return delivered?
You receive a video walkthrough of the return in the Client Center, then sign the e-file authorization (Form 8879) before anything is filed. Tax preparation is quoted after a short scope review. Multi-state and complex returns are quoted on scope.
Resource Library
The tax questions trades & contractors owners actually ask.
Written by Askia Roberts, CPA (GA License #CPA038784). No paywalls, no lead forms — just the answers.
Contractor and Trades Business Tax Guide (2024)
The complete tax guide for contractor and trades business owners — plumbers, electricians, HVAC, roofers, general contractors, and more. S-corp structure, vehicle deductions, retirement accounts, quarterly taxes, QBI deduction, and year-end planning. Everything you need to keep significantly more of what you earn.
Read articleContractor 1099s for Subs: The $2,000 Threshold for 2026
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Read article1099 Contractor Taxes: What You Owe and How to Reduce It
If you're a 1099 contractor or sole-proprietor tradesperson, your tax burden is significantly higher than a W-2 employee's — but most of it is reducible with the right structure. Here is what you actually owe, five ways to reduce it, and when to make the move to an entity.
Read articleGet Started
Ready when you are.
Sign up, connect QuickBooks, get to work. After setup, we close your books by the 5th business day of each month.
Past $5M and need the high-touch Elite engagement? Visit rtwadvisors.com.