You might be surprised to learn that small businesses are still using spreadsheets or pen and paper to manage their businesses.

For construction companies, manual processes can make it harder to track costs, manage payroll, and keep projects running smoothly.

Savvy construction companies rely on construction accounting software, like Intuit QuickBooks, to handle certified payroll and union deductions across provinces. A large part of this includes using tools like time tracking apps with mobile capabilities that function from anywhere.

Automating and integrating processes not only saves construction management valuable time, but it also reduces errors. Intuit QuickBooks makes it easy to find real-time data, so you can coordinate field teams and make informed business decisions.

Table of Contents

• What construction businesses need to manage finances and operations
• Construction job costing and project financial tracking in Intuit QuickBooks
• Managing payroll for construction businesses in Intuit QuickBooks
• Supporting time tracking for field teams
• How Intuit QuickBooks connects accounting, payroll, and time tracking
• Scaling construction operations with Intuit QuickBooks
• Why construction businesses choose Intuit QuickBooks
• Build a more connected construction workflow with Intuit QuickBooks
• Frequently asked questions

What construction businesses need to manage finances and operations

Construction businesses need different financial management tools than general businesses to handle the complexity of multiple jobs across provinces. Construction businesses face these challenges:

• Project-based accounting requires costs and revenues to be tracked job by job rather than at the overall business level.
• Payroll complexity means you need software that accounts for pay structures across roles, projects, and provinces.
• Field workforce management must allow you to schedule crews across job sites while tracking hours for workers with variable schedules.

Construction job costing and project financial tracking in Intuit QuickBooks

Intuit QuickBooks handles job costing for construction firms by tracking project costs and providing real-time reporting. Here's how Intuit QuickBooks Enterprise streamlines workflows so construction firms can scale up:

• Tracking costs by project gives you the tools you need to generate accurate invoices.
• Dashboards that show budgets vs actual finances give you the opportunity to update estimates or adjust labour hours.
• Real-time financial visibility gives you the information you need about your company's accounts overall, so you can maintain profitability.

Managing payroll for construction businesses in Intuit QuickBooks

When you have complex payroll needs, you want software that can handle every step of construction accounting workflows, from setting up payroll to reporting. Construction accounting in Intuit QuickBooks allows you to improve workflows by:

• Designating pay structures across roles and provinces, so you're not manually adjusting timesheets.
• Automating accounting processes so that timesheets flow directly into payroll processing, where they meet CRA compliance.
• Running reports using project management AI to gain insights about a specific project's profitability.
• Getting AI recommendations for streamlining your cash flow and setting profit margin goals.

Supporting time tracking for field teams

Intuit QuickBooks allows you to optimize time tracking for field crews, whether you're relying on GPS, mobile, or offline capabilities. These tools make it easier to track and communicate with your field teams:

• Mobile time tracking makes it simple for field crews to quickly clock in or out at any job site, using their mobile devices.
• GPS tracking allows you to monitor physical clock-ins, which can prevent buddy punching and encourage accountability.
• Job-based tracking makes it easier to see if overall labour hours by project, so you can adjust estimates or move your crews.

How Intuit QuickBooks connects accounting, payroll, and time tracking

As a construction owner, you have to keep track of accounting, payroll, and time tracking (among other things). Fortunately, Intuit QuickBooks integrates features, making it your all-in-one solution.

For instance, when a crew member logs their hours via a mobile device, those hours flow directly into payroll, and the labour cost appears in that day's job cost report. Here's why that's important:

• Integration across workflows reduces your admin work and eliminates errors made by manual entry.
• Centralized data saves the effort of logging into multiple apps and programs, so you can see all information in a central hub.
• Real-time visibility means you're not waiting on data to make informed project management decisions.

Scaling construction operations with Intuit QuickBooks

Intuit QuickBooks not only gives you the resources you need to maintain your business, but also these tools to help it grow.

Customize your time tracking and payroll setup

As you hire more field crews, you need a digital system to track clock-ins and encourage accountability. At the same time, you want the ability to roll timesheets directly to your payroll system and make it easier to generate T4 and RL-1 slips.

Within QuickBooks Payroll, you can schedule payroll frequency, set pay rates by role or project, and automatically run payroll. Plus, give your team digital access to their pay stubs, timesheets, and year-end tax documents. This frees up valuable administrative time.

Reporting and compliance features

If your construction company takes on more work across provinces, you want to know that you're still following CRA tax rules. The right construction software handles CRA compliance and follows provincial union regulations.

You can also provide tax forms, like T4 forms, to your field crews without having to switch between multiple software programs.

Why construction businesses choose Intuit QuickBooks

Construction companies don't just want another software program; they want one that streamlines existing processes and handles more administrative tasks. That's why Intuit QuickBooks for construction businesses stands out.

As the industry standard for construction software, many people are already familiar with it, so onboarding your crew takes a matter of moments. Construction accounting in Intuit QuickBooks meets CRA compliance, so it's simple to handle accounts and projects across provinces.

Whether you primarily choose Intuit QuickBooks for time tracking or job costing, its flexibility lets you automate multiple processes, improving efficiency and reducing mistakes.