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For Subcontractors

Get paid for the work you already did, retention too.

Pay apps, retention and certified payroll tracked, books closed monthly, tax planned and every return filed, one monthly price.

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Pick a time. There's nothing to prepare and nothing to send us before the call.

Bookkeeping and taxes for subcontractors who work under a GC. You did the work, but the pay app went in late, retention is still held on a job you finished months ago, and certified payroll eats a day every week.

A sample month for a subcontractor: the bank statement, a pay application with retention held and a certified payroll week, pay apps aged by date, retention on three finished jobs adding up to $14,250, and the lien deadline on a job that still owes you. Every figure is a sample.

Which kind are you?

Building

Home Services

For the owner who pays the cabinet shop before the homeowner pays, and finds out in February what the year made.

The usual year
  1. Jan
  2. Feb
  3. Mar
  4. Apr
  5. May
  6. Jun
  7. Jul
  8. Aug
  9. Sep
  10. Oct
  11. Nov
  12. Dec

With us, every month closes.

Each one lands in your inbox, and four times a year what you owe comes in writing before the federal date.

  1. JanDec closedTax number
  2. FebJan closed
  3. MarFeb closed
  4. AprMar closedTax number
  5. MayApr closed
  6. JunMay closedTax number
  7. JulJun closed
  8. AugJul closed
  9. SepAug closedTax number
  10. OctSep closed
  11. NovOct closed
  12. DecNov closed

June:May closed and tied to the bank.

Every tax return, business and personal, inside the same monthly price.

Watch May close.

We close it and only ask what the books can't answer.

  1. The bank matches the books
  2. Every pay app aged
  3. Payroll gets checked
  4. The number, in writing
  5. Retention on finished jobs

Bank against books, May

Bank

  • May 115,200.00
  • May 9(12,960.40)
  • May 15(18,400.00)
  • May 2224,700.00
  • May 23(12,960.40)

Books

  • Job 121 pay app 115,200.00
  • Payroll(12,960.40)
  • Drywall supply(18,400.00)
  • Job 118 pay app 224,700.00
  • Payroll(12,960.40)

Every account tied. Difference $0.00

May receipts, coded to jobs

Kitchen, Sherman Oaks

Bath, Encino

ADU, Van Nuys

Cabinets$24,000 Tile$3,180 Lumber$6,420 Fixtures$2,760 Windows$8,900

Every May purchase coded to its job

Pay apps, Job 118

No. 3, sent Apr 25Paid Jun 3 · 39 days
No. 4, sent May 25Open · 14 days
Built, not yet billed$7,200

Every pay app aged

Payroll register, May 23

  • ForemanHourly, 80.0 hrsMatches
  • FinisherHourly, 80.0 hrsMatches
  • Laborer, Job 121Week of May 18, classConfirm
  • OfficeHourly, 76.0 hrsMatches

One class on Job 121 to confirm before the upload

Set aside

$17,400

Before the June 15 estimate. Second quarter.

In writing, with the math, in the packet.

Extra work · Kitchen, Sherman Oaks

Extra work billed in May$7,000
Contract price$140,000
Change order in the file you sent usNone on file
Extra work, no change order on file$7,000

Retention held by GCs

Job 097, Retail, Tarzana$6,250
Job 104, Dental office, Encino$3,900
Job 111, Restaurant, Studio City$4,100
On jobs you finished$14,250
Pacific Standard Advisory

May packet

Closed June 8

  1. Books tied to the bankAll accounts Tied
  2. Every purchase coded to its jobEvery receipt, every job Coded
  3. Payroll checkedOne class on Job 121 to confirm Checked
  4. Tax number, in writingBefore the June 15 estimate $17,400
  5. Retention on finished jobsRetention $21,400 held Flag$14,250
Reviewed and in your inbox, June 8 A couple of quick questions

What you get every month.

Bookkeeping done and tied to the bank every month. Every tax return, business and personal. What you owe, in writing, mid-year and before year end. Payroll watched. Your key numbers every month, against your budget. Every purchase coded to its job.

  • Retention, trackedEvery dollar a GC is holding, job by job, until it is paid.
  • Pay apps and slow payEvery pay app aged, from the day it went in to the day it cleared.
  • Certified payroll, watchedPublic jobs checked every month before the upload.
  • Money owed, lien dates notedWhat each job still owes you, with its lien deadline.

What we watch every month for subcontractors

  • Pay apps. When each one went in, when it was approved and when it was paid, so slow payers show up by name.
  • Retention by job and by GC. Every dollar held, when the job finished and the retention you can ask for now.
  • Certified payroll. On public jobs, the classes, hours and rates on each week's report checked against your payroll and daily reports before you submit it.
  • Money owed and lien deadlines. What each job still owes you next to its lien deadline, so you can act before the date passes.
  • Job costing. Materials, labor and equipment coded to each job, so you know which GCs and which kinds of work actually pay.

A month, in messages.

What lands in your inbox, so you never have to ask.

Illustration of a typical month

    Job costing: billed against built, per job.

    Work done next to money collected, every job, every month. You see the gap before it is a problem.

    May, percent of each contract

    Kitchen, Sherman Oaks
    Bath, Encino
    ADU, Van Nuys

    Work doneBilled

    Billing stays below the work done on every job

    Certified payroll, watched

    Public jobs checked every month before the upload.

    Job 121, School modernization · prevailing wage

    • Week of May 4Checked
    • Week of May 11Checked
    • Week of May 18Hours under a laborer class, daily report shows finishing workClass to confirm
    • Week of May 25Checked

    Confirm the class before the upload.

    Your own return. Included.

    Your personal return, your spouse's if you file together, and your rentals are inside the monthly fee. We list each one when you sign. It changes only in writing, with 30 days notice.

    • The business return
    • Your personal return
    • Your spouse's, if you file together
    • Your rentals

    Nobody gets fired.

    Your office manager keeps the day to day. We take the month end, the returns and the tax number, and put in writing who does what.

    Your office manager keeps

    • Bills and invoices
    • Deposits and receipts
    • Calls with vendors and clients
    • The day to day

    We take

    • The month end close
    • Job costing
    • Every tax return
    • The tax number, mid-year and before year end

    Retention, tracked.

    Every dollar a GC is holding, job by job, until it is paid.

    Held by GCs

    Retention on jobs you finished

    • Job 097, Retail, TarzanaFinished Jan 12$6,250147 days
    • Job 104, Dental office, EncinoFinished Mar 20$3,90080 days
    • Job 111, Restaurant, Studio CityFinished Apr 28$4,10041 days
    • Job 118, BurbankOpen$5,400
    • Job 121, School modernizationOpen$1,750

    All retention held$21,400

    $14,250 of your money is sitting with three GCs on jobs you finished.If the GC was paid and still holds it: 2% a month, $285.$14,250

    Billed against built, every job, every month.

    Every job, every month: the work done next to the money collected, which is your WIP schedule in plain words, the days your cash carries a supplier, and extra work billed with no change order on file.

    Job

    Kitchen, Sherman Oaks

    Contract $140,000

    Billed against built, May

    Built
    62%
    Billed
    48%

    Built, not yet billed$19,600

    The draw against the cash

    May 1May 15Jun 1Jun 15
    May 6Paid the cabinet shop($24,000) 27 days on your cash Jun 2The draw for that work
    Extra work billed in MayNo change order in the file you sent us. $7,000

    You're the one in the middle.

    This is what a patchwork finance team looks like.

    One department. One monthly price.

    Contractors and home services, starting at $2,500 a month.

    What you need The usual wayA bookkeeper and a CPA Pacific Standard
    Tax planning all yearBilled extra, if anyone does itGeneric advice, so deductions you qualify for get missedCustom strategy for your deductionsCustom deduction strategy
    Your tax number before AprilUsually nobody. You find out in March.April is a surprise billIncluded
    Books closed every monthYour bookkeeper, after the factIncluded
    Business planning and a yearly budgetUsually nobody. The plan lives in your head.Growth runs on a guessIncluded
    Payroll watched every monthUsually nobody. The checks just go out.Included
    Your business and personal returnsYour CPA, once a yearIncluded
    Key numbers against your budgetUsually nobody. No budget to check.Included
    A monthly email of everything we didNobodyIncluded
    Call anytime, no bill for questionsBilled by the hourSo you don't callIncluded
    Every purchase coded to its jobUsually nobody. Parts slip off invoices.Jobs look profitable when they're notIncluded
    What's covered 2 of these 10 All 10 starting at $2,500 a month

    Your price, in writing

    Starting at $2,500/mo

    For contractors and home services.

    Your exact number comes from the free Game Plan call, set for your business.

    The plain terms.

    • One monthly price.Your number is in writing before you owe anything. It changes only in writing, with 30 days notice.
    • First month on your start date, then monthly.Then one monthly price at the start of each month.
    • Cancel anytime and take your books.No contract, no exit fee. Within days you get your complete books, every document, and a handoff call with your next accountant.
    • We do the switch.The 30-Day Switch, done within 30 days of getting access, or your first month is refunded.

    Questions subcontractors ask.

    Why track pay apps if the GC pays eventually?

    Because a pay app that goes in a week late can be paid a full cycle late. We age every pay app from the day it went in, so you see which jobs and which GCs are holding your cash.

    How do I get retention paid faster?

    Start by knowing exactly what is held. We list retention by job and by GC every month with the date each job finished, so you ask for it the week it is due, in writing, with the numbers ready.

    Do you prepare certified payroll reports?

    We check them. Each month we compare the classes, hours and rates on your certified payroll to your payroll and daily reports and flag anything to fix before you submit. Your office or payroll provider still files them.

    Questions contractors and home service owners ask.

    Do you code receipts and materials to each job?

    Yes. Every purchase is coded to its job every month, so your profit per job is real and costs you paid for a customer get billed back on the next invoice instead of found at year end.

    Does it work with the software we already use?

    Yes. We connect to your QuickBooks, your payroll in Gusto or ADP and your job software, and each connection stays under your own account.

    How do you handle change orders and draws?

    We work from the books and the files you send us. When extra work is billed on a job with no change order in your file, we flag it with the amount, because no paper usually means no payment. We put each draw next to your cash so you can see how many days you are carrying a supplier before the next draw lands.

    Do you check workers comp class codes on payroll?

    Yes. Every month we check that each employee's comp class code matches the work they do, and we flag anything for you to confirm with your payroll provider.

    What does a home service company get?

    Books closed every month, revenue and profit per truck and per tech, every business and personal tax return we list when you sign, payroll watched and a mid-year projection of what you'll owe. We work with HVAC, plumbing, electrical, roofing, garage door and other home service companies.

    Do you work with pest, pool, landscaping, painting and cleaning companies?

    Yes. Any home service company at $500K to $20M a year that wants to grow. We match every payment, keep your regular customers on today's price and send a mid-year projection of what you'll owe.

    Do you send change orders, manage lien waivers or run the job side?

    No. Your team runs the jobs: change orders, billing the owner, lien waivers, permits, inspections and insurance. We are your finance department. We close your books, cost every job, track billed against earned, watch payroll, file every return and put a mid-year projection of what you'll owe in writing. When the numbers look off, like extra work billed with no change order in the file you sent us, we flag it and tell you what it means for your cash. You decide what to do.

    How much does it cost for a contractor or home service company?

    It starts at $2,500 a month for contractors and home services. Your exact number comes from the free Game Plan call, and it is in writing before you owe anything.

    I already have a bookkeeper and a CPA. Why switch?

    So look, your bookkeeper and your CPA cover 2 of the 10 things on that list, and the other 8 are where the money leaks out. Let's just say two $140 parts a week never make it onto the invoice, that's over $14,000 a year, and nobody's checking for it. We cover all 10 for one monthly price, and on the Game Plan call you'll see what your setup is leaving behind before you owe anything.

    Start with the free Game Plan.

    Twenty minutes on Google Meet, before you pay anything.

    1. Pick a timeOnline, whenever suits you.
    2. Twenty minutesA few questions about how your business is run, in your words.
    3. On the callYou'll know what your setup is leaving behind.

    You talk with our team.

    Get your free Game Plan

    There's nothing to prepare and nothing to send us before the call.

    Rather call? (310) 981-3250 or email info@pacificstandardadvisory.com

    Next IRS date on most owners' calendars: Thu, Oct 15.

    Federal dates. Your plan lists yours.

    Next 6 monthsUpcoming deadlines