Ottawa contractor bookkeeping
Bookkeeping for contractors who would rather be on the job than in the books.
Fieldline Financial provides flat-fee monthly bookkeeping for Ottawa trades and home-service contractors. Receipts, supplier bills, bank and credit-card activity, customer payments and subcontractor records are organized into one repeatable monthly close.
The short answer
What should an Ottawa trades bookkeeper handle?
A trades-focused bookkeeper should keep every business account reconciled, attach source records, categorize job-related income and expenses consistently, track subcontractor payments, separate amounts that need owner attention, and prepare a clean file for the business’s accountant. Fieldline does that on a monthly schedule and summarizes the result in a one-page Site Report.
Who it is for
One bookkeeping system, adapted to the way your trade moves money.
Electrical contractors
Track supplier purchases, vehicle and tool expenses, customer receipts, subcontractor payments and monthly account reconciliations.
Plumbing and HVAC
Keep service calls, installation jobs, parts purchases, fleet transactions and subcontractor records organized in one monthly close.
Roofing and exterior trades
Capture crew and subcontractor paperwork, material purchases, deposits, progress receipts and the records your accountant will need.
Painters and flooring contractors
Separate labour and materials where source invoices support it, record customer payments and keep the year-end file from becoming a cleanup project.
Renovators and specialty trades
Maintain clean books for job-based businesses without pretending basic bookkeeping can replace a construction accountant or a full job-cost system.
Every month
The contractor bookkeeping rhythm
- Capture. Receipts, supplier invoices and subcontractor paperwork get out of the truck and into the record system.
- Separate. Transactions are categorized consistently, with HST, payroll-related records, WSIB-related information and tax set-asides kept visible for the owner and accountant.
- Close. Bank and credit-card accounts are reconciled, open questions are resolved and the books are closed on a predictable monthly schedule.
- Explain. The Site Report shows the bank balance, tracked obligations, receivables, recorded bills, monthly result, upcoming dates and owner action items on one page.
Fit
A narrow service for small, job-based businesses.
Usually a good fit
- Ottawa-area specialty trade or home-service business
- Owner plus roughly 2–15 field workers or regular subcontractors
- QuickBooks Online, or willing to move into a client-owned QBO file
- Needs monthly reconciliations, cleaner records and a plain-language summary
Usually not a fit
- Complex general contractor, developer or heavy-civil operation
- Needs payroll processing, bill payment, collections or tax filing
- Needs sophisticated WIP or percentage-of-completion accounting
- Wants a bookkeeper to move money or make tax decisions
Common questions
Contractor bookkeeping FAQ
What kind of contractors does Fieldline work with?
Fieldline is designed for Ottawa specialty trades and home-service contractors, usually owner-operated businesses with a small crew or regular subcontractors.
Can you catch up overdue contractor books?
Yes. Catch-up work is quoted at $195 per month behind with a $750 minimum, subject to record quality and scope.
Do you file HST returns or T5018 slips?
No. Fieldline organizes and tracks the underlying records. Your accountant or tax professional handles filings, tax advice and representation.
Do I need QuickBooks Online?
Fieldline works in client-owned QuickBooks Online. If you are not set up yet, setup can be included as part of onboarding.